Shubenacadie Sam is a Canadian

groundhog The groundhog (''Marmota monax''), also known as a woodchuck, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. The groundhog is a lowland creature of North America; it is found through mu ...

who lives at the

Shubenacadie Wildlife Park The Shubenacadie Provincial Wildlife Park is part of Nova Scotia's Provincial Park System. It is a wildlife park in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, Canada. The 40-hectare park includes animals, an interpretive centre, hiking t ...

in the town of

Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia Shubenacadie () is a village located in Hants County, in central Nova Scotia, Canada. As of 2021, the population was 411. The name for the Mi'kmaw territory in which present-day Shubenacadie is located and the origin of its name is the Mi'kmaw wor ...

. Every February 2, on

Groundhog Day Groundhog Day ( pdc, Grund'sau dåk, , , ; Nova Scotia: Daks Day) is a popular North American tradition observed in the United States and Canada on February 2. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerges f ...

, Sam's shadow is closely observed at 08:00 AST to make the traditional prediction whether there will be an early

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a h ...

. Due to Nova Scotia's Atlantic Time Zone, Sam makes the first Groundhog Day prediction in North America. The prediction ceremony is usually heralded by a bagpiper and

town crier A town crier, also called a bellman, is an officer of a royal court or public authority who makes public pronouncements as required. Duties and functions The town crier was used to make public announcements in the streets. Criers often dre ...

and draws an early-morning festive crowd of families and visitors. Shubenacadie Sam predicted a long winter in 2022 in a ceremony presented virtually for the second year in a row due to Covid-19 precautions.

History

The Shubenacadie Sam tradition began about 1987 and differs from most other famous groundhogs as he is not woken from hibernation for Groundhog Day. By 2018, four ground hogs had served as "Shubenacadie Sam" since the practice began in Nova Scotia, as groundhogs usually live 10-15 years in captivity. In 2021, Sam was a 7-year-old female groundhog. Park employees served as the caretaker for Shubenacadie Sam and the park's groundhogs for almost 17 years. They provided breakfast for the groundhog, usually yogurt and melon. Staff also read to the groundhog who has been designated an advocate for

Family Literacy Day Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ide ...

. Shubenacadie Sam usually draws around 200 spectators for his or her prediction.

Past predictions

Controversy

In 2018, Sam bit the finger of CBC reporter Brett Ruskin when the reporter grabbed the groundhog to stop Sam from climbing out of the groundhog enclosure.

Background

While Shubenacadie offers the earliest prediction every year, it is one of many towns throughout North America known for their winter-predicting groundhogs. The most famous is Punxsutawney Phil of

Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania Punxsutawney (; Lenape: ' ) is a borough in southern Jefferson County, Pennsylvania. Punxsutawney is known globally for its annual Groundhog Day celebration held each February 2, during which thousands of attendees and international media outlet ...

, United States. The most famous Canadian groundhog is

Wiarton Willie Wiarton Willie is the name given to a Canadian groundhog who lives in the community of Wiarton in Bruce County, Ontario. Every February 2, on Groundhog Day, Willie takes part in the local ''Wiarton Willie Festival''. His role is to predict whethe ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada. Sam shares the Nova Scotia prediction every year with "Two Rivers Tunnel" in

Cape Breton Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18 ...

at the Two Rivers Wildlife Park in

Mira River, Nova Scotia The Mira River (pronounced like the woman's name "Myra") is a Canadian river located in eastern Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. With a meander length of approximately , the Mira has a very slow flow rate. The river's source is traced to a se ...

, although "Two Rivers Tunnel" is awakened for its prediction just after 11 am instead of 8 am. Promoters of a lobster festival in Barrington Passage, Nova Scotia created a "Lucy the Lobster" ritual in 2018 with a lobster that crawled from the water to a lobster trap on Groundhog Day. Shubenacadie Sam's prediction, like all weather-predicting groundhogs, bears little relation to seasonal weather trends as it is based on random location conditions, according to

Meteorologist A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists in research, while th ...

Cindy Day. Shubenacadie Sam has an accuracy rate of about 45%, according to Day, compared to 39% for Punxsutawney Phil and 25% for Wiarton Willie.Tom Ayers, "Shubenacadie Sam unlikely to see his shadow", ''Chronicle Herald'', January 31, 2018a
/ref>

Notes

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