Current:Home > StocksPunxsutawney Phil is a dad! See the 2 groundhog pups welcomed by Phil and his wife, Phyllis-InfoLens
Punxsutawney Phil is a dad! See the 2 groundhog pups welcomed by Phil and his wife, Phyllis
View Date:2024-12-23 16:59:22
Punxsutawney Phil's life just got a whole lot busier. In addition to predicting the weather, the Pennsylvania-based groundhog now has a new title: father.
Phil and his wife, Phyllis, welcomed two new babies, the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club announced on social media Wednesday.
"We have Babies!! The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club is very excited to announce that Phil and Phyllis have given birth to two healthy baby Groundhogs! The babies are currently in with mom and dad at the zoo that is located at the Punxsutawney Memorial Library, and can be viewed thru the viewing window," the club posted on Instagram Wednesday.
"When we went in to feed them their fresh fruits and vegetables, we found Phyllis with two little baby groundhogs. It was very unexpected, we had no idea that she was pregnant," Tom Dunkel, the president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's Inner Circle, told CBS Pittsburgh.
The club also posted a video of the baby groundhogs on Instagram Wednesday, which you can watch below.
Did Phil see his shadow this year?
Phil did not see his shadow on Feb. 2 at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, part of the annual Groundhog Day tradition celebrated in the U.S. and Canada. That means, according to the legend, Phil was predicting an early spring.
It was the first time since 2020 that Phil predicted an early spring, and the 21st time since records were kept.
If you look at the data, Punxsutawney Phil has a record of seeing his shadow more often than not. Prior to 2024, the groundhog had seen his shadow 107 times and not seen his shadow 20 times, according to the York Daily Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. There were a few years in the late 1800s where there was no record of his forecast, and 1943 was the only year he did not make an appearance.
How accurate is Punxsutawney Phil?:A question for America's favorite forecaster, Punxsutawney Phil
Punxsutawney Phil goes viral on TikTok
Phil captured the hearts and imagination of TikTok creatives in early February when user @olivesongs11 composed a song based on the lore that Punxsutawney Phil has been alive since 1886, and his longevity comes from an "elixir of life" that he takes a sip of every summer.
According to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, Phyllis is unfortunately not offered the same elixir and is not given her own immortality.
@olivesongs11, also known as the singer/songwriter Oliver Richman, composed a song based on this unbelievable idea.
"Nothing's supposed to live forever, Phyliss," a section of Richman's song, written from Phil's point of view goes in a ballad-like style. "Nothing's supposed to last that long. The burrows we made will eventually fade and I'll be left to sing the same old song."
The video went viral, with over 4.8 million views and 500,000 likes.
Other TikTok users jumped on the idea, posting duets on the app singing to Richman's song as their own version of Phyliss or even as the Punxsutawney Mayor.
Contributing: Emily DeLetter, USA TODAY
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at [email protected].
veryGood! (6876)
Related
- Will Trump’s hush money conviction stand? A judge will rule on the president-elect’s immunity claim
- 4 charged in Detroit street shooting that left 2 dead, 5 wounded
- MLS playoff teams set: Road to MLS Cup continues with conference semifinals
- Tennessee fugitive accused of killing a man and lying about a bear chase is caught in South Carolina
- Gun groups sue to overturn Maine’s new three-day waiting period to buy firearms
- Deion Sanders addresses trash thrown at team during Colorado's big win at Texas Tech
- See Leonardo DiCaprio's Transformation From '90s Heartthrob to Esteemed Oscar Winner
- LSU leads college football Week 11 Misery Index after College Football Playoff hopes go bust
- Taylor Swift Becomes Auntie Tay In Sweet Photo With Fellow Chiefs WAG Chariah Gordon's Daughter
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, 4G
Ranking
- Avril Lavigne’s Ex Mod Sun Is Dating Love Is Blind Star Brittany Wisniewski, Debuts Romance With a Kiss
- Anti-abortion advocates press Trump for more restrictions as abortion pill sales spike
- ‘I got my life back.’ Veterans with PTSD making progress thanks to service dog program
- 2024 'virtually certain' to be warmest year on record, scientists say
- Summer I Turned Pretty's Gavin Casalegno Marries Girlfriend Cheyanne Casalegno
- Taylor Swift touches down in Kansas City as Chiefs take on Denver Broncos
- Todd Golden to continue as Florida basketball coach despite sexual harassment probe
- Trump on Day 1: Begin deportation push, pardon Jan. 6 rioters and make his criminal cases vanish
Recommendation
-
Tennessee fugitive accused of killing a man and lying about a bear chase is caught in South Carolina
-
These Yellowstone Gift Guide Picks Will Make You Feel Like You’re on the Dutton Ranch
-
See Leonardo DiCaprio's Transformation From '90s Heartthrob to Esteemed Oscar Winner
-
Question of a lifetime: Families prepare to confront 9/11 masterminds
-
Massachusetts lawmakers to consider a soccer stadium for the New England Revolution
-
Suspect arrested after deadly Tuskegee University homecoming shooting
-
Rafael dissolves into a low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico after hitting Cuba as a hurricane
-
Rafael dissolves into a low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico after hitting Cuba as a hurricane