Current:Home > MyPunxsutawney Phil is a dad! See the 2 groundhog pups welcomed by Phil and his wife, Phyllis -Secure Growth Academy
Punxsutawney Phil is a dad! See the 2 groundhog pups welcomed by Phil and his wife, Phyllis
View
Date:2025-04-17 08:46:07
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 Gdhauari@gannett.com.
veryGood! (3)
Related
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- Kris Kristofferson mourned by country music icons Dolly Parton, more: 'What a great loss'
- A handcuffed Long Island man steals a patrol car after drunk driving arrest, police say
- Attorneys for NYC Mayor Eric Adams seek dismissal of bribery charge brought by ‘zealous prosecutors’
- Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
- France’s new government pledges hardline stance on migration as it cozies up to far right
- 'Say it again': Deion Sanders revels in Colorado's 4-1 start after big win over UCF
- John Ashton, ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ actor, dies at 76
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- Trump is pointing to new numbers on migrants with criminal pasts. Here’s what they show
Ranking
- Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
- Biden says he hopes to visit Helene-impacted areas this week if it doesn’t impact emergency response
- An asteroid known as a 'mini-moon' will join Earth's orbit for 2 months starting Sunday
- Bowen Yang Claps Back at Notion He Mocked Chappell Roan on SNL With Moo Deng Sketch
- 'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
- 'Multiple' deaths reported after single-engine plane crashes in North Carolina
- Dragon spacecraft that will bring home Starliner astronauts launches on Crew-9 mission
- What to watch as JD Vance and Tim Walz meet for a vice presidential debate
Recommendation
Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
She defended ‘El Chapo.’ Now this lawyer is using her narco-fame to launch a music career
MLB playoff scenarios: NL wild card race coming down to the wire
'Say it again': Deion Sanders revels in Colorado's 4-1 start after big win over UCF
The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
NASCAR 2024 playoffs at Kansas: Start time, TV, streaming, lineup for Hollywood Casino 400
Missing a beat, streaming service Spotify is back after a temporary outage
Awareness of ‘Latinx’ increases among US Latinos, and ‘Latine’ emerges as an alternative