What Are Groundhogs Really Looking For? Sex, for One

"It's gonna be cold, it's gonna be grey, and it's gonna last you for the rest of your life."
 That's what actor Bill Murray said in the movie Groundhog Day, but that's hopefully not what the famous groundhog Phil will predict when he pops out of his burrow February 2 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
If Phil sees his shadow on Groundhog Day, tradition says there will be six more weeks of winter.
If he doesn't, there’ll be an early spring. But is Phil—or any groundhog, for that matter—really acting as the Oracle of Spring when he pops out of his hole?
 Not quite, it turns out.