Current:Home > reviewsPunxsutawney Phil is a dad! See the 2 groundhog pups welcomed by Phil and his wife, Phyllis -Zenith Investment School
Punxsutawney Phil is a dad! See the 2 groundhog pups welcomed by Phil and his wife, Phyllis
View
Date:2025-04-18 11:05:44
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! (93)
Related
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
- See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
- A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
Ranking
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech
- Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
- Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
Recommendation
Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
Average rate on 30
A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett