Did you know Punxsutawney Phil is a dad? What we know about his kids on Groundhog Day.
Punxsutawney Phil is Pennsylvania's famous groundhog, but he's also a father to two pups.
The famous weather-predicting groundhog and his wife, Phyllis, welcomed two babies in March 2024. It was a monumental day, as Punxsutawney Phil became a first-time father at 138 years old.
Ahead of his second Groundhog Day as a dad, here's everything to know about Punxsutawney Phil's kids.
What are their names?
The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle announced the pups' names in May 2024: Sunny and Shadow.
"Born to royalty, a boy and a girl, names have been chosen to share with the world. Welcome with us as we say hello to little girl, Sunny and a boy, Shadow. With pride and joy as the kids play, from Punxatawney, happy Mother's Day!" Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Vice President Dan McGinley read from a proclamation.
Tom Dunkel, the president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's Inner Circle, said Phyllis' pregnancy was a surprise for everyone.
"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," Dunkel told KDKA in April 2024.
In more than a century, Dunkel said the club has never had a baby groundhog before. He said the club was shocked, but its members were "stoked" when they heard the news.
How were the names picked?
The club set up suggestion boxes for names, allowing the Punxsutawney community to be involved in the fun. The club then reviewed all the suggested names and discussed them with Phil in his native tongue, Groundhogese.
Will Shadow and Sunny replace Phil?
Dunkel said the twins won't be going into the family business because Punxsutawney Phil will live forever.
Where does Punxsutawney Phil live?
The happy family lives at the Punxsutawney Memorial Library and a new zoo at Gobbler's Knob. The two spaces are connected by a tunnel, officials said. The extra space was added because it got too crowded when the pups were born.