Re: how many chromosomes do groundhogs have?

hey there,

did you know that groundhogs are also called woodchucks? I didn't. 


http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/rodent/Groundhogprintout.shtml

but knowing this might help you a bit with your research. Also, the
scientific name is Marmota marmox.


Although woodchucks are not one of the main model animals in biomedical
research, there are some studies of woodchuck tumor cell lines. The
following abstract in the journal "International Journal of Cancer" should
give you the answer you are looking for. I found this abstract by searching
Pubmed, a database of research articles in biology and biomedical sciences.


The link with the answer:
Analysis
of the chromosomal abnormalities of a woodchuck hepatocellular
carcinoma-derived cell line




Pubmed




Woodchucks are diploid (two chromosome sets), like all mammals. According
to the link above, they have 38 pairs of chromosomes, including the sex
chromosomes (males XX, females XY). This means that there are 2 x 18 unique
chromosomes + X + X (females) or Y (males) in every woodchuck cell nucleus. 
The article goes on to discuss a tumor cell line with altered numbers of
chromosomes (something that happens sometimes in tumors).


Happy researching!


Sanjida
Mad Scientist