For our American listeners you may recognize the name Punxsutawney Phil (aka the star of Groundhog Day). This well known rodent has a lot more tricks up its sleeves than predicting whether or not there will be 6 more weeks of winter. Joining us today to talk about his west coast relatives is Dr. Greg Florant, biology professor and director of the Graduate Center for Diversity and Access at Colorado State University.

Dr. Florant, who specializes in animal hibernation, specifically Marmots not only shares his now widely used technique to catch marmots in the wild but also how these animals are able to survive with a body temperature just above freezing.

**When we talk about hepatitis please note we are referencing Hep B, not C as mentioned.**

To lear more about Dr. Florant and his research check out the links below! https://www.nsf.gov/bio/bioac/members/bio_sketch/Greg_Florant.pdf

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/02/000202075735.htm

https://www.coloradoan.com/story/csu/2015/02/02/every-day-is-groundhog-day-for-csu-researcher/22599379/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POafue9RsuI

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2527986/

We cannot thank Dr. Florant enough for his time and sharing his knowledge with us!

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