Punxsutawney Phil Shocks Caretakers by Welcoming 2 Surprise Baby Groundhogs with His Wife Phyllis

Famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil is planning for at least six more weeks of intense parenting.

On March 27, the furry prognosticator's Facebook page announced that Punxsutawney Phil and his wife Phyllis recently welcomed two baby groundhogs into their family.

"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 post shared alongside photos of the itty-bitty groundhogs with mom and dad.

According to the post, Phil fans can visit the newborn groundhogs and their parents at the Punxsutawney Memorial Library, where the animals have a climate-controlled enclosure with a viewing window.

Thomas Dunkel, the president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's Inner Circle — the group that handles the infamous Groundhog's Day traditions of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania — said in a news conference that the baby groundhogs are Phil and Phyllis' first children, the Associated Press reported.

The little groundhogs' arrival surprised Punxsutawney Phil and Phyllis' caretakers, who first spotted the newborns on Saturday.

"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 -

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pregnant," Dunkel told CBS News.

Now that the groundhogs are a family of four, they plan to move into a larger space. The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club is working on creating an expanded habitat for the animals at Punxsutawney Memorial Library, according to AP.

Punxsutawney Phil is famous for emerging from his abode every Feb. 2 morning to determine if winter will continue or if the world will be graced with an early spring. If the groundhog sees his shadow, it's a sign of six more weeks of winter. If Phil doesn't see his shadow, that's his way of predicting an early spring. For 2024, Phil didn't see his shadow, signaling an early spring.

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According to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's website, Phil's kids will not take over his famous role because "there has only been one Punxsutawney Phil."

"He has been making predictions since 1886! Punxsutawney Phil gets his longevity from drinking the "elixir of life," a secret recipe. Phil takes one sip every summer at the Groundhog Picnic, and it magically gives him seven more years of life," the site added.

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