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'100 Percent Correct': Fairfield County's Own Beardsley Bart Makes Groundhog Day Prediction

Although he's not a groundhog, Connecticut's Beardsley Bart has shared his own prediction as to whether or not spring will arrive early. 

Beardsley Bart, "Connecticut’s own Prognosticating Prairie Dog."

Beardsley Bart, "Connecticut’s own Prognosticating Prairie Dog."

Photo Credit: Beardsley Zoo/Shannon Calvert

Known as "Connecticut’s own Prognosticating Prairie Dog," Beardsley Bart of Bridgeport's Beardsley Zoo is known for always being right about his weather prediction, according to Zoo Director Gregg Dancho. 

This year, the prairie dog emerged from his den with a small group of friends nearby and failed to see his shadow, predicting an early spring for the Nutmeg State. 

However, although Dancho says that while Beardsley Bart's prediction is always accurate, it is not in the way you might think.

"Every year, Beardsley Bart says that spring is coming eventually, and he has always been 100 percent correct," Dancho said. 

According to zoo officials, Bart is part of the zoo's Black-Tailed Prairie Dog exhibit, which is one of the most popular among visitors. 

As a prairie dog, Bart is known for digging tunnels with different chambers for denning, storage, and nesting, which may extend below the ground as much as 15 to 16 feet deep. 

During the warmer months, Bart and his fellow prairie dogs are active at dusk and dawn and spend most of the day below ground, making them crepuscular animals.

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