Phil. Chuck. Jimmy. Here's why many Groundhog Day prognosticators are male

Punxsutawney Phil is the most famous of the weather-predicting rodents that emerge on Groundhog Day — but in some areas, female groundhogs are the ones making the call. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

The stars of Groundhog Day go by many names: Punxsutawney Phil, Staten Island Chuck, Buckeye Chuck. And Feb. 2 is those groundhogs' day — their time to shine on an international stage. So why are male groundhogs the center of attention?

Put simply, "males emerge first" from the groundhogs' winter hibernation, biology professor Christine Maher from the University of Southern Maine told NPR.