Punxsutawney Phil, right, is held by Ben Hughes after emerging from his burrow on Gobblers Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa.
/ AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar
PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — Punxsutawney Phil might be an expert at shadow spotting, but texting? Not so much.
About two hours after the famous groundhog "saw" his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter, the rodent's inaugural stab at text-messaging appeared. Phil also sent a Twitter update at about that time.
Officials with the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club didn't immediately return calls about Phil's texting skills.
German tradition holds that if a hibernating animal sees its shadow on Feb. 2 — the Christian holiday of Candlemas — winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, legend says spring will come early.
The Inner Circle annually announces Phil's forecast at dawn on Gobbler's Knob, about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
