Daniel Blumstein for MSNBC — I’m a biologist. Humans can learn a lot from groundhogs — and not just on Feb. 2.

UCLA professor of ecology and evolutionary biology Daniel T. Blumstein authors a new article on MSNBC, discussing the relevance of groundhog behavior to humans and the importance of paying attention to environmental signals. Blumstein, a biologist who studies marmot behavior, emphasizes Groundhog Day as a unique celebration of animal behavior, specifically the seasonal patterns referred to as phenology. He explains that phenology can provide insights into climate and environmental changes relevant to humans, urging people to listen to these signals. “Our work has shown that marmots are emerging earlier than they did in the past, and we suspect that this reflects changing weather patterns” Blumstein said.