4. Staten Island Chuck
Every February, New Yorkers can count on Staten Island Chuck (also known as Charles G. Hogg) to give a weather prognosis on Groundhog Day. Residing in the Staten Island Zoo, he’s regarded as the official groundhog meteorologist of New York City and has a prediction success rate of 82% as 0f 2013 (26 out of 32 years).
Besides his official role, Staten Island Chuck gain notoriety when he bit Mayor Bloomberg in 2009. Due to the incident, he was replaced by his daughter, Charlotte, who served as the female “Staten Island Chuck” until Mayor Bill de Blasio accidentally dropped her during the 2014 ceremony, which many believe led to her death the following week. In 2015, Charlotte Jr. took over as the official groundhog meteorologist although the original Staten Island Chuck is thought to still be alive. He’s just retired due to the fear that he might bite again.