Explore More. Chipmunks feed on insects, nuts, berries, seeds, fruit, and grain which they stuff into their generous cheek pouches and carry to their burrow or nest to store. Common Name: Chipmunks. Scientific Name: Tamias. Type: Mammals. Diet: Omnivore. Size: 4 to 7 inches; tail: 3 to 5 inches. Weight: 1 to 5 ounces. Chipmunks are related to squirrels and are recognizable by their chubby cheeks.
There are 25 species of chipmunk, and all but one live in North America. One of the more common chipmunks is the eastern chipmunk, which lives throughout eastern North America and prefers deciduous and mixed forests.
They are most commonly seen in old-growth hardwood forests with some open space. A chipmunk burrow is a maze of interconnected tunnels 2 inches in diameter that run from 12 to 30 feet long. A chipmunk burrow usually has one unobstructed entrance and several others that are blocked with leaves. The tunnels lead to a nest chamber measuring about 6 to 10 inches in diameter with more tunnels to food galleries nearby. Chipmunks generally reuse burrows dug by other mammals but will add to the system using its forefeet to dig and will transport the loose soil in its cheek pouches.
Chipmunks are omnivores and eat seeds, nuts, tubers, fruits and fungi as well as invertebrates such as:. Occasionally they will kill and eat frogs and small birds, especially nestlings. They prefer red and sugar maple seeds, yellow trout lily bulbs and black cherries, but their favorite food is beechnuts. A chipmunk can fit up to 32 husked beechnuts in its cheeks at one time and may collect 5, to 6, by the end of autumn. They are diurnal creatures and leave their burrows only during daylight periods.
Some squirrels do have stripes, but chipmunks have five dark stripes and several white ones, some of which stretch onto the head. Male and female chipmunks look alike. Chipmunk cheek pouches are made of stretchy skin so the animal can stuff them with food — a handy way to carry lots of goodies off to its burrow. The pouches get larger as the chipmunk gets older. Eastern chipmunks are at home in forests where there are plenty of hiding spots, such as under rocks or in fallen trees.
This cover helps the critter escape its predators. These animals will eat fruits, nuts, seeds and mushrooms - sometimes even bird eggs and earthworms.
Each chipmunk builds a burrow where it may live for up to several years. Chipmunks mostly stay away from each other's homes.
Its tiny burrow is also a place to hide from predators. To make its burrow, the chipmunk digs a tunnel and fills the space with fluffy seeds, leaves and grasses. Underneath this bedding, it hides nuts and seeds for winter. That can help the nuts and seeds it does not eat grow into plants. During winter, chipmunks mostly stay in their burrows.
They wake up every few days or weeks to snack from their stored food. That means they don't hibernate. In spring or summer, a female chipmunk gives birth to an average of three to five babies, which have no fur, are blind and weigh only about three grams! They will venture out of the burrow after about six weeks. The Eastern chipmunk is common in southeastern Canada and the northeastern United States. They reach as far north as the treeline, where it is too cold and dark for forests to grow. Each critter also has its own range.
When in another's territory, a chipmunk will be wary. Chipmunks don't always get along when vying for the nuts humans are passing out! Download a printable version of this page. View the discussion thread. The RCGS acknowledges that its offices are located on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Peoples, who have been guardians of, and in relationship with, these lands for thousands of years. The RCGS is a registered charity.
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