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 March
8, 2009 - We spotted 5 separate chipmunks stuffing their cheeks
today. I'm relatively sure there are many more around (even
before breeding takes place). The underground tunnel system must be
awesome and too scary to think about.
Chipmunk
Little chipmunk scurry, flurry
Over leaves, under trees
Always in a big, big hurry.
Chipmunk busy stuffing , puffing
In the seeds, next to weeds
Cheekful chewing sounds like chuffing.
Chipmunk's nuts and seeds for hording, storing
In cheeks, for later weeks
Not much time for just exploring.
Food Mom
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Some believe the chipmunk got his name from the two sounds he makes
(chip, chuck). Another group suggests his name is derived from the
word chetamnon, the name the Chippewa Indians used for the chipmunk.
Possibly this tribe also used a word that mimicked the sounds he uses to
communicate with his friends and scold those not his friends.
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Size:
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Head and Body Length: 5-6 in
Tail Length: 3-4 in
Weight: 2-5 oz
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ID:
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Male: Reddish brown fur on upper body; thin,
black stripe down backbone; each side (from backbone stripe
down) has wider grayish stripe, thin black, thin white and thin
black stripes; underside white; bright reddish brown rump; white
stripe above and below eyes; top of tail grizzled blackish red
with orange underside; cheek pouches for storing and carrying
food
Female: Same as male
Juvenile: Same as adult except 2/3
the size when first appearing above ground; called pup
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Habitat:
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Open forests, woods, parks and backyards; uses cover of
decaying logs, stone wall, rock piles and buildings
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Diet:
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Seeds, nuts, fruit, bulbs, acorns, mushrooms, berries, corn,
insects and bird eggs; frequents areas around bird feeders and
picnic places; although a good climber, forages mostly on the
ground (will climb for nuts and berries)
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Family Behavior:
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Mating Habits: Solitary except during
courtship; mate early spring, March to start of April, and early
June to mid July; female may mate with more than one male; only
female cares for young
Nests: Chamber in burrow lined with dry
leaves and grasses; used for sleeping, birth and winter stay
Young: Litter of 1-8 born blind and hairless
between March and May or July and August; weight .1 oz; 2.5
inches; hair at 2 weeks; eyes open at 4 weeks and weaning
begins; short trips out of burrow with mom at 6 weeks;
independent at 8 weeks (start to build own tunnel)
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Activities:
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Digging burrow: Main tunnel 20-30 feet; dug
below frost line; separate side rooms built for nesting, nursery
activities in female burrows, body waste and food waste, and
several more for food storage (seems to store different types of
food in separate rooms); entrance hole 1.5-2 inches; tunnels out
of one chamber and uses that dirt to plug original entrance
hole; new entrance has no tell-tale dirt and is usually located
near some structure ( rocks, stone walls, or piles of logs);
enter burrows late October and emerge March or April
Storing food: spend summer and fall
gathering food to store for the winter; expandable cheek pouches
are pockets that are stuffed for later but still allow for
eating before caching that food in burrow; stores only food
(nuts and pine cones) that will not spoil or mold
Surviving winter: Not true hibernators; body
temperature drops and heart rate slows, but wakes every few days
or weeks to eat from stored food and to use toilet chamber;
called restless hibernation with little activity
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Predators and Dangers:
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Weasels, foxes, large snakes, hawks and domestic cats (The
stray orange cat, who frequents our yard, was seen carrying off
a chipmunk recently)
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Vocalization:
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High pitched chip-chip-chip and low pitched
chuck-chuck-chuck; very vocal; lots of chattering
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Lifespan:
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2-4 years in the wild; captivity 5-8 years
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