The Eastern Chipmunk
The eastern chipmunk is really a rodent by definition, which resembles a squirrel that inhabits eastern North America. The chipmunk is classed as a mammal - Order: Rodent Family: Sciurid Genus: Tamias Species: T. striatus.
The eastern chipmunk is a beautifully marked animal with reddish tinged brown fur highlighted by a series of dark brown stripes along with contrasting light brown stripes running along their backs. They also have a somewhat tawny stripe that extends from its whiskers to below their ears and further light stripes above its eyes.
The Eastern Chipmunk
Their natural habitat is in woodlands containing deciduous trees and urban parks. The eastern chipmunk prefers rocky locations with shrubs to provide adequate cover. Although these chipmunks are adept at climbing trees – they construct their “nests” underground with a labyrinth of tunnels, most often with several entrances and they go to great lengths to conceal their burrows by lining them with leaves, sticks, rocks and other available debris.
They store food in their tunnels that they have transported in pouches within their cheeks. The eastern chipmunk, in order to avoid detection by predators, actually carry the dirt from their burrow excavation to a different location – again using the pouches within its mouth.
During winter, eastern chipmunks enter a “torpor” state – that is akin to hibernation, but is not a true hibernation. Torpor is a lesser version of “animal metabolic shutdown” that involves less dormancy than what we recognize as hibernation. The main predator of these chipmunks is the weasel however, they still fall prey to hawks, raccoons, hawks, snakes and cats.
The eastern chipmunk is diurnal and spends the majority of its waking hours foraging for food like acorns, nuts, seeds, mushrooms, fruits, berries and corn. This animal also has been known to eat snails, insects and small mammals usually in the form of mice. The eastern chipmunk has also adapted well to living in urban areas and even within occupied houses.
The conservation status of the eastern chipmunk is listed as “of Least Concern” which is encouraging news. The eastern chipmunk has a life-span of approximately 2 to 3 years. The future is looking good for this most engaging of all rodents.
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