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Art Lander’s Outdoors: Mischievous Eastern Chipmunk found statewide in range of habitats


They are at home in a wide range of habitats across Kentucky, from urban parks and suburban yards to rural woodlands.

The mischievous chipmunk is seemingly always going somewhere in a hurry, digging burrows, or busy gathering food.

At home in a wide range of habitats across Kentucky, from urban parks and suburban yards, to rural woodlands, the mischievous chipmunk is seemingly always going somewhere in a hurry. (Photo provided)

Despite the musical and cinematic success of Alvin and The Chipmunks, loved by generations of children, the striped rodent sometimes creates problems in suburban settings. They infuriate homeowners, burrowing through landscaping fabric around shrubs, digging holes under sidewalks and around outbuilding foundations, destroying vegetables and flowers in gardens, or uprooting bulbs and seeds.

In the fall, bow hunters curse them under their breath, when they scamper through the dry leaves, imitating the sound of an approaching deer or wild turkey.

The Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus) is a member of family Sciuridae, which includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots/woodchucks, flying squirrels and prairie dogs. In all, there are 25 species of chipmunks, most in western North America, with the exception of the Siberian Chipmunk, which is found primarily in Asia.

Size and Description

A fully grown Eastern Chipmunk is eight to 10 inches long, including its flattened, bushy tail, which is held straight up in the air when they scurrying across the ground.

Adults weigh two to five ounces.

Coloration is dark chocolate or russet, with five dark stripes and two light stripes on the back, with several facial stripes.

The call of a chipmunk is a distinctive, shrill chirping and rapid quavering trill.

Food Habits

At the beginning of autumn, chipmunks begin to stockpile non-perishable food for winter. Prominent cheek pouches allow chipmunks to carry seeds and nuts to their burrows for storage. (Photo provided)

Chipmunks have an omnivorous diet consisting primarily of seeds, nuts, buds, and fruits such as blackberries. They also eat grass, plants shoots, fungi, insects, small frogs, worms, and occasionally bird eggs.

In close proximity to humans, chipmunks will eat birdseed from feeders, and even dry dog or cat food, if a bowl is left on the porch.

Chipmunks mostly forage on the ground, but they often climb trees to get acorns, buds on trees and soft mast, such as maple seeds.

At the beginning of autumn, chipmunks begin to stockpile non-perishable food for winter. Prominent cheek pouches allow chipmunks to carry seeds and nuts to their burrows for storage.

Reproduction

Chipmunks are primarily solitary animals.

The sexes pair up to breed in March and April and again in July and August. After a gestation period of about a month, two to eight young are born in their underground nest chamber. The young are born naked and helpless.

They emerge from the nest when they are about six weeks old, and strike out on their own within the next two weeks. Young can breed their first year.

Their high reproductive rate is offset by high mortality. Chipmunks are preyed upon by rat snakes, foxes, weasels, hawks, and domestic cats and dogs.

Burrows

Chipmunk burrows can be up to six feet long and two to three feet underground. Burrow entrances are often overlooked and difficult to find because no soil is piled up and the entrance is often concealed with leaves and other debris. (Photo by Doris Potter)

In woodlands, their burrows are often dug around rock piles, fallen logs, and brush piles.

They spend most of their time on the ground, close to one of the multiple entrances to their burrow. Chipmunks are territorial and have small ranges, typically less than 100 yards.

Chipmunk burrows can be up to six feet long and two to three feet underground. Burrow entrances are often overlooked and difficult to find because no soil is piled up and the entrance is often concealed with leaves and other debris. A burrow system usually includes a nest chamber (up to 12 inches in diameter) lined with leaves and a food-storage chamber that can hold nine gallons of food.

The sleeping quarters in the nest chambers are kept clean, with separate tunnels for refuse.

Chipmunks hibernate for the winter but awaken every couple of days to feed. They often emerge on warm, sunny days in late February or March.

A sure sign of the end of winter is the emergence of chipmunks from hibernation.

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1Art Lander Jr.

Art Lander Jr. is outdoors editor for KyForward. He is a native Kentuckian, a graduate of Western Kentucky University and a life-long hunter, angler, gardener and nature enthusiast. He has worked as a newspaper columnist, magazine journalist and author and is a former staff writer for Kentucky Afield Magazine, editor of the annual Kentucky Hunting & Trapping Guide and Kentucky Spring Hunting Guide, and co-writer of the Kentucky Afield Outdoors newspaper column.


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