- Chipmunks are rodents.
- Chipmunks are mammals.
- They are related to the squirrel.
- Chipmunks are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and meats.
- Chipmunks like to eat nuts, berries, seeds, grains, small insects, frogs and bird eggs.
- Chipmunks weigh between 1-5 ounces.
- They can grow to be 4-7 inches long and have a fluffy tail that is 3-5 inches long.
- Chipmunks are usually a gray-brown color with dark stripes on their backs.
- They have 4 toes on their two back paws and 5 toes on their two front paws.
- They live in forest, desert, mountain, plains, garden and woodland habitats.
- Chipmunks live in underground burrows.
- They like to keep their burrows very clean.
- They hibernate in cold weather, only waking up sometimes to eat.
- Chipmunks can gather over 100 acorns a day.
- They use their cheek pouches to bring food to their burrow.
- Did you know that chipmunk cheek pouches can expand 3 times the size of their heads to store food!
- They can store up to 8 pounds of food in their burrow.
- There are 24 different species of chipmunk that live across North America.
- One species of chipmunk, the Siberian Chipmunk live across Asia and in some parts of Europe.
- Chipmunks are excellent tree climbers and good swimmers.
- Chipmunks are not social animals and prefer to live alone.
- They can communicate with a variety of chirping noises.
- Mother chipmunks give birth to 2-6 babies called kits or pups.
- The babies are born blind and without fur.
- The stay with their mothers for six weeks.
- A male chipmunk is called a buck.
- A female chipmunk is called a doe
- A group of chipmunks is called a scurry.
- Predators include snakes, owls, raccoons, coyotes, weasels and hawks.
- On average chipmunks live between 2-3 years in the wild.
- Famous chipmunks are Disney’s Chip N Dale and Alvin and the Chipmunks which are Alvin, Simon and Theodore.