Chipmunk at Cloverdale Farm County Park
Photo by Frank Langella
(some fun facts)
Chipmunks…complex as they are charismatic...
1. They Need About 15 Hours of Sleep Per Day: At least that’s true of chipmunks in captivity. If their wild cousins require the same amount of snooze time, then all that zippy scampering you see outside has to get done during a nine-hour window each day.
2. They Are a Type of Squirrel…weighing in at 1 to 5 ounces, chipmunks are among the most diminutive members of the squirrel family. That means these pocket-sized rodents are also related to woodchucks and prairie dogs, which share a branch on the squirrel family tree as well.
3. There are 25 species of chipmunks, ranging mostly from Canada to Mexico across a variety of stomping grounds from forests to deserts to suburban neighborhoods..
4. They Prefer Subterranean Living:
While some chipmunks make nests in logs or bushes, most prefer to dig vast underground burrows. These hidden homes typically include a camouflaged entrance hole, tunnel systems that can stretch 10 to 30 feet long, food storage areas, and a nesting chamber (which is kept immaculately clean and lined with leaves and other plant matter).
5. Chipmunks Have a Lot of Predators:
Just about any carnivore bigger than one of these little critters is a potential threat. That includes owls, hawks, weasels, foxes, coyotes, raccoons, bobcats, lynxes, cats, dogs, snakes, and sometimes even their own squirrel cousins. Chipmunks avoid becoming meals by being quick and nimble…and sticking close to home. These speedy escape artists remain ever-vigilant while out foraging for food, racing away at the first sign of danger down their burrow hole, into the brush, or even up a tree.
6. They Have a Lot of Food Sources:
Chipmunks aren’t picky eaters and spend a lot of time searching for their next meal, including at bird feeders (as many annoyed homeowners can attest). These omnivores love nuts, berries, seeds, mushrooms, insects, frogs, lizards, baby birds, and bird eggs. During late summer and fall, they begin carrying extra food back to their burrow in their ample cheek pouches (which can hold a stash three times the size of their head). This foraging also benefits the larger ecosystem as chipmunks spread seeds and important mycorrhizal fungi that live around tree roots, ensuring they thrive.
7. Some Chipmunks Hibernate, but not continuously: Starting in late October, some chipmunks fall into a deep sleep with a slowed heart rate and lower body temperature for extended periods until March or April. Unlike bears, though, chipmunks don’t bulk up their fat stores to sleep through the entire cold season, instead they wake periodically to dip into their stockpile of nuts and seeds and even venture outside.
8. They're Natural Loners
Despite their reputation for cuddly camaraderie in cartoons, real chipmunks don’t bear much resemblance to their fictional counterparts. In fact, they’re mostly solitary creatures,at least until breeding season arrives. Twice a year in spring and late summer, males (called bucks) and females (does) come together to mate, then part ways again. Female chipmunks raise the pups, but don’t remain close to their offspring once they leave.
9. Solitary Doesn't Mean Silent
No, they don’t sing like Alvin and his brothers, but chipmunks do have a sizable vocal repertoire, announcing everything from territorial claims to terror over nearby predators. Vocalizations include chips, chucks, and trilling alarm calls. In fact, chipmunks are so talkative, and their high-pitched communications are so ubiquitous, many people mistake them for bird calls.
SOURCE: www.treehugger.com
Original source can be found here.
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