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Chipmunks (Tamias striatus) are actually part of the squirrel family, which together is part of the larger Rodentia, or rodent family. Their small size and stripes running down their backsides differentiate them from their squirrel relatives. Born in spring, approximately one month after the parents have mated, their litter consists on average of four or five babies. About six weeks later, as summer is in full swing, they are ready to leave their nests, which can be anything from a hollow log, a rock outcropping, or even the eaves of an old house. In areas where none of these options may be available, such as in a field, a hole in the ground will also make do. The main criterion for the burrow is someplace dry, that a nest of leaves can be assembled. With some chipmunks, this is not the end of babies for the year though, as chipmunks in warmer climates may also have a litter in the fall, bearing two full litters each year. While chipmunks are often seen in the branches of a tree, or on a roof, they are considered ground dwellers, and may even be seen swimming across a creek or small pond, as they do not seem to mind the water.
As with many mammal species, male chipmunks must compete for the pleasure of a females company; this can be a noisy exhibition. One male chipmunk that appeared to be seeking a female companion near our house would climb to the top of our bird feeder. Here he would create such a scene, sitting on his haunches, chattering at the top of his lungs, that no birds would come near, but after a few days of this, we did notice that a female chipmunk had joined him on his jaunts across our shed roof.
Once they are out on their own, gathering food becomes top priority. Nuts, seeds, wild berries, and fruits make up their diet. Chipmunks have the amazing ability to ‘stuff’ their cheeks full of food. Pouches on the inside of their cheeks help them to accomplish this. As the colder temperatures of fall start to arrive, chipmunks begin to gather up and store as much food as they can in preparation for the coming winter months. Though chipmunks that live in these colder climates ‘hibernate’, they are not of the type of hibernators whose sleep resembles that of someone near death. While some animals slow their breathing and do not wake up to eat except for some extreme circumstance, the chipmunk does eat during this time, and on warm, sunny days, may even get up and about some. It is not odd to see a chipmunk in the middle of the winter on a warm afternoon. While they are in their preparation time before winter, they also increase the amount of their average daily intake of food, fattening up mostly for a bit of extra warmth, as they rely on the food they have gathered to sustain them.
Chipmunks, sized an average eight to eleven inches when full grown, live as adults an average of three years, though some captive chipmunks have lived nearly three times that long. Chipmunks that have a ready source of food available year round, at parks or in your backyard bird feeder, have a much better chance of survival also. Industrious small creatures that they are, they have been known to gather in large numbers where food is readily available. A tourist town in Colorado, St. Elmo, is one such place. Travelers to this town have the option to buy bags of sunflower seeds to feed the chipmunks, year after year, as spring arrives, so do the chipmunks, first a few, then by the dozen. Of course, danger also comes with the ease of such food. A weasel was the demise of many of the St. Elmo chipmunks one-year, but they rallied and came back in even larger numbers. The neighborhood stray cat or even the most docile family pet, dog or cat, will kill a chipmunk. If you choose to feed the chipmunks, keep their safety in mind, and keep family pets away. Feeders especially for chipmunks and squirrels are also available, and these often offer clear tubes where the chipmunk can eat in safety, you have the pleasure of viewing them, but they are also protected from Miss Kitty! Other predators that wild chipmunks have to keep an eye out for include everything from the weasels to bobcats.
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