| Eastern chipmunk | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Sciuridae |
| Tribe: | Marmotini |
| Genus: | Tamias |
| Subgenus: | Tamias Illiger, 1811 |
| Species: | T. striatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Tamias striatus (Linnaeus, 1758) |
|
| Subspecies[2] | |
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|
| Synonyms | |
|
Sciurus striatus[3] |
|
The eastern chipmunk (Tamias (Tamias) striatus) is a small squirrel-like rodent found in eastern North America, the sole living member of the chipmunk genus and subgenus Tamias.[2] Their name comes from the Odawa word ajidamoonh or the Ojibwe word ajidamoo, which translates literally as "one who descends trees headlong".[4]
They have reddish-brown fur on their upper parts with 5 dark brown stripes and contrasting light brown stripes along their backs and light underparts. They have a tawny stripe that goes from their whiskers to below their ears and light stripes over their eyes. They have a dark tail. They have 2 fewer teeth than other chipmunks and have 4 toes each in the front legs but five in the back legs.[5]
They live in deciduous woods and urban parks in southern Canada and the eastern United States. They prefer locations with rocky areas and shrubs to provide cover. These animals are mainly active during the day, spending most of their day foraging for food. They eat bulbs, seeds, fruits, nuts, green plants, mushrooms, insects, worms, and bird eggs. Like other chipmunks, they transport food in pouches in their cheeks.
They climb trees well but construct underground nests with extensive tunnel systems, often with several entrances. They store food in their burrows. To hide their burrow, eastern chipmunks carry the dirt they excavate to a different location in their cheek pouches. They also line their burrows with leaves, rocks, sticks, and other material, making them even harder to see.[6]
Eastern chipmunks defend their burrows and live solitary lives, except during mating. Females produce usually 1 or 2 litters of 3 to 5 young.[5] They have two breeding seasons. One goes from February to April, the other June to August. During winter, these animals enter long periods of torpor, but do not truly hibernate.[7]
Predators include hawks, foxes, raccoons, weasels, snakes, and cats. On average these chipmunks live 3 or more years in the wild; in captivity they may live 8 years.[5]
They have several bird-like chattering calls; one a trilling at the rate of 130 /min and another lower pitched click.[5]