The Chipmunk

By Terri Estes

We have all seen the colorful and active little chipmunks scurrying around local parks. Chipmunks are mostly reddish brown with five dark brown or black stripes running lengthwise down their back — from shoulders to rump — with a white stripe in the middle. They are quite small measuring five to six inches in length with a three-to-four-inch bushy tail.

Chipmunks dart around the ground, scampering quickly from place to place, seemingly tireless in their quest for food, but actually, chipmunks require up to 15 hours of sleep a day. They are omnivores and are not picky eaters. They love nuts, seeds, berries, insects, lizards, frogs and bird eggs. In the fall, they begin gathering food to store in their dens for winter hibernation. Chipmunks can hold food in their stretchy cheeks up to three times the size of their heads. A chipmunk can gather as many as 165 acorns in a single day!

Chipmunks are great climbers and can scale trees, fences and walls easily, but they prefer to build their dens in the ground. These dens can be 20 to 30 feet long. The entrance is usually camouflaged with leaves and sticks. Inside the den, there are separate food storage chambers and a nesting area that is lined with leaves and other plant matter and kept immaculately clean. Other than breeding season, chipmunks are loners, so the dens are inhabited by a single chipmunk.

Because of their small size, chipmunks have a lot of predators. They are a favorite food of hawks, foxes and owls, but dogs, raccoons, coyotes and snakes are also a threat. The chipmunk may be small in stature but is quick and crafty. They avoid becoming a meal by being ever vigilant while foraging. They are escape artists and race back to their den at the first sign of danger.

Walt Disney introduced the famous animated chipmunk duo Chip and Dale in 1943, but the most famous cartoon chipmunks came along in 1958. They of course were Alvin, Simon and Theodore — The Chipmunks, singing their hit song “Christmas Don’t Be Late.”