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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing chipmunks. Chipmunks are rodents. There are approximately 25 recognized species of chipmunks. The Siberian chipmunk can be found throughout parts of Asia and is currently spreading to places in Europe. The other chipmunk species live from central Canada to central Mexico. They typically inhabit any environment with trees and usually live on the ground in burrows with tunnel systems that can reach up to 30 feet (9.1m) long! They’re the smallest living rodents from the squirrel family ranging from 4 to 11 inches (10-28cm) in length and up to 142 grams (5oz) in weight.

Chipmunks are easily recognizable from other squirrels for their red to tawny fur color with alternating dark and light stripes along their faces and sides. They can also pack their cheeks! One chipmunk may gather as many as 165 acorns in a single day! They’ll store this food in nearby caches and munch on it during colder months. They are able to pack their cheeks to three times the size of their head and their food stores have been recorded containing upwards of 68,000 items! And they don’t eat just nuts.

Chipmunks also consume fruits, berries, mushrooms, insects, eggs, baby birds and even carrion! They disperse seeds and nuts throughout their environment with the foraging behavior. This helps plants spread and grow which encourages development of the habitats in which chipmunks live. During winter, they hibernate. Their heartbeat can drop as low as four beats per minute and their body temperature may fall to 40 degrees F (4.4*C)! Male emerge first in the spring and may compete with one another over the affections of nearby females.

Depending on where they live, chipmunks will have one or two litters of pups per year, once in the spring and then again in the fall if they have a second litter. The females gestate for about thirty days and give birth to three to eight babies at a time. Chipmunk litters may be raised in underground burrows or cavities in trees. Mother chipmunks will fiercely protect their babies for their first two months of life, but after that the kids are on their own as they’ll be adult-sized in just another month’s time.

By the time they reach one year of age, they’ll be ready to reproduce. Chipmunks are solitary creatures outside of breeding seasons. They live for about two to five years in the wild though there have been cases of them living nearly a decade in captivity.

Chipmunks predators include hawks, foxes, snakes, weasels and coyotes. They’re also threatened by habitat fragmentation as well as domestic and feral cat predation. Chipmunks are considered a nuisance by some as they can destroy gardens and bird feeders but are beloved by others for their adorable appearance and whimsical attitude. What do you think about when you see a chipmunk?

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