Eastern chipmunks are master tunnelers

Chipmunks have the same reddish fur color as some squirrels, but are much smaller and have different markings. Chipmunks have two parallel white lines running along their backs to their tails. Males and females have the same coloration and size.

Although they often are seen in trees, chipmunks live on the ground, in fact, underground. They build intricate tunnel networks with areas for sleeping and food storage. There are often multiple entrances for different routes of escape. These nests are generally around 3 feet below the ground but can vary depending on the weather.

This is where the chipmunk hibernates lightly for the winter (usually from around late fall to early spring). During the summer it spends the day, especially early morning and late afternoon, finding food such as grains, nuts, berries, seeds, mushrooms, insects, salamanders and sometimes birds’ eggs. They range up to half an acre.

A chipmunk’s cheeks can expand to about three times the size of its head and carry big loads, so it stocks its dens for winter with nuts, seeds and grain.

Chipmunks mate once or twice a year – in early spring and late summer. They normally have three to five young in a litter, though litters as large as 10 have been reported. Both the male and female raise the young.

Chipmunks can live up to three years, though many do not survive more than a year. They may lack food (sometimes because of poor planning for winter), and they may be eaten by predators such as hawks, eagles, owls, foxes, weasels and cats.

Chipmunks communicate by sounds and gestures, such as loud “chip-chip-chip” sounds and tail waving.

The word “chipmunk” in past times was pronounced “chitmunk,” and is thought to come from the Ojibwa Indian word “ajidamoon,” meaning red squirrel.