Some interesting facts about Chipmunks

Do you remember the two Walt Disney characters Chip and Dale? They are the chipmunks which are considered to be one of the

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species of ground squirrel. Chipmunks are generally of 25 species, amongst which only one of the species originates from Asia the rest hails from North America. You will find them in deciduous forests, shrubs, woodlands and also in your backyard garden. Palmer's chipmunk is termed as one of the most vulnerable species amongst them and it is feared that they might become endangered within a few years. The farmers consider chipmunks as vermin because they are the one who dig burrows in their ground. You will also find people who love to keep chipmunks as their pets. They are cute and adorable looking small animal which will entertain you with their antics. They are very good escape artists, so if you are not very alert, then they will run away from your hideout within no time. You will love to hold them in your hand as they are too soft and cuddly.

 

Some interesting facts about chipmunks:

 

1. Chipmunks look quite similar to squirrels, but they are different in nature because they dig burrows where they store their food and surprisingly they do that in a very organized way. Squirrels are not into digging burrows.

2. Their body can be of 11 inches in length with greyish brown or red stripes on their sides, back and head. Their tails are fluffy and reach a length of up to 5 inches. They can dig burrows up to 30 feet deep and almost 3 feet in width and to the amazement this long burrow is divided into several sections, including resting area, nursery as well as a chamber for storing their food. Their burrows are always clean and you will find it hard to get to the entrance of the burrow because they are well hidden.

3. Their predators' list is long because they are small in size and the list includes the snakes, owls, hawks, bobcats, weasels, raccoons as well as coyotes.

4. They spend the winters under the ground sleeping for most of the times; they only wake up when they are hungry.

5. They spend major part of their time looking for food that they will have during the winters and finally storing them in their well-organized burrows

6. They feed on various fungi and they are responsible for spreading the good fungi which helps the survival of the trees. They also spread the trees' seeds. Apart from the fungi, they also eat fruits, insects, nuts, worms, bird's egg and baby mice.

7. Chipmunks are believed to produce only one or maximum two litters every year and within 8 weeks they are said to be on their own. They are said to live for around 2 years or 3 years in general, but there are captive specimens which lasted about eight years as well.

8. They are quite vocal and you can call them chatter - box and you can hear them most when they call out during the mating season, which generally starts from February and goes on till April in the wild.

9. Their food storing process in the burrow is known as scatter hoarding or larder hoarding

10. The male chipmunks are called the Bucks and the females are known as Does whereas a group of chipmunks are known as scurry. The interesting thing about the Chipmunks is that they have 5 toes on the front paw, but at the back they only have 4 toes and their tail is about 5 inches long.