Chipmunk Facts
- Most male chipmunks have nothing to do with the raising of young chipmunks.
- Most chipmunks are "restless" hibernators: those who hibernate will awake on mild winter or spring days. Others, who reside at lower elevations where food is plentiful year round and the weather is mild, typically do not hibernate.
- The chipmunk is called a "chipmunk" due to the chipping noises this animal makes with its teeth.
- It is believed that chipmunks communicate between themselves through a combination of noises, body posturing, and scent emitted through scent glands.
- The home range of the majority of chipmunks is believed to be between 2.5 and 3.75 acres.
- The red-tailed chipmunk likes to take a dirt bath - at times it will submerge up to half of its body in loose dirt or sand.
- The Panamint chipmunk lives in areas of high heat and barren conditions that many other types of chipmunk will avoid.
- Many types of chipmunk do not require a source of water due to sufficient absorption of water through food consumption.
- Unlike many types of hibernating animals, the chipmunk does not gain excessive weight to sustain itself through the winter.
- Young chipmunks have a 30% survival rate.
- Most chipmunks will use a burrow and den system for many seasons.
- The female chipmunk of a specific species is often larger than the male.
Acknowledgment:
- David E. Williams, 1994. Chipmunks: Prevention and control of wildlife damage. State Director. USDA-APHIS Animal Damage Control. Lincoln, Nebraska
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology - Animal Diversity Web
