Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus)–Friendly “Chipper” along the Trail
Did you Know?
They have stretchy skin covering their cheeks so they can stuff them with food.
Average lifespan is 2 – 3 years in the wild.
The population on Newfoundland was introduced. They were not native to the Island.
Photo : 2013 Brian Popelier
Habitat – Coniferous and deciduous forests and woodlands, yards, parks
Size – 20 - 30 cm in length, 130 grams in weight
Range – Throughout northern and eastern Canada and the United States.
Status – S5, Secure in Ontario and Canada
The Bruce Trail Conservancy | PO Box 857 Hamilton, ON L8N 3N9 | 1.800.665.4453 | [email protected]
Identification:
They are a small ground dwelling rodent with reddish-brown fur on the upper parts and white bellies. They have 5 dark stripes separated by white stripes that extend from the shoulders to the rump. A dark stripe goes through the eye and whitish stripes are found above and below the eye. Males and females are similar in appearance. They have a variety of different calls, including low ‘chucks’, repeated high-pitched ‘chips’, and trills and chatters. Photo : 2015 Brian Popelier
Interesting Facts
Although they sometimes climb trees, they spend most of their time on or below the ground. They dig extensive burrows with many tunnels and dens. There are several entrances and escape hatches and a larger nesting den lined with chewed leaves and fur. Several other dens are used to store food.
They enter there den for the winter in October and begin hibernating however they differ from other hibernating animals in that they do not store fat reserves for the entire season. Instead they live off food they have stored in their dens over the winter, waking several times a month to feast then return to their winter slumber. In February or March they emerge from their dens, often digging through several cms of snow to emerge in the Spring warmth.
Twenty one species of Chipmunk occur in North America with Canada being home to 5 species. The Eastern Chipmunk is the only one found in Ontario. The Least Chipmunk, Yellow-pine Chipmunk, Red- tailed Chipmunk and the Townsend’s Chipmunk are all western species.
Eastern Chipmunks on the Niagara Escarpment
The Niagara Escarpment is a perfect home for this friendly rodent offering them a natural corridor in which to travel through Southern Ontario. You will often hear them “chip” then see them scurry across the trail and down their hole as you walk through the Escarpment forests. They are very common all
The Bruce Trail Conservancy | PO Box 857 Hamilton, ON L8N 3N9 | 1.800.665.4453 | [email protected] along the Bruce Trail as the forests which the BTC protects provides them an ideal place to build their dens to live and raise their young.
The Bruce Trail Conservancy | PO Box 857 Hamilton, ON L8N 3N9 | 1.800.665.4453 | [email protected]