Eastern Chipmunk Tamias Striatus

Eastern Chipmunk Tamias striatus

The eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) is a very common and well-known rodent. It is a forest species, but is also very comfortable living around near people. The chipmunk is a fun to watch as it scampers about, however, if it moves into a house, it can cause considerable damage.

Vermont Wildlife Fact Sheet

Physical Description quickly. By the eighth day of life, survive winter, when food is their stripes begin to appear. scarce. It may stop its single- The chipmunk is reddish After one month, their eyes open minded pursuit long enough to brown in color with a white belly. and they have become completely eat, and it is common to see them It has dark brown stripes down its covered with fur. At six-weeks sitting on a stump or stone wall back, a set on each side, old, they are weaned and leave the feeding. The chipmunk makes a consisting of two dark stripes burrow for the first time. The full- considerable amount of noise for with a white stripe in the middle. grown chipmunks leave their such a small animal, and you can It also has a white stripe that parents den at eight weeks of age. often hear it feeding from a good extends the length of its back to Both the male and female distance away. the tip of its tail. This coat chipmunks reach sexual maturity coloration provides the chipmunk by the time they are one-year old. Habits & Habitat with effective camouflage for its Chipmunks can live up to two woodland environment. Smaller years in the wild and have been Eastern chipmunks are than the gray, red, or flying known to live up to eight years in versatile and can be found in a squirrel, the chipmunk is a small captivity. variety of habitats. Their main rodent of the forest, measuring habitats are deciduous forests, only five and a half to six and a Food Items forest edges and areas of thick half inches in length, with a three- brush. They may also be found in to four-inch tail. It weighs The eastern chipmunk meadows, fields and along fence between two and four ounces. The spends the majority of its day in lines. They also frequent bird eastern chipmunk has inner cheek search of food. It is an omnivore, feeders, gardens, and nut pouches, which are located on feeding on both plants and other producing trees. Ideal chipmunk both sides of the mouth, and used animals. Its diet includes slugs, habitat will have abundant food for food storage and food insect larvae, earthworms, snails, supply, cover, and adequate den transportation. and butterflies, and it will sites. occasionally eat frogs, bird eggs, Den sites are not usually a Life Cycle birds and mice. It also feeds on problem as chipmunks can acorns, nuts, leaves, buds, burrow into the ground or use Eastern chipmunks breed mushrooms, fruits, berries and holes in hollow trees, logs and twice a year, once in early spring seeds. stone walls. They will also use and then again in July. After a 31 The chipmunk spends the spaces under buildings and in day gestation period, a litter of day scurrying from a food source houses. Chipmunks build two to eight young is born in a to its den and back again. The den complex burrow systems with den underground. The young are may contain up to a gallon and a dens, tunnels, and food storage born naked, blind and completely half of nuts and seeds. This food areas often over ten feet in length helpless, but grow and develop supply helps the chipmunk and three feet in depth. The dens Eastern Chipmunk Fact Sheet 1 usually have two levels; the upper species that can inhabit nearly any level being where the chipmunk environment. sleeps and is lined with grass and leaves and the lower level is used Resource Utilization for food storage. Eastern chipmunks are not true Chipmunks play a vital role in hibernators as they are unable to seed dispersal of trees, plants, and build up a large enough fat some fungi. They also eat insects, reserve to sleep uninterruptedly helping to control these potential through the winter. Instead, they pest species for agricultural wake periodically throughout the practices. Chipmunks have also winter, usually on warmer days, played a small roll in the fur to feed on stored food or forage trade. above ground. Chipmunks are generally Management Efforts solitary animals except during the breeding season. They are most There is no active plan active during the day, especially designed for this species, but mid-morning and mid-afternoon. continued monitoring is Chipmunks are territorial and will conducted to ensure that their aggressively defend their burrow population remains healthy and entrance. They vocally threaten abundant in Vermont. and will even chase away intruders approaching their Illustration by Mark Catesby territory.

Abundance

Eastern chipmunks are abundant throughout Vermont. Their population size can vary greatly, as it is highly dependent on food availability, such as seeds and nuts, or mast. High winter survival and birth rates are experienced following falls in which abundant nuts were produced. If food is scarce, however, chipmunk numbers decline. The chipmunk population is a direct reflection of the fall mast productivity.

History

The eastern chipmunk has always been present in Vermont. Throughout the changing landscape over the past 150 years, it has proven to be an adaptable Eastern Chipmunk Fact Sheet 2