From how much they weigh to how far they can jump, learn fun chipmunk facts about these commonly spotted, adorable backyard critters.
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How Many Stripes Does a Chipmunk Have?
They might seem like a blur when they’re zipping around your backyard, but if a chipmunk ever held still for long enough, you’d be able to count a distinct number of stripes on its body. Each chipmunk has five black and two white stripes from the shoulder to the tail.
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Chipmunk Species: Where Do Chipmunks Live?
If you’re looking to spot all the species of these funny, fast-moving rodents, you can find 24 out of 25 of them in North America. To check the last one off your list, you’d have to board an international flight. The Siberian chipmunk lives in northern Asia.
How to Keep Chipmunks off of Bird Feeders
While we often think these critters are adorable, it’s not adorable when they’re eating all of the birdseed. To be sure that chipmunks can’t jump onto bird feeders and eat everything that should go to the birds (or in your garden), make sure to place feeders at least 20 feet away from buildings.
What Foods Do Chipmunks Eat?
If you think you get a lot done, there’s a chance your workload doesn’t compare to a chipmunk’s. Their continual search for food leads them to gather and transport up to 165 acorns a day! Besides acorns, they eat seeds, berries, and fruits. Less commonly, they’ll also eat insects and even earthworms.
How Much Do Chipmunks Weigh?
It might surprise you to learn that these critters hardly weigh anything at all. On average, chipmunks weigh between two and five ounces. At just two ounces, the least chipmunk weighs less than an average bar of soap. They are the smallest of their species.
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Chipmunks Dig Deep Burrows to Go Home
Unlike squirrels, chipmunks don’t nest in trees. Instead, they build their homes underground in burrows. These burrows can be up to 30 feet long, and three feet deep.
Chipmunks Have Large Families
Eastern chipmunks reproduce twice a year, giving birth to up to nine pups in spring and again in late summer. Newborns are the size of bumblebees. They don’t stick around their burrows for long. Young chipmunks forge out on their own to claim their territories at only eight to 10 weeks old.
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Sources
- Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection – Wildlife Division, “Eastern Chipmunk“
- Indiana Department of Natural Resources, “Eastern Chipmunk“
- New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, “Eastern Chipmunk“
