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During the winter, the chipmunk may enter long periods of hibernation. [22] Predators of the eastern chipmunk include hawks, owls, foxes, raccoons, snakes, weasels, coyotes, bobcats, lynx, domestic dogs and domestic cats. On average, eastern chipmunks live three or more years in the wild, but in captivity they may live as long as eight years. [16]
Chipmunks may be classified either as a single genus, Tamias, or as three genera: Tamias, of which the eastern chipmunk (T. striatus) is the only living member; Eutamias, of which the Siberian chipmunk (E. sibiricus) is the only living member; and Neotamias, which includes the 23 remaining, mostly western North American, species.
This western American dweller is the largest of the three species of chipmunks found in the Colorado Front Range (which also include the Least Chipmunk and the Uinta Chipmunk). On average it weighs about 62 grams (2.2 oz). Chipmunks are distinguished from ground squirrels in that their faces have a stripe going across under the eye.
Siberian chipmunks usually live solitary lives, but during the winter they create a burrow, which they often share with another chipmunk. [ 3 ] [ 9 ] Its burrow, which can be 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) long and 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) deep, consists of a nest chamber, several storage chambers and chambers for the waste.
Description. Alpine chipmunks share the typical pattern of genus Neotamias, being gray-brown overall and featuring three white stripes on the cheeks and four down the back. The flanks are muted orange. Overall the pattern is much paler compared to most species. They weigh 27-45 grams.
On warm winter days, Palmer's chipmunk will come out of its burrow to visit their caches for food. [8] Palmer's chipmunk is a primary prey species for a number of animals in its habitat. Typical predators of the chipmunk are red-tailed hawks, rattlesnakes, coyotes, raccoons, long-tailed weasels, as well as feral cats and dogs. [7]
The Lodgepole chipmunk is an omnivore, feeding on both animal (mammals, birds, bird eggs, small invertebrates arthropods, and insects) and plant matter (leaves, flowers, pollen, fungi, and seeds). [3] Like most rodents, this chipmunk engages in the foraging behavior of caching and storing food in order to survive the long winter hibernation.
The red-tailed chipmunk is a large species with a total length of about 230 mm (9 in) including a bushy tail of 105 mm (4 in). The mass varies from about 54 g (1.9 oz) in the spring to 60 g (2.1 oz) in the fall. Females are marginally larger than males. The head is mottled grayish-brown with dark stripes above, through and below the eye.