Mammals · Rodentia · Sciuridae

Eastern Chipmunk

Tamias striatus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

It can carry as many as 9 nuts at once in its cheek pouches, building up large stores in burrows that can run over 9 metres, and gets through the winter on intermittent torpor rather than continuous hibernation.

Weight

80 g – 150 g

Size

21.5 cm – 28.5 cm

Lifespan

3 years

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Temperate forestOmnivore Diurnal Solitary Temperate forest Mammal

3countries 32parks22same family

Fun facts

anatomíaIts cheek pouches stretch, and it fills them with seeds until its head looks several times its normal size as it carries them back to its burrow.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Deciduous woodland, beech and maple above all, of the eastern United States and south-eastern Canada
Birth weight: 3.4 grams
Size at birth: Blind, hairless and wholly helpless at birth
Sexual maturity: 1 year (the female physiologically at ~6 months, the male somewhat later)
Gestation / incubation: 31 days
Litter / clutch size: 2 to 8 young per litter (most commonly 4-5), up to 2 litters per year
Lifespan in captivity: Documented record of up to 8-9.5 years in captivity

Sources consulted: AnAge; A-Z Animals; Animal Diversity Web; Journal of Mammalogy; Website of Everything; Vermont Fish & Wildlife; Pennsylvania Game Commission; EBSCO Research Starters