Pennsylvania Animals: Eastern Chipmunk

(Tamias striatus)

The eastern chipmunk is a mammal. The eastern chipmunk's relatives are the ground squirrels. It looks like a ground squirrel. The color of the eastern chipmunk is white, brown, and black. The eastern chipmunk is 10 inches long. The eastern chipmunk eats some flowers, small bugs, nuts, berries, fruits, ants, and frogs. The eastern chipmunk likes open woodlands with plenty of stumps and logs. The eastern chipmunk is very fast. The eastern chipmunk hibernates. The eastern chipmunk communicates with a sound like "chip" and "chuck". The eastern chipmunk lives 2-3 years. The eastern chipmunk digs burrow systems three feet long. The eastern chipmunk has a wide, dark center stripe down its back. The eastern chipmunk has 7 stripes in all on its back. The eastern chipmunk is found in the eastern half of the United States. The eastern chipmunk's heart beats nearly ten times as fast as yours. The eastern chipmunk's heart beats 700 beats per minutes. By Nick

A chipmunk is a mammal because it has fur. It lives in burrows. A chipmunk lives up to 2-3 years. The mother chipmunk has from 2-8 babies. The chipmunk's body size is 4-7 inches or 10-18 cm. Its tail is 3-5 inches or 8-13 cm. Its weight is 1-5 oz or 28-142 grams. There are 23 different kinds of chipmunks. The one that lives in the Philadelphia area is the Eastern chipmunk. When winter comes, they store their food in their burrows. Chipmunks sleep a lot in the winter. Sometimes they come out and eat. Chipmunks can run really fast. They can also climb really well. by Michael

PA Animals 96-97

PA Animals 95-96