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Chipmunk

 
Chipmunk is any of a group of small mammals with stripes on their face, back, and sides. Nearly all species (kinds) of chipmunks live in North America. One species inhabits Asia and Europe.

Chipmunks are rodents, mammals with gnawing teeth. They grow about 7 to 10 inches (18 to 25 centimeters) in length, including the long tail. The animals have largely reddish-brown coloring with black stripes bordered by white, brown, or gray stripes. Their underside is light gray or white.

Chipmunks take shelter and spend the night in burrows (tunnels) that they dig. They spend much of the day outdoors searching for food, including nuts, seeds, fungi, and even birds’ eggs and insects. The animals eat by holding a piece of food in their small, slender forepaws and nibbling at it with their sharp front teeth. In the autumn, chipmunks collect large quantities of food for the winter, which they carry to their burrows in cheek pouches. They sleep through much of the winter.

Female chipmunks often bear four to six pups (young) at a time. Chipmunks may live 4 or 5 years. Such animals as coyotes and hawks eat chipmunks.

Chipmunks make up the genus Tamias.