Where’s Wildlife · Mammal Field Guide
Tamias striatus
Pronounced (approx.): TAM-ee-us stry-AY-tus
A small woodland squirrel that carries food in roomy cheek pouches.
Eastern Chipmunk. Select the image to browse all 8 photographs.
NATIVE TO NORTH AMERICA
Five dark back stripes
Pale stripes bordered by dark lines
Small body with rounded ears
Compare views, markings and body shapes in the photographs below.
The Eastern Chipmunk has reddish-brown fur, alternating pale and dark back stripes, and additional markings on the face. Its tail is furred but less bushy than a tree squirrel’s. Watch for the crisp stripe pattern when it pauses on a rock or log.
Do not identify every small striped mammal as a chipmunk. Ground squirrels can also be striped. Compare the face, back pattern and body shape, and consider which species live in the area.
Chipmunks forage on the ground for nuts, seeds, fruits and other foods. Expandable cheek pouches let them carry several items back to storage chambers. Burrows provide shelter and space for food supplies below ground.
Most activity is during daylight. An individual often keeps close to cover and retreats quickly when alarmed. During winter it spends long periods underground, alternating reduced activity with waking periods to eat stored food. It does not simply sleep without eating all winter.
Food can be transported without being eaten immediately.
Stored food helps sustain a chipmunk through winter.
Chipmunks belong to the squirrel family.
Eastern Chipmunks inhabit much of eastern North America. Deciduous woods, brushy borders, stone walls and wooded yards offer food and shelter. Local abundance depends on cover and suitable places to burrow.
Explore reported sightings on iNaturalist. Observation records are not a complete range map.