Representatives of the animal world from the squirrel family are amazingly beautiful and graceful creatures. There is a separate genus of chipmunks of the order of rodents, which are distributed almost throughout North America, Europe and Asia.
Chipmunks are the smallest members of the squirrel family. That is why these animals may resemble ordinary squirrels, but chipmunks are somewhat different from them. There are twenty-five known species of chipmunks. They feed on nuts, berries, seeds and grains.
Chipmunk sizes vary by species. The weight of the animal is from 30 to 130 grams, and the dimensions are from 5 to 15 cm. The chipmunks have a long tail, which can be from 7 to 12 cm.
Hiding food in cheek pouches, they carry it to their burrows for storage. These rodents spend the winter in hibernation, but they do not accumulate fat for this, but slowly eat the harvested reserves.
Despite the fact that chipmunks are excellent "climbers", they prefer to be underground, closer to their burrows. They are easily recognizable by their chocolate or reddish brown color and five dark stripes on the back.
After a thirty-day gestation period, chipmunks give birth to a new generation. Cubs are born hairless and completely helpless.
Chipmunks are territorial animals. Their zones do not exceed one hundred yards. The number per acre is usually between two and four individuals.
However, by digging minks in gardens and lawns, digging up newly planted seeds, eating flowers, stems and fruits, and gnawing tree bark and buds, these squirrels can easily become pests.
On average, chipmunks live three to four years in the wild, but can live up to eight years in captivity.
Some of the most common types of chipmunks are Siberian (Asian) and East American. There is another subgenus of chipmunks, which includes several species. For example, small chipmunk, alpine chipmunk, California chipmunk, red-tailed chipmunk, pine chipmunk and several others.
Thanks to their chubby cheeks, big eyes, stripes and bushy tails, the chipmunks fell in love with cartoonists and got leading roles in Hollywood.