Where does the Eastern chipmunk live?
The eastern chipmunk lives in eastern North America. It inhabits deciduous wooded areas and urban parks across the eastern United States and southern Canada. It defends its burrow. According to some classification systems it is the only species in the genus Tamias, the others being spread across the genera Eutamias and Neotamias.
What does the Eastern chipmunk eat?
The chipmunk is mainly active during the day, spending most of its day foraging. It has reddish-brown fur on its upper body and five dark brown stripes contrasting with light brown stripes along its back, ending in a dark tail. A tawny stripe runs from its whiskers to below its ears, and light stripes run over its eyes. It has four toes on each front foot, but five on the hind feet.
Is the Eastern chipmunk endangered?
No: the IUCN lists it as Least Concern. It reaches about 30 cm in length including the tail, and weighs 66 to 150 g. Both albino and melanistic specimens have been observed. It was once sold as a pet, but less often than the Siberian chipmunk.
