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Animal profile

Eastern Chipmunk

Tamias striatus

MammaliaDeciduous woodland, forest edge, rocky slopes and suburban gardensLeast Concern

Field profile

The eastern chipmunk is a striped ground squirrel that lives in an extensive solitary burrow system with separate nest, latrine and larder chambers. It carries food in expandable cheek pouches and spends winter in torpor punctuated by feeding from its cache. It is diurnal and strongly territorial.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2025-05-15

Eastern Chipmunk

Chipmunks wake up all winter to eat

A chipmunk does not fatten up and sleep through. It fills an underground larder with several thousand seeds and nuts, then alternates bouts of torpor with arousals in which it eats from that store, because its winter fuel is cached food rather than body fat.

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Eastern Chipmunk | Daily Animal Facts