Chipmunks

 Today my Master Naturalist chapter had a Zoom session about chipmunks given by a professor from the College of Saint Scholastica. Previously she had done work with Barred Owls and 13 lined ground squirrels. Chipmunks are more abundant in Duluth so she switched her topic of study. She teaches her students to do research. Which food do chipmunks prefer? Raspberries, me too. Does survival rate differ in small litters (4) or large litters (8)? No. Are male chipmunks larger than females? Female chipmunks are larger when pregnant but generally they are about the same size. What parasites can chipmunks get? Fleas, ticks and bot flies but chipmunks are resilient. How many chipmunks born this year will be around next year? About 1 in 3 will live through the winter. Who kills chipmunks? Martens, fox, raptors, weasels, owls, crows and human infrastructure. Some chipmunks climb into dumpsters and get crushed by incoming trash or they fall into a hole with water or get trapped inside a building. Do males or females have larger territories? It depends but siblings will usually stay next to another sibling. The Professor puts tracking devices on the chipmunks such as collars or chips. She identifies them with ear tags or with black hair dye. The stripes on the chipmunk really help them blend in. Young chipmunks emerge from the den between 4 and 5 weeks of age which is when the mother is trying to wean them. By 13 weeks of age they are fully grown although they will stay near their birth den longer. I had a chipmunk family living under the foundation of my house for awhile until the property management company sealed the hole. Now they den under the back steps. They probably enjoy the black sun flower seeds that fall from my feeder 2 stories up. Chipmunks are generally on the ground but they do climb up maple trees to bite off the seeds. I enjoy the munk munk sounds they make in hot weather.