Meet the Eastern Chipmunk

The Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus), a small rodent closely related to the squirrel, is found across a vast majority of the Eastern United States. In Maryland, chipmunks are mostly found west of the Chesapeake Bay. Chipmunks on fruits, seeds, mushrooms, nuts, and some small insects, and spends most of its time foraging on the ground for food. The Eastern Chipmunk lives in deciduous forests, shrublands, and anywhere with cover to hide from predators. Chipmunks will build burrows underground that are able to host them when they hunker down in the winter months. The chipmunks don’t actually store fat for the winter, but hoard food and lazily wake up to eat occasionally until spring. The Eastern Chipmunk helps to disperse plant materials and fungi and to aerate the soil, both of which have a positive impact on the environment. To learn more about the Eastern Chipmunk, visit: https://animalia.bio/eastern-chipmunk

This Wildlife Wednesday provided by Zander Hine, Student Board member.