Zoolung Animals

Hanam Dongtan Gyeongju

Chipmunk

Chipmunks dig burrows underground to make their homes and build food storage caches nearby. When carrying food, they store it in their elastic cheek pouches, which can easily hold about seven peanuts! Their tails are very fragile, so they really hate having their tails grabbed. If you encounter a striped squirrel, please don’t touch it with your hands—just watch it with your eyes!

Category

Order Rodentia Family Sciuridae
Habitat

Forestry
Diet

Omnivorous, feeding on nuts, fruits, insects, frogs, and bird eggs

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Gyeongju

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Species

Small rodents

A small, agile rodent belonging to the family Sciuridae, characterized by its cheek pouches.

Place of discovery

North America and parts of Asia

Various species are found across North America (genus Tamias) and Asia (genus Tamias).

Habitat

Forests, shrublands, gardens

They inhabit environments with trees, such as wooded areas or shrublands, or suburban gardens and parks.

Diet

Omnivorous (seeds, nuts, insects)

They mainly eat seeds, nuts, berries, and mushrooms, but they are omnivorous and also eat small insects, snails, and bird eggs.

Action

Diurnal and storage activities

It is a diurnal animal, and uses its cheek pouches to diligently store food underground for hibernation.

Average size

15–30 cm

Although it varies by species, they generally measure about 15 to 30 cm in length, including the tail.

Lifespan

2–5 years in the wild, 5–10 years in captivity

In the wild, they typically live for about 2 to 5 years due to predators, but in captivity, they can survive for 5 to 10 years or more.

Features

stripes on the back

Most species have distinct, characteristic black or dark-colored vertical stripes on their backs.