The Chipmunk as Hunter/Gatherer

As fall approaches, the chipmunk can be seen busily gathering food for winter which it will store in burrows and, above ground, in caches located in its home range of about one half acre. Chipmunks eat wild nuts (with white acorn being a favorite), seeds (dogwood, maple, wintergreen and shadbush), mushrooms, berries, fruits and even garden vegetables. They also eat insects, small snakes, bird's eggs, and even young mice and birds. They become torpid in winter and periodically will awaken and eat. They may occasionally leave their dens briefly on sunny winter days.

Many predators such as hawks, owls, foxes and raccoons prey on chipmunks, but their chief threat is the weasel, an animal sleek enough to pursue chipmunks in their burrows.

Today's photo is by Troy Bartlett.

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