Chipmunks: Masters of Munch (and more)

I’ve been enchanted with chipmunks since I was a child.  As a little girl, I remember seeing a chipmunk and being totally enamored. Not wanting to scare it, I stood stock still…something that’s hard for a little girl to do. Today, chipmunks are my absolute favorite backyard critter to photograph. (Please don’t mention this to the birds or the squirrels. I don’t want a jealous feud on my hands.) Chipmunks are just oh, so cute! The bulging cheeks. The skittering run. And most of all, their dedication to food! You’ll be even more charmed by chipmunks, after just a short read about their amazing antics. But don’t hurry or scurry. Take your time and enjoy the whimsical photography from my own back yard! (It’s available as greeting cards and canvas giclees at AzarElGreetings.com.

Cheeky

Marsupials like opossums, koalas, and kangaroos have pouches in front of their abdomens. That’s kind of like a sweatshirt with a pocket on the front. It makes total sense! Why are chipmunks designed with pouches in their cheeks?  Many sources say they expand to three times the size of their head. What does that really mean? Is it kind of like a kernel of popcorn exploding into all its fluffiness? Does that mean they can pull their lower jaw over the top of their head? (Probably not.) Some sources say they can carry their own body weight (2 oz. to 5 oz.) in their cheeks. Estimates say chippies can stuff about seventy sunflower seeds, or thirty kernels of corn, or twelve acorns. Whatever three-times-the-size-of-their-head means, this is what it looks like:

Hoarder

For people, no road trip is complete without snacks. Food for thought: It doesn’t matter how old you are, buying snacks for a road trip should always look like an unsupervised 9-year-old was given $100. (Anonymous) Unlike people, chipmunks typically don’t eat the food as they find it. The more time outside their burrow, the more the risk of becoming the meal! All kinds of predators consider them a meaty morsel. A busy chipmunk can gather up to 165 acorns in a day! They can store up to eight pounds of food in their burrows. After all, every chipmunk needs its own “grocery store” in winter. I love the life of a chipmunk in winter! Sleep a lot. Wake up and snack. Sleep a lot. Wake up and snack.

Rainy Day ‘Sun-brella’: Greeting Card; Photo Print or Giclée

It’s all cuteness as the food goes into those chubby cheeks. What does it look like coming out of their cheeks in the burrow? They squeeze their cheeks with their paws and spew. Some chipmunks overestimate the size of their cheeks. Then it looks like this: Chipmunk discovers the limits of stuffing its cheeks

Excavating Machine

Chipmunks are living excavating machines. Those expandable cheeks also carry a whole lot of soil. (No chipmunk mother ever wiped dirt out its child’s mouth!) Their tunnels can be 10’ to 30’ long and as deep as three feet. That’s an earth mover! Anyone like sand in their mouth? Think about the poor chipmunk!

“A Nose for Roses” Greeting Card; Photo Print or Canvas

Miniature Stock Cars

Chipmunks are like miniature stock car racers. These bodies of these mini models are about five to six inches long. Their tails add another three or four inches. They weigh anywhere from 2 ounces (the weight of a deck of cards) to about 5 ounces (the weight of a Major League baseball or a D-sized battery).  These little creatures have a heart that pumps 350 beats a minute. (During winter snoozes, it decreases to a mere four beats a minute.)

Sister: A Little Piece of Childhood Greeting Card

It’s definitely not surprising that a group of chipmunks is called a scurry. How appropriate. There’s a reason they wear racing stripes. They can reach a top speed of twenty-one miles an hour; especially on adrenaline when escaping a predator. This almost sounds like an internet myth. Why? As a comparison, Wilma Rudolph ran the 100-meter dash in 11 seconds at the 1960 Rome Olympics. This translates to approximately 22.37 miles per hour. Of course, she had a following wind of 6.15 miles per hour, otherwise the chipmunk would have won!

Peanuty Smile Greeting Card; Photo Print or Giclée

I really think God laughed when he designed chipmunks. (He really does have a sense of humor! How else would he give us laughter?)  The bulging cheeks. The skittering run. The gathered nuts …and people have smiled and laughed about chipmunks ever since. The last random thought: If only my ‘mouth full’ face was half as adorable as a chipmunk’s. A girl can dream!

Oh…And don’t forget to visit the chippies at AzarÉlGreetings.com. Everybody loves a cute chipmunk greeting card. Your walls would love to “wear” a cute chipmunk!

P.S. Are you wondering how I got all the cheeky cuteness in the photographs scattered throughout the article? My photography secrets are revealed in another blog: How to Do Chipmunk Photography (and build a chipmunk ramp)