This is the fifth and final in a series intended to bring
attention to some of the animals of the forest, and provide some
information about the animals. I hope you enjoy the series, have
fun with the puzzles, learn something you might not have known,
while participating in this wonderful sport of
geocacheing.
Stop That guy he's making
off with the cache:
The cache, as you can see is
a smaller lock n lock container painted camo, it was way too big
for this little guy to make off with, but he sure was giving it the
eyeball, think he was contemplating a food "Cache" The cache
contains mostly pins from different cities, film container with 5
binder clips, my Canadian Geocoin and a FTF prize.
This cache is dedicated to the
fun little guy of the forest, "The Chipmunk": While the cache is
not at the posted co-ordinates there is a good chance you might
hear and see a Chipmunk in the area. In order to find the cache you
must read the text below, in so doing it is hoped you will learn
something about this littlest of forest animals.
1) The number of letters in the word
Chipmunks = A
2) The size of the Eastern Chipmunk in
grams = BCD
3) The size of the Western Chipmunk in
grams = EF
4) The length of the Eastern Chipmunk = GH
- I J cm long
5) The length of the Western Chipmunk = KL
- MN
6) Females rear litters of = P - Q
young
7) The ears are closed until around the =
RS day
The Final Cache is at: North PA HL.APD
West BCB I(C+D).BBP
The cache is located off the Foley Creek
Main Rd. It is accessible by any vehicle with reasonable ground
clearance, the roads to the cache have potholes, but nothing
you could loose your can in.
Chipmunks Tamias are fun to watch.
Found throughout Canada's forests, they charm campers and hikers by
their small size, their boldness in search of food, and their
constant busyness. They are not hard to approach or photograph.
Indeed, they are easily persuaded to accept seeds or nuts from a
person's hand. An encounter with a chipmunk often provides a child
with a captivating first experience of a wild mammal in its natural
setting.
All species of chipmunks in Canada live in
forested areas. Most of them live in burrows and gather food on the
ground, generally in areas where there are enough rocks, bushes,
fallen logs, and piles of brush to shelter them from predators as
they scamper about. Immature forests and the edges of forests near
clearings, streams, ravines, and logging roads provide ample cover.
Stands of tall, mature trees with no plants on the shady forest
floor are unsuitable.
No species of chipmunk is found north of
the treeline in Canada, in the prairie grasslands of North America,
in the hot subtropical forests of Florida, or in areas with
waterlogged soils. With those exceptions, chipmunks thrive
throughout Canada and the United States.
Species of chipmunk
Twenty-one chipmunk species occur in North
America, including one in eastern Canada and four in western
Canada.
General appearance
Chipmunks are easily recognized by the
light and dark stripes on the back and head. They can be confused
with some of the striped ground squirrels, but chipmunks are
smaller, bear facial markings, and have five dark stripes on their
backs, including a distinct, central line that extends forward onto
the head. Ground squirrels do not have markings on the
head.
The eastern chipmunk is large (up to 125g)
with a relatively short tail (about one-third of the total length
from its nose to the tip of its tail), whereas western chipmunks
are smaller (about 55g) with a relatively longer tail (nearly half
the total length from its nose to the tip of its tail). The eastern
chipmunk is between 20 and 30cm long, and western species are 16 to
28cm long.
Chipmunks are quite vocal. People walking
in the woods do not always realize that they are hearing chipmunks,
for some of the cries that chipmunks make are like bird
chirps.
Biologists have not yet determined the
meaning of all the chipmunk's many calls. For example, when a
chipmunk is startled, it runs quickly along the ground giving a
rapid series of loud chips and squeaks. Perhaps this sudden burst
of noise startles predators, helping the chipmunk to escape. Also,
chipmunks frequently call with a high-pitched "chip" or "chuck"
repeated over and over at intervals of one or two seconds. This
scolding noise is often made by a chipmunk watching an intruder
from a safe vantage point. Some scientists think that it may also
be the mating call of the female chipmunk.
Burrows
Most chipmunks construct tunnels and
chambers in the ground that have entrances that are well hidden
under rocks or tangled bushes. Less typical are those western
species that spend a fair amount of their time in trees and
sometimes even nest in tree cavities.
Breeding
The gestation period is about 30 days.
When it is over, the female chipmunks rear their litters (usually 4
to 6 young) without any help from males. In Canada, in most years,
chipmunks have only one breeding season and one litter, but in
favourable years a small percentage of adult eastern chipmunks
produces a second litter in the fall. In the southern United
States, the production of two litters per year by both eastern and
western chipmunks is not uncommon.
Growth of the young
Young chipmunks are born naked and blind
and weigh about 3g at birth, with some variation by species. In the
eastern chipmunk, hair does not become visible to the unaided eye
until about 10 days of age, the ears are closed until around the
28th day, and the eyes open at 31-33 days of age.
Food habits
A chipmunk spends much of its day
collecting and storing seeds, which are its most important source
of food. Although most species of chipmunks most often forage on
the ground, they all easily climb trees and shrubs to harvest nuts
and fruit.
When preparing food for storage, the
chipmunk holds fruit and seeds in its dexterous front paws, and
with specialized incisors, which are especially long and directed
forward, it removes seeds from pods. Then it uses its tongue to
shift them backwards and stuff them between its teeth and the
extensible skin in the cheek area, where they are held while the
animal collects more food.
Enemies and limiting factors
Chipmunks must practice constant vigilance
to avoid their many predators, including hawks, weasels, coyotes,
martens, foxes, and snakes. Occasionally they are hunted by owls,
but such incidents are rare as chipmunks are only active by day.
Despite these many enemies, there are not enough of these tiny
rodents for any predator to depend on a steady diet of chipmunk. It
makes more sense for a predator to specialize in mice, which are
more abundant and more easily caught.