Chipmunks! The Real Ones, That Don't Need to Sing Quiz

Answer: a steward, housekeeper, or someone trusted with valuables

Chipmunks take preparing for winter seriously. They gather a supply of seeds, grains or nuts, and stash it near where they plan to spend the winter so it's easily accessible. What they don't eat can sprout the next spring, and if it grows, the chipmunk has also done its part for seed dispersal for the plant.

Answer: it's the chipping sound they make

The best guess of etymologists is that the chipping sound made by chipmunks predisposes people to use that in their name, adding other syllables as they want. A few names don't use it, such as my favorite, "timber tiger," but "chipminck" and "chitmunk" are just some of the many variations.

Answer: in North America, and a few as pets in Europe

The chipmunk's range in North America means it encounters everything from deserts to mountains. There are some biologists who say the western chipmunk should have its own genus, Neotamias, with 23 species, but others say that two genuses are enough: the Tamias in North America and Eutamias in Asia, with minimal species. DNA testing may bring the arguments to a close, but there's still work to be done in 2016.

Answer: in cheek pouches

The chipmunk is supplied with built-in cheek pouches, allowing it to carry nuts or seeds while looking absolutely adorable with its little cheeks puffed out.

Answer: they hibernate a while, then wake up, eat, urinate and defecate, then hibernate again

Because chipmunks stash food near their sleeping quarters in their burrows, they don't need to go into complete hibernation and live off their fat. They can wake up, eat, then sleep some more. During the sleeping phase, their respiration and heart may slow and they may be difficult to wake, but who would disturb a cute little sleeping chipmunk? During the waking phase, they bring their vital signs to normal for a few days. Sounds like a pretty nice way to spend a winter, honestly.

Answer: typically, eastern chipmunks have two, western have one

Eastern chipmunks mate in early spring and again in early summer, squeezing two litters out of the year. Typically, western chipmunks breed once, and they all have four to five in each litter, though they can have more. If weather is favorable, either may squeeze in two litters, and only have one if cold comes early.

Answer: up to 11 feet long, with several small "rooms" and several entrances

Chipmunks don't put in the effort that prairie dogs do, but they can have nice burrows. They tend to keep the underground sleeping areas neat and clean, and store waste in its own areas. Outside entrances are carefully concealed. If one sees a chipmunk sitting by a tree trunk, and suddenly it's gone, you can guess it has an entrance to its burrow there, even if you don't see it go in.

Answer: 15 hours, or almost twice what a human does

Chipmunks can snuggle down in their burrows and feel safe from predators when they sleep. Biologists guess that animals that can sleep in safety, may take advantage of that situation and sleep longer, compared to animals that need to stay on alert. Rodents, including chipmunks, and bats are typical examples of animals with safe burrows or caves.

Answer: six weeks to go out, another two for full independence

Baby chipmunks start without fur, and blind. They stay underground with their mother in the burrow where they were born. During their second week, they start to grow fur, and within a monh, they begin to look like little chipmunks, with stripes and open eyes.

After six weeks, the babies are ready to go outside and in another couple of weeks they can start out on their own lives, though they continue to mature for another nine months.

Answer: Chipmunks are solitary, generally living alone except to mate

Chipmunks have a home range around their burrows of a half to one acre, which may overlap a little with other chipmunk home ranges, but they will defend the area nearest their burrow entrance from other chipmunks as well as predators. In breeding seasons, males may wander farther, looking for females, and compete with chases, posturing and chipping noises.

When local females are no longer in heat, chipmunks go back to their solitary life.