Sounds Madeīoth chipmunks and squirrels are extremely vocal. If you see them running away with it, it might be a chipmunk. How does it help you? Well if you see a rodent eating or gnawing the food lying around, especially in October or November, there is a high chance that it is a squirrel. Their activity decreases in the winter but they manage to eat and live off of the food store. So in late autumn, they start collecting and storing food in their elaborate nests. Because during winter most of them go into hibernation mode.Ĭhipmunks do not completely hibernate during winter. Towards the late autumn, squirrels eat as much as they can to make their bodies hefty and store fat and energy. But their activity styles differ in the winter. That means both works during the dawn and dusk hours. Squirrels and chipmunks are both crepuscular creatures. Thus, you will find them making entry points near the base of the houses, just above the foundation walls, and under the stairs or decks. But they have elaborate burrow tunnels, places for food storage, and channels that aid them in emergency escape as well as give entry into your houses. Ground squirrels usually burrow simple holes in your gardens.Ĭhipmunks on the other hand make special nests on the ground only. These are just large dreys made out of leaves, branches, and straws. The nest of red squirrels can be found in tree branches, hollows, and attics or terraces. Squirrel Chipmunk Appearance Bushy tail, furry body Striped back, furry body Size 6 to 15 inches (15-38 cm) 5 to 6 inches (13-15 cm) Weight 0.5 to 1.5 pounds (227-680g) 2 to 4 ounces (56-113g) Lifespan 5 to 10 years 2 to 3 years (in wild) Diet Nuts, seeds, fruit Nuts, seeds, fruit, insects Distribution Found in most parts of the world Found in North America and Asia Nesting Because of their different diets, squirrels, and chipmunks occupy different niches in the ecosystem. They also consume a lot of plant matter, including berries, leaves, and roots. Chipmunks, on the other hand, eat mostly insects and other small invertebrates. Squirrels eat mostly nuts and seeds, which they store in tree cavities for later use. This difference is due to the different food sources that these animals rely on. Squirrels are typically found in trees, while chipmunks live in burrows in the ground. If not flat-out rejection, you might see the chipmunk feeding on both foods. Whereas, there is a high chance that a chipmunk would bypass the nuts to go to the insect. Nuts are an all-time favorite of squirrels, so they will go for it. To know who has invaded your yard or garden, what you can do is leave some nuts and (if you can manage) some dead insects around. This means that squirrels will mostly eat plants, nuts, and fruits, while chipmunks will also eat insects and small animals in addition to plants. Squirrels are mainly herbivores, while chipmunks are omnivores. But whereas the chipmunks have stripes all over, the ground squirrels do not have any stripes in their head area. Ground squirrels are around the same size as chipmunks and they have stripes as well. Their tail is more prominent, longer, and bushier. Tree squirrels on the other hand are comparatively larger and their bodies are devoid of any kind of stripes. Their tails are furry but not much bushy and heavy. These can be categorized in: AppearanceĬhipmunks have distinct stripes running down their entire bodies. They even resemble each other in their dietary habits and activities. Squirrels and chipmunks are both small furry rodents who frequent our terraces and gardens quite often. Ways to Distinguish between Squirrels and Chipmunks Finally, squirrels typically have brown or reddish-brown fur, while chipmunks usually have gray or tan fur. Additionally, while both animals have furry tails and striped fur coats, the stripes on a squirrel’s coat tend to be more subtle than those on a chipmunk’s. For one, squirrels are typically larger than chipmunks, with longer tails and legs. Though they may look similar at first glance, there are several key ways to tell a squirrel apart from a chipmunk. So if you too are confused and tired of the ineffective solutions, read this article to clear your doubts about the pest you are dealing with. This often leads to frustration and distrust of solutions.īut the problem lies in recognizing the pest that has infested your place. As a result, sometimes a solution for squirrel infestation is applied in case of chipmunk problems and vice-versa. Chipmunks are often confused with tree or ground squirrels.
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