Animal Life - Chipmunk

 

We had a little friend in our camp, a lodgepole chipmunk.  They live throughout the Sierra Nevada mountain range and prefer an open-canopy pine habitat.

They'll eat seeds, of course, and fungi, as well as berries.

Their habit of burying seeds aids in reforestation.

 Litters of 5 are born in June, and they hibernate from October/November to March/April.

During this time, periods of dormancy last about 5-6 days, with short arousals to eat some stored food.  They are working to accumulate fat in the fall.

I can definitely confirm we heard the "chucking" noise.