Chipmunk coloring page

Today's new coloring page is of a Chipmunk in an Oak Tree.

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Chipmunk Juvenile on an Oak Tree Branch 

There are 25 species of chipmunks. Some are 5 inches long, and some are up to 11 inches long - if you count the length of the tail. They are a type of small squirrel. But chipmunks all have racing stripes on their face and down their back. Some nest in trees and some in underground dens. 24 species of chipmunks live in North America. The Eastern Chipmunk is the largest at 11 inches long.

The Siberian Chipmunk lives in most of Northern Asia and in some parts of East-Central Asia. Some live in far Eastern Europe. By the way, all chipmunks are small squirrels, but not all squirrels are chipmunks. Squirrels are larger and lack the racing stripes. 

Chipmunks are herbivores and are excellent climbers. They have cheek pouches to hold food. They store large amounts of food in underground burrows. This food is kept for the winter. Chipmunks take long sleeps, or torpor, in the winter. But they do not truly hibernate. They wake up from time to time to eat their stored food... like acorns, pine nuts, etc. Chipmunks rely very heavily on acorns if there are oak trees around. 

You can tell that this is not quite an adult because the chipmunk has the "cuteness factor" of a larger head-to-body ratio. Many young vertebrate animals have the cuteness factor. This young chipmunk was old enough to live outside the nest and fend for himself. 

THIS drawing is based on a chipmunk my daughter photographed in the Black Hills of Western South Dakota. The only species in the Black Hills is the Least Chipmunk. It is the smallest species of chipmunk. They weigh less than 2 ounces, or less than half a gram. I should add that the background is more like the Rocky Mountains. The Black Hills are covered in conifers- pines, spruce, & firs. 

NOTE: This coloring page is found in printable form by clicking on the "Animals" button. Then scroll down to the bottom of the list of coloring page titles. If you are accessing this page in October or September, then this coloring page's title will be at or near the end of the list of animal coloring pages. Have fun coloring this cute little chipmunk!