Chipmunk facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Chipmunks Temporal range: Early Miocene to Recent

Tamias rufus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Sciuridae
Tribe:	Marmotini
Genus:	Tamias

A chipmunk

A chipmunk is a small squirrel-like rodent. It is in the Sciuridae family. About twenty-three species fall under this title, with one species in North America.

The name may have originally been spelled "chitmunk" (perhaps from a Native American word meaning "red squirrel"). However, the earliest form comes from the Oxford English Dictionary (in 1842) as "chipmonk". Other early forms include "chipmuck" and "chipminck".

Chipmunks are hoarders, meaning they store food for winter.

Popular culture

Chip 'n Dale, two Disney cartoon characters, are famous chipmunks in pop culture. Another such trio is Alvin, Simon and Theodore (created by Ross Bagdasarian).

Images for kids

An eastern chipmunk placing food in its cheek pouch
Eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow
Tamias striatus, Eastern Chipmunk
Eutamias sibiricus, Siberian Chipmunk
Neotamias minimus, Least Chipmunk

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Chipmunk Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.