I was just talking with the librarians at Brevard College and they asked me how all the cold weather was affecting animals that hibernate during winter months. Their questions reminded me that just after the recent period of very cold weather, I saw a chipmunk scurrying about. I was surprised to see the animal because Chipmunks hibernate in winter. Their normal hibernation pattern, however, is to spend short periods of time awake and foraging for food. Here is more information from the National Wildlife Federation.
Chipmunks are ground squirrels, and while they often climb trees, they build their nests underground. Each Chipmunk builds its own burrow system as an adult and occupies it for the rest of its life. Chipmunks occur up and down the Appalachians, but not in the coastal plains from North Carolina to Georgia, and are most common in forested locations. Their small, brown bodies are about six inches in length, with tails three inches long, which they hold nearly upright as they dash about. Along each side, they have a thin white “racing” stripe surrounded by black stripes above and below it.
The reason that I saw the chipmunk when I did was probably because it was out looking for more food, such as spilled sunflower seeds from my "bird" feeder. When food is plentiful, they cache the surplus underground in their tunnel system. Acorns or other seeds that are not consumed, either because a Chipmunk stored an excess or because it did not survive the winter season, may sprout from these caches.
In the wintertime, Chipmunks are quiet, with no energy to waste on noise-making. But in spring, they make several calls to advertise their territory. One is a high-pitched, short "chip" that also functions as a warning call when the Chipmunk spots a predator. The other very common call is a repetitive "munk, munk, munk." Native Americans named the animal for its call.
The very cold weather may have awakened the animal in its burrow and it ate more food to keep warm (or keep its teeth from chattering). Perhaps it was out gathering food to replace its cache, or it might have been collecting more dead leaves to increase the insulation in its burrow. I hope it found enough, because cold weather is returning for a few more days!
Thanks, Nancy and Marie, for asking about hibernation!