Chipmunk

The chipmunk is a small rodent. Although chipmunks are good climbers, as evidenced in the photo below, they spend most of their time on the ground. I think this one climbed the side of the house because it saw Outdoor Cat nearby, patrolling the property. It hung there for so long, not moving a muscle, not blinking, that I wondered if it was dead. I took a small stick and very gently touch it, and it flinched almost imperceptibly. The poor thing must have been completely frozen-in-fear of the big black cat nearby.

There are three genera of chipmunks. One of them is only found in Siberia, China, Korea, and northern Japan. A second genus is found in the western parts of North America. The third, this one, is native to eastern North America.[1] This species, (Tamias striatus), is the only member of the Tamias genus. They are quite common here, and I have been acquainted with them since childhood. Because of their small size and their skittish nature, they are not as easily seen as squirrels. But, they can be spotted, if one is watchful. In fact, I have never seen one so panic-stricken and unmoving for so long. Normally, they dash away quickly at the least glimpse of something moving nearby.

Chipmunks dig burrows in the ground for their homes and often hide the entry holes with leaves, sticks, and small rocks so they're harder to detect by predators. These little animals live a solitary lifestyle except during mating season. Their food consists mainly of seeds, fruit, leaves, mushrooms, insects, and worms.[2]

It's amazing to me how firmly those little claws were gripping the brick! Even when I gently touched the animal with the stick to see if it was still alive, none of the claws released their hold.

The strange thing, too, was the cat didn't even seem interested in the chipmunk hanging there, three feet (one meter) up the wall. Perhaps he had noticed the chipmunk earlier, before I went outside, and became bored waiting for it to move. After a while, Outdoor Cat ambled away and the chipmunk came back down and scurried away.

These are cute little critters. The only catch is, being rodents, they have the urge to gnaw things. This isn't a problem as long as they don't find their way indoors or mess with one's vehicle. I had a problem with my car a couple of years ago and had to take it to a mechanic. He reported that the problem was caused by a wire that was chewed, probably by a chipmunk or squirrel that crawled up into the engine compartment.