Wildlife biologists ask public to report chipmunk sightings

N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission biologists are turning to the public for help tracking chipmunks east of Interstate 95.

This is the second year in a row that state wildlife biologists have asked residents to let them know if they have spotted a chipmunk. They have long known chipmunks were in the state north and west of Wake County, officials said in a press release Thursday. They said it was a photograph of a chipmunk in Wilmington in 2021 that “got them wondering just how far east and south the tiny rodents have travelled.”

This year, biologists are again asking anyone who sees a chipmunk east of I-95 to take the following steps:

• Snap a photo.
• Note the location, GPS coordinates are preferred.
• Email the photo to hwi@ncwildlife.org.

Chipmunks are much smaller than squirrels, officials said, only 8 to 10 inches long including their 3- to 4-inch-long tail, with reddish-brown fur, two white stripes bordered by black on the sides and one black stripe down the center of the back. Their most distinguishing characteristic is their large cheek pouches, which they use to store and carry food.

Although chipmunks can be found in both urban and rural habitats, they prefer open woodlands or forest edges, which provide plenty of cover and dry hillsides for digging burrows. Burrows provide protection from predators such as hawks, owls, foxes and snakes, as well as a safe place to sleep during the winter.

The best times to spot chipmunks are early morning and late afternoon — those are the times chipmunks are most active, gathering and storing food, usually nuts, seeds and berries, although these opportunistic predators will also snack on insects, small amphibians and birds, if given a chance.

Also, look down and not necessarily up to spot one, said Andrea Shipley, a mammalogist with the commission. “Unlike squirrels, chipmunks spend most of their time foraging on the ground, climbing trees only occasionally.”

“We really want to encourage people to send us photos and information of any chipmunks they see in any county east of I-95,” Shipley added. “We will use this information to update our chipmunk distribution map, which we will then use to assess the animal’s conservation status in the state and any need for conservation planning or research we may do in the future.”

In April, the commission similarly appealed to the public to report sightings of armadillos in the state. It was not clear whether the two species were traveling together.

For more information on eastern chipmunks in North Carolina, visit the commission’s eastern chipmunk species page, www.ncwildlife.org/eastern-chipmunk.