Siberian chipmunk – Tamias sibiricus

The Siberian chipmunk’s habitats include forests, felling sites in particular, forest patches in steppe regions, and shrubby habitats along rivers. It prefers coniferous and mixed forests with rich undergrowth. In Europe, Siberian chipmunks are also present in deciduous forests and parks. Their diet includes seeds, nuts, tree buds, mushrooms, berries and grain. In most cases, they shelter and nest in burrows, but may also use hollows in trees or buildings.

Chipmunks reach sexual maturity at the age of 8–11 months. In northern areas, they only have one litter per year, but in the south two litters are possible. The duration of snow cover and feeding conditions influence the number of litters. Siberian chipmunks enter oestrus in late winter. The females announce this with ear-splitting chip sounds. If no mating takes place, the period of oestrus recurs in around two weeks. The gestation period is approximately four weeks and the average litter size in captivity is 4.4 (2–13). At birth, the young are blind and without fur. They are weaned at the age of 1.5 to 2 months. The young leave their birth territory soon after.

Siberian chipmunks are active in daytime, waking up early, keeping active and busy all day, and retiring to their burrows in the evening. In autumn, they begin to store food reserves, carrying up to 9 g of seeds, grains and mushrooms into storage in their pouches. As the evenings grow darker, they sleep a little longer every day. In cold areas, they remain in hibernation all winter, i.e. 6–7 months (from October to early April). In temperate zones, hibernation lasts 4–5 months. Hibernation usually begins before the temperature falls below zero or the snow cover arrives. During hibernation, they awake every now and then to feed on the reserves stored during the autumn. Torpor never exceeds 9 consecutive days in duration.