Species Descriptions

Appearance

The eastern chipmunk weighs 66g-150g with a head to body length of 11.5cm-18.6cm and a tail length of 7cm-11.5cm (Reid, 2006) (Kurta, 1995). The eastern chipmunk has greyish to reddish-brown moderately long and soft fur with nine stripes extending from the shoulders to hind legs: There are five dark stripes separated by four light stripes (Reid, 2006) (Schwartz and Schwartz, 2001).

Geographical Range

The eastern chipmunk is widespread across the eastern United States and south-eastern Canada (Reid, 2006).

According to IUCN, the eastern chipmunk is native in the following provinces and states: Canada (Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland Island, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Québec); United States (Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin).

Map from IUCN

Depending on the location, the eastern chipmunk hibernates in its underground burrow from October to February or March (Schwartz and Schwartz, 2001). The degree of torpor varies and depends on the individual, location, and severe weather (Schwartz and Schwartz, 2001).

Interestingly, eastern chipmunks located in southern Ontario are paler in colour while eastern chipmunks located further south have a brighter colouration (Synder, 1982).

Habitat

The eastern chipmunk is primarily a ground dwelling rodent and spends the majority of its time beneath the ground (Reid, 2006). The chipmunk is capable of climbing to find food but spends most of its time on the ground within a home range of less than one hectare, typically 0.08-0.60 ha (IUCN).

According to IUCN, the eastern chipmunk prefers ‘deciduous woodlands with ample cover, such as brush piles or logs, rocky forested slopes, ravines’ as well as hedgerows and brushlands. However the eastern chipmunk has also adapted to living in urban areas. The eastern chipmunk constructs its nest below the ground within an extensive burrow system that generally consists of interconnected tunnels with multiple entrances and chambers: The burrow is usually built beneath a log or rock, at the base of a tree, the edge of a building.

Life History

The female eastern chipmunk has a gestation period of 31-32 days and give birth to a litter of three to five young in a chamber within their extensive burrow system. The young are altricial: They are blind and hairless, weighing about three grams and will emerge from the burrow five to six weeks later (Schwartz and Schwartz, 2001). The female eastern chipmunk raises the young. Eastern chipmunks generally reach sexual maturity in a year and can have two breeding cycles per year (Synder, 1982).

According to Kurta, 1995 the eastern chipmunk is active during the day and is generally solitary and territorial, and forcefully defends the area around its burrow against intruders. The eastern chipmunk uses a variety of calls to defend their territories. In addition, these calls are believed to function as an alarm in the presence of predators (Synder, 1982).

 

Appearance

Unlike the eastern chipmunk, male and female mallard have distinct colouring (plumage): Males have a metallic bottle-green head, a white neck-collar and a rich purplish-brown breast. (Mullarney et al., 1991). Females are a spotted brown, with a purple-blue patch on the wing feathers. Mallards have a wingspan of 81cm-95cm, a length of 50cm-60cm and can weigh up to 3 pounds (National Geographic, 2015).

Geographical Range

Mallards are widespread across Europe, the United States, in addition to southern and western Canada and parts of Asia and Africa. According to 3, the mallard is absent only from mountainous or very dry areas (IUCN).

Map from IUCN

Interestingly, the mallard is thought to be the most abundant and wide-ranging duck on Earth (National Geographic, 2015).

Habitat

According to the National Geographic, mallards prefer ‘calm, shallow sanctuaries, but can be found in almost any body of freshwater across Asia, Europe, and North America’ in addition to saltwater areas and wetlands. In addition, mallards can tolerate humans and can also be found in parks with ponds, flood water, rivers and other bodies of water in towns.

Life History

Mated pairs of mallards migrate north (relative to their range) to breed and build nests on the ground or in a protected cavity (National Geographic, 2015). Breeding may take place throughout the year but in generally it occurs following March (Gooder, 1982). Mallards typically lay approximately 10-12 eggs followed by an incubation period of less 28-29 days (Gooder, 1982). Mated mallards are territorial during the vast majority of these phases, however during the incubation phase the male mallard will abandon the nest and join a flock of other males (National Geographic, 2015).

Unlike the young of the eastern chipmunk, mallard chicks are precocial and are led to a nearby body of water by the female soon after hatching: the ducklings are than cared for by the female for up to eight weeks (Gooder, 1982).

The average lifespan of a mallard in the wild is 5-10 years (National Geographic, 2015).