Tamias striatus
Silhouette: Chloé Schmidt · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
The eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) is a chipmunk species found in eastern North America. It is the only living member of the genus Tamias. The name "chipmunk" probably comes from the Ojibwe word ᐊᒋᑕᒨ ajidamoo (or possibly ajidamoonh, the same word in the Ottawa dialect of Ojibwe), which translates literally as "one who descends trees headlong." First described by Mark Catesby in his 1743 The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands, the chipmunk was eventually classified as Sciurus striatus by Linnaeus, meaning "striped squirrel" in Latin. The scientific name was changed to Tamias striatus, meaning "striped steward", by Johann Illiger in 1811.
A small species, it reaches about 30 cm (12 in) in length including the tail, and a weight of 66–150 g (2.3–5.3 oz). It has reddish-brown fur on its upper body and five dark brown stripes contrasting with light brown stripes along its back, ending in a dark tail. It has lighter fur on the lower part of its body. It has a tawny stripe that runs from its whiskers to below its ears, and light stripes over its eyes. It has two fewer teeth than other chipmunks and four toes each on the front... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Voyageurs National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brookfield Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | The Green Zoo Wuppertal | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center and Woods Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Great Lakes Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Chipmunk sighting in Boston on a given day, based on 1,199 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 25 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and September–October
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Chipmunk in Boston on a given day, against under 5% in January, the lowest month.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eastern Chipmunk sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 10 cities where we can rate Eastern Chipmunk sightings, Boston has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Minneapolis [Saint Paul] (United States, about 30%) and Toronto (Canada, about 30%).
Same family: Sciuridae
The closest relatives of the Eastern Chipmunk that you can see in Boston (family Sciuridae, Squirrels) are Eastern Gray Squirrel (about 80%), Woodchuck (about 10%) and American Red Squirrel (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eastern Chipmunk is recorded against all the mammals logged in Boston (1,199 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
