Chipmunks are small rodents of the squirrel family with a total of 25 different species, all part of the scientific family, in the family Sciuridae. There are three genera in this family: Tamias (eastern North America), Neotamias (western North America) and Eutamias (Eurasia).

Chipmunks have a varied omnivorous diet mainly consisting of nuts, fruits, seeds, berries, grains, birds eggs, small frogs, fungi, insects and worms. Food is stuffed into their large cheek pouches and carried back to store in their dens. Lots of food is gathered and placed in their burrows at the beginning of autumn to store for the winter.

Chipmunks are very lively and very fast. They have a bird-like chip which is used when danger is sensed or as a mating call for female chipmunks. Other communications include gestures such as waving their tails enabling them to communicate effectively with others of their species.

They are solitary animals and male and female do not pair until breeding season. Although chipmunks hibernate from late autumn until early spring, they do not store fat, instead they slowly gnaw away at their supplies throughout the winter, waking every 2 weeks or so to eat.