Howdy folks. We know you don’t come here out of a thirst for statistics, so we wanted to get you back into the action as soon as we could. Brad had perfect timing as he just provided us the latest drop of adventures to share. Nothing better than the present to pop a fresh one off the queue, while I battle the last remaining spirits in the new machine. Only one pillar left to port, the digital darkroom – no more delay excuses, I’ve run out of distractions and all the “squirrels” have been rounded up and put to work cleaning the Intrigued HQ grounds….wait is that competitive gardening coming on the TV!?!?!…I better let you go.
Take it away Brad…
Recently Jan and I signed up for an assignment in Alaska during late summer. Tough duty, I know. To get ready for our trip to the Yukon (actually, I’m not sure we’ll even see the Yukon, but it sounded better), we attended a presentation on the tour we were taking. The tour guide was giving us some information about some of the wildlife there. He said that often visitors are not able to tell the types of bears apart. Alaska has both grizzly and black bears. But often the grizzlies are very dark colored, and the black bears have very light fur. To the casual observer they are indistinguishable. The guide gave us a sure-fire methodology to tell them apart in a pinch. Are you ready? Here it is:
If you find yourself too close to a bear and you don’t know which kind it is – climb a tree. A black bear will follow you up the tree. A grizzly bear will simply knock the tree over. Identification problem solved.
Nothing we saw on our trip through Yosemite and adjoining parks was anything like that. Well, except for this black bear from Sequoia National Park last summer (link here). Jan and I only saw very small furry critters. To be fair, some were quite good at climbing trees, we can’t rule out that they are part black bear based on what we learned above, but I seriously doubt it.
Our story begins here. As does the identification dilemma for hikers near National Parks. No, I’m not talking about bears any longer. Thankfully today’s subject is much more approachable and far less dangerous and does not involve any tree climbing, at least not on your part. I’m talking about chipmunks and ground squirrels. Yes, there is a difference between chipmunks and ground squirrels. Before I jump in, I know this may get confusing (I certainly was), so let me give you a primer.
Chipmunk vs. Ground Squirrel identification primer:
- One website says the difference between a chipmunk and a ground squirrel is: Chipmunks are small mammals with distinct stripes, while the ground squirrel has body stripes like chipmunks, but no stripes on its head.
- Another website says something similar: One easy way to tell them apart is by their stripes. Chipmunk stripes run the length of their bodies, including their heads. Ground Squirrel stripes start at the neck and run along their backs, but they do not have stripes on their heads. (Someone was splitting hairs when they wrote up this definition, IMHO.)
- Still another website says that ground squirrels can weigh between 1 and 10 pounds, whereas chipmunks are usually under a pound (not based on the amount of the sunflower seeds they eat near my bird feeders). Good luck getting them to hold still while you weigh them.
- Ground squirrels can live between 5-10 years while chippers only 2-5 years. This one isn’t the most reliable visual indicator, unless you have lots and lots and lots of time. (Allyson’s grandpa (Jan’s dad) used to tell her “chipper” stories when she was little. The story was different each time, which kept Allyson coming back for more.)
- Their tails can be an indicator all other things being equal. Ground squirrel tails tend to be longer and bushier than the chipmunks “shorter and not nearly as fluffy” tails. Chipmunks will sometimes run with the tails straight up or out behind them.
- Habitat can be a big differentiator as well; except we saw all of the critters below in nearly the same habitats. None held still long enough and we didn’t wait around to see to know if they ran up trees (ground squirrels) or not (chipmunks). Chipmunks tend not to climb trees, but climb over fallen trees. Ground squirrels have no qualms at about climbing trees, or so we are told.
- Though not really a visual differentiator, hibernation patterns differ slightly: chipmunks wake up every few days to eat during colder months while ground squirrels can go for longer periods of time between winter feedings.
Well, there it is. Clear as mud, right?
You are all ready now to hit the jump and put some visuals to that primer!
Continue reading ADHLAS…by Brad Marks
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