Did you know that there are chipmunks in the Bay Area? Say hello to Merriam’s chipmunks (Neotamias merriami), the only chipmunk species that can be found in San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties. Merriam’s chipmunks have greyish brown bodies with dark brown and white stripes lining their faces and backs; the chipmunks that live in moist redwood forests tend to be darker in coloration than the ones that live in more arid chaparral environments.
Though they can be found in most Midpen preserves in the Santa Cruz Mountains, they are seldom seen because they are incredibly shy and live in dense underbrush environments. These chipmunks will use woodpecker cavities, natural holes in rocks and trees, and burrows created by gophers and ground squirrels for shelter at night. They tend to stick close to home, and avoid foraging more than 1000 feet from their night shelters.
Merriam’s chipmunks typically have two foraging periods each day: they begin their day by roaming the undergrowth looking for acorns, nuts and seeds, and then take a midday rest in their burrows before they continue to forage in the afternoon. They use their cheek pouches to carry their food back to their burrows or to cache sites where they store it for later use. They store food in little holes that they dig, in dead logs or in between the limbs and branches of trees.
