chipmunk. Chipmunk females usually produce two to eight young per litter, more than replenishing the population. Note: Never trap or relocate chipmunks. Filed Under: chipmunks, David Wade, Declare Your Curiosity. You won’t affect the local population, and worse, releasing a chipmunk in a strange area will almost surely result in his or her death. Homeowners don’t see large numbers of these mammals in their yards, and there is no chance of infestation. decline. From 1995 through 2006, we studied a rodent community in western Colorado, observing weather conditions and their effects on least chipmunk ( Tamias minimus ) and Hopi chipmunk ( T. rufus ) populations. Chipmunks will sexually mature very early and the overall population of chipmunks can explode as easily as it can decline. Population Population threats. Chipmunk and Human Interaction.

The chipmunk makes a considerable amount of noise for such a small animal, and you can often hear it feeding from a good distance away. chipmunk. It’s possible that chipmunks are making up their population numbers from years past. History . However, as with many other mast (dry fruit from woody plants) eating rodents, chipmunk population cycles are positively correlated with the production of acorns.

The analysis of genetic markers revealed a significant decline in “allele richness” among the recently sampled alpine chipmunk populations compared with their historic counterparts. Most species do not face direct threat from human interaction, but certain subspecies and population in specific regions suffer decline. Curious About The Chipmunk Population. You may have to register before you … Chipmunks chirp, or chip, when they’re alarmed, or when trying to ward another chipmunk away from their territory. Furthermore, in farmland woodlots, density decreases with increasing area and isolation of … The cause of the slow, steady decline of chipmunk numbers in the neighborhood became apparent. Greene County’s population rose in every decennial Census from 1920 until 2010, Heck said, and he cites some indicators suggesting Greene County’s population decline might be moderating. In addition, these animals in general face habitat modification.

It helps to turn off any lights in the room and let the natural light from the opening lead the chipmunk to the safety of the outdoors. By David Wade, WBZ-TV August 15, 2011 at 6:07 pm. significant effect on eastern chipmunk population densities or age structure, but forest fragmentation does decrease chipmunk survival rates (Mahan and Yahner 1998; Nupp and Swihart 1998). I explored the idea that our squirrel population may be affected by climate. Curious About The Chipmunk Population. “The same phenomenon that knocked down” the squirrel population decimated the chipmunk population, Tuttle said, “a massive crop failure last fall that drove hundreds and hundreds of squirrels” to migrate away from their homes in search of food. There are few studies that have assessed relative abundances of chipmunks over long durations and none have been conducted on least chipmunks or Hopi chipmunks.

But as links in the food chain, they are prey to larger animals.