Eastern Chipmunk

Here's an Eastern Chipmunk I met. The chipmunk was unable to say hello, partly because that's not in their vocalization repertoire and partly because its mouth was full.

It appears to be mostly (entirely?) leaves in the chipmunk's mouth. They don't eat leaves, so I'm assuming this is a female looking to build a nest for little baby chipmunks. If you've never seen a chipmunk nest, it's probably because you're not doing enough digging; a chipmunk nest is part of their burrow.

If this is a male chipmunk, it's less clear what's going on. Maybe he lost a bet, or another chipmunk double dog dared him to put all those leaves into his mouth. (I still find the female nest-building to be the more plausible theory.)

June 5, 2021 at Duke Farms
Photo 136368439, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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