Animal
Eastern chipmunk
Tamias striatus
A small (2–4 oz) ground-dwelling squirrel — five lengthwise dark stripes on a chestnut-brown back, distinctive cheek pouches that can hold dozens of nuts at once. Common across Staten Island's woodlands, parks, residential yards, and stone-wall edges. Major seed-cacher and seed-disperser. Hibernates loosely (torpor with periodic activity) through winter underground.
Scientific
Tamias striatus is a 2–4 oz ground squirrel native to eastern North America. Distinctive five lengthwise dark stripes on a [[chestnut|chestnut]]-brown back; bold black-and-white facial stripes; large internal cheek pouches that distend visibly when full.
Diet: seeds, nuts, fruits, fungi, insects, occasional eggs and nestlings. Caches food in underground burrow systems — burrows can be 20+ ft long with multiple chambers. Hibernates loosely through winter (torpor punctuated by periodic activity to consume stored food).
Important seed-disperser at short distances. Less consequential for forest regeneration than grey squirrels and blue jays (which move seeds farther) but still significant.
On Staten Island
Common in the borough’s woodlands, parks, residential yards (especially blocks with stone walls and rock gardens — preferred denning habitat), and Greenbelt edges. Conspicuous and bold, often habituating to human activity. Distinctive sharp “chip” alarm call carries through woodlands.
See also
Auto-generated from this entry’s typed relations: frontmatter, grouped by relation type so the editorial signal isn’t flattened.
- Counterpart to: [[eastern-grey-squirrel]]
- Member of: [[animal]]
- Contained by: [[staten-island]]
Sources
- [[beacon-ny|New York]] State DEC small-mammal records
- NYC Parks Wildlife Unit observations
Rooted in life.
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