chipmunk

views updated Jun 27 2018

chip·munk / ˈchipˌməngk/ • n. a burrowing ground squirrel (genus Tamias) with cheek pouches and light and dark stripes running down the body. Its many species include the North American eastern chipmunk (T. striatus).

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

chipmunk

views updated Jun 11 2018

chipmunk Small, ground-dwelling squirrel native to North America and Asia. It carries nuts, berries and seeds in cheek pouches, to store underground. Active tree-climbers in summer, they hibernate in winter. Most chipmunks are brown with black-bordered, light stripes. Length: 13–15cm (5–6in), excluding tail. Family Sciuridae; genera Eutamias and Tamias.

World Encyclopedia

chipmunk

views updated Jun 08 2018

chipmunk (Tamias, Eutamias) See SCIURIDAE.

A Dictionary of Zoology MICHAEL ALLABY

Eutamias

views updated May 23 2018

Eutamias (chipmunk) See SCIURIDAE.

A Dictionary of Zoology MICHAEL ALLABY

Tamias

views updated May 18 2018

Tamias (chipmunk) See SCIURIDAE.

A Dictionary of Zoology MICHAEL ALLABY

chipmunk

views updated May 14 2018

chipmunk, chipmuck N. Amer. ground-squirrel. XIX. of Algonquian orig.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

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Chipmunks

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