Chubby Cheeks
Posted by Carl on July 13, 2004
Q: How do chipmunks transport their young? I saw a chipmunk carrying, a little smaller chipmunk by it's belly, in the bigger ones mouth, to another area of my yard. Is this how they do it? Why do they move from one location to another?
A: You were lucky to see this behavior - I've never seen it myself! I can't really say how a mother chipmunk might usually carry her babies but since you've seen it, it must work. My guess is that usually they carry their young by the scruff of the neck as is common with many mammals. There are a variety of different reasons why a mother might move her young. For some reason the mother has decided their home isn't safe so she moved her young to a better location. You can probably come up with dozens of reasons but only she really knows.
John Wiessinger ( July 13, 2004)