Step 1 : Introduction to the question "2. It's June, and my chipmunk is happily running around my yard as usual, making little "chip chip" sounds and looking for food. I didn't see him all winter, though. Why?"
...1. Chipmunks go into an inactive state called torpor 2. Chipmunks migrate south for the winter 3. Chipmunks turn white and blend in with the snow 4. I was too busy drinking eggnog and watching TV During the winter, chipmunks go into an inactive state called torpor. It isn't true hibernation, because they wake up frequently and eat the food they have stored in their burrows, and may even venture outside if the weather gets warm enough. This was a cold winter and a very cool spring, so I didn't catch a glimpse of my chipmunk until May. Unlike many animals, chipmunks don't store fat to help them make it through the winter. Torpor is very stressful to the chipmunk; many do not survive the demands it puts on their tiny bodies. In addition, despite their best efforts, some chipmunks are unable to store enough food to enable them to survive a very long, hard winter, My chipmunk is fortunate in that he gets about ten pounds of unsalted peanuts from me each year, so he isn't likely to go hungry. Chipmunks may spend up to half their lives in a state of torpor.
