Color enhanced SEM of a chipmunk hair. Image width: 128 micrometers. Magnification: 781x if the image is printed 10 cm wide. Bar: 20 micrometers. Chipmunks are small, striped rodents of the family Sciuridae. All species of chipmunks are found in North America, with the exception of the Siberian chipmunk, which is found primarily in Asia. The genus name "Tamias" is Greek for "treasurer", "steward", or "housekeeper", which refers to the animal's role in plant dispersal through their habit of collecting and storing food for winter use. Chipmunks play an important role as prey for various predatory mammals and birds but are also opportunistic predators themselves, particularly with regard to bird eggs and nestlings. They mostly cache their foods in a larder in their burrows and remain in their nests until spring, unlike some other species which make many small caches of food. Cheek pouches allow chipmunks to carry food items to their burrows for either storage or consumption.