Squirrel vs Chipmunk

People call both animals squirrels, and they are close relatives, since the chipmunk is a small ground-dwelling member of the squirrel family. Still, the animal bounding across your lawn is usually one of two very different sizes. A chipmunk is about 8 to 12 inches long, while an eastern gray squirrel runs about 14 to 21 inches.

This page compares the eastern chipmunk with the eastern gray squirrel, the two most common in the eastern US. Ground squirrels such as the thirteen-lined, which also carry stripes, add confusion in open ground. Their stripes number thirteen and are narrow, while a chipmunk has five wider stripes, so count the stripes when you can.

Squirrel vs Chipmunk side by side

Last verified October 2026. Typical values; individual animals, products and local prices vary.

When you are looking at which

Squirrel

• The animal is large, roughly 14 to 21 inches, with a thick bushy tail that looks as long as its body.
• You see grizzled gray fur with no stripes, often high in a tree or on a bird feeder.
• It lives comfortably in city parks and suburban yards and climbs as a tree squirrel.
• A pale ring circles the eye and the underside is whitish.

Chipmunk

• The animal is small, clearly smaller than a gray squirrel, with five dark stripes down its back.
• The coat is reddish-brown and you spot it near a brush pile, log or forest edge.
• It stuffs its cheeks and darts into a shallow ground burrow.
• Its tail is short and furry, about 2.5 to 4.5 inches.

How this works

The quiz covers five cues you can see from a window: coat and stripes, size, tail, where the animal is, and how it carries food. Each answer leans toward the eastern gray squirrel or the eastern chipmunk based on wildlife agency descriptions.

It is built for those two eastern species. Red squirrels, flying squirrels, fox squirrels and western chipmunks are not covered, and ground squirrels with stripes can mimic chipmunks, so treat the result as a best guess and check with your state wildlife agency if it matters.

Where these numbers come from

The figures and defaults on this page are based on:

• Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency: Eastern Chipmunk, Chipmunk size, five stripes, cheek pouches, burrows, diet and litters (checked October 2026)
• Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency: Eastern Gray Squirrel, Gray squirrel size, tail, weight, diet and litters (checked October 2026)
• Reconnect with Nature: Chipmunk vs. ground squirrel, Chipmunk stripe pattern, habitat, hibernation and food storage versus ground squirrels (checked October 2026)

Field-identification guide for the eastern gray squirrel and eastern chipmunk; other squirrel species and regions may differ.