eChipmunks

Is it possible for squirrels and chipmunks to crossbreed?

I have both squirrels & chipmunks living in my backyard. There is one that exhibits the traits of both animals.Not quite as big as a squirrel, the brown & white of a chipmunk & the gray colorings of a squirrel & the bushy tail of a squirrel.

Public Comments

1. No, it isn't. Animals never breed out of their species.
2. Nope, not possible for that to happen. Chipmunks are part of the squirrel family but they cannot breed with tree squirrels. Depending upon your area of the country you may have both grey squirrels and red squirrels in your yard. Red squirrels can look like chipmunks: they are smaller, faster, and have a reddish coloring with black & white markings. Also, some grey squirrels have a rusty red "trim" on their heads and paws.
3. The name chipmunk is applied to at least three different squirrel-like rodents of North America. All are members of the Sciuridae family and are therefore related, but not close enough to breed. In the unlikely (but not impossible) case that they did, then the offspring would be sterile as is the case with a horse/donkey hybrid. In this situation the offspring, known of course as a mule, is sterile.