Wandering through the woods, you come across a small hole in the ground and wonder: is that the home of a cute little chipmunk or a sneaky snake? Telling chipmunk holes and snake holes apart can be tricky, but is important to avoid nasty surprises.
If you’re short on time, here’s the key difference: chipmunk holes are only about 2 inches wide, while snake holes can be up to 4 inches wide or more to accommodate the snake’s body.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll go over the size, shape, location, and other distinguishing features of chipmunk vs snake holes, so you can confidently identify what kind of critter dug that burrow you discovered.
The Size of Chipmunk vs Snake Holes
Chipmunk Hole Dimensions
Chipmunks are small, burrowing rodents that create intricate tunnel systems and underground nests. Their holes are quite tiny compared to other burrowing animals. A typical chipmunk burrow entrance is only about 2-3 inches in diameter.
The main tunnels leading to their nests and food storage chambers are usually around 2 inches in width. These main passageways can be up to 30 feet long and dig around 10-12 inches beneath the ground. Chipmunks need these deeper tunnels to stay insulated from the outside elements.
The sleeping nests and food storage chambers tend to be a bit wider, around 3-5 inches across, to accommodate the chipmunk and its food supplies. The nest rooms are usually 8-12 inches below ground. Here the chipmunk can safely rest and stockpile nuts, seeds, and other foods.
Snake Hole Dimensions
Snakes can create several different types of holes and dens depending on the species. Some snake holes are barely noticeable, while others can be the width of a softball or larger.
Small snake species like garter snakes often occupy holes made by rodents or other burrowing animals. These snake dens are usually about 1-2 inches wide, allowing the slender snakes to easily enter and exit.
Larger snakes like rat snakes, kingsnakes, and corn snakes create their own burrows by digging into soft soil. Their holes are wider to accommodate their larger bodies, often 2-3 inches in diameter.
The very largest snake species construct dens that are significantly bigger. Rattlesnakes, pythons, and other giant snakes may have hole openings 4-8 inches across. Their burrows extend deep underground and include chambers and tunnels wide enough for the snakes to curl up and hibernate.
Venomous snakes tend to prefer rock crevices, rotting logs, and abandoned animal burrows over digging their own holes. But non-venomous species often excavate burrows with their nose and body, creating small yet visible holes leading to their underground nests.
The Shape of the Holes
Round Chipmunk Hole Shape
Chipmunks dig small, circular entrance holes to access their intricate underground burrow systems. These openings typically measure around 2-3 inches in diameter – just wide enough for a chipmunk to squeeze through (1).
The perfectly round shape allows chipmunks to block the entrance with their small, bushy tails when retreating inside.
The tunnel openings lead down at a 45 degree angle into an extensive network of tunnels and chambers (2). This complex underground habitat provides chipmunks with safety from predators and space to store food for the winter months ahead.
The round entry holes into this hidden world are easier for chipmunks to maintain and defend than other shapes.
Oval Snake Hole Shape
While chipmunk holes tend to be petite and circular, snake burrow entrances are usually larger and oval-shaped openings. The elongated form accommodates the long, slender bodies of serpents entering and exiting (3). These holes measure approximately 3-5 inches across, with some spanning even wider.
Depending on the snake species, the tunnels may simply lead to small chambers used for overnight resting or hibernation. Other times, larger passages descend deep underground to more expansive nests and dens.
For example, rattlesnakes often reside together in communal dens during cold winter months (4). The oblong snake holes provide these reptiles easy access to their secluded dwellings below.
| Chipmunk Holes | Snake Holes |
|---|---|
| Small and circular – around 2-3 inches diameter | Larger and oval-shaped – 3-5 inches across |
| Lead to intricate burrow network with tunnels and chambers | Access simple resting chambers or expansive communal dens |
Hole Location and Placement
Chipmunk Holes Often in Logs or at Base of Trees
You’ll frequently find chipmunk holes situated in fallen logs or at the base of trees, as these small critters tend to burrow in locations that provide shelter and protection. According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, chipmunk burrows often have entrances concealed by rocks, logs, brush piles, stumps, or other natural debris.
Their hole openings tend to be 2 to 4 inches in diameter.
Chipmunks are solitary creatures, so while they may maintain more than one burrow, you likely won’t find multiple chipmunk holes clustered together in the same vicinity. These industrious little rodents dig out small underground chambers to use for nesting, food storage, and rearing young.
So if you discover a hole that seems to lead deeper underground, particularly if it’s next to a tree or log, there’s a good chance a chipmunk resides there!
Snake Holes in Sandy Soil, Usually Solitary
You’ll typically find a snake hole in loose, sandy soil without much vegetation. According to wildlife removal experts, snakes prefer to burrow in dirt that is light, warm, and easy to dig through. Holes are often situated on south-facing banks or slopes that receive ample sunlight.
Like chipmunk holes, snake holes tend to be solitary rather than clustered together in groups. Though some snake species are social, most are solitary reptiles that only interact with others of their kind during breeding season.
According to a reptile care guide, the diameter of a snake hole can vary from 2 inches for smaller species to 8 inches for larger snakes. The depth depends on factors like ground temperature and water availability.
Identifying Tracks and Other Signs
Small Claw Marks from Chipmunks
Chipmunks leave behind small claw marks and tracks as they scurry around in search of food. Their front paws have tiny nails which leave faint lines in the dirt or mud as they run. The claw marks are usually paired, reflecting their bounding gait on all four legs.
Sometimes, you may see alternating patterns where their hind feet land in nearly the same spot as their front feet. Overall, chipmunk tracks tend to be about 1-2 inches long with distinct claw points at the end of each toe imprint.
In addition to tracks, chipmunks leave small cone-shaped holes along walls or rocky areas when they construct their underground burrow homes and storage chambers. The entry holes are approximately 1-2 inches in diameter – just wide enough for a chipmunk to squeeze into.
These holes may be surrounded by small mounds of excavated dirt that gets pushed out as they dig.
Smooth Indented Trails from Snakes
Snakes also leave visible trails as they slither through sand, mud and brush. However, their marks tend to be more linear with smooth, wave-like patterns left by their scales gliding across the ground.
The trails are generally indented grooves without clear footprints or claw scratches like those made by chipmunks and other small mammals.
According to wildlife experts, some key things to look for when identifying snake trails are:
- Trails may appear sidewinding with slight curves
- Can see imprints of large belly scales dragged through the dirt
- May see markings from a snake’s backbone ridges
In addition to wavy tracks on the ground, snakes also leave behind skin sheddings. These appear as thin, papery skins that are nearly transparent. Sometimes the shed skin will retain the scale pattern shape of the snake.
Finding these sheddings may be the only above-ground evidence that a snake lives nearby!
Digging Activity Around the Hole
Piles of Dirt and Debris from Chipmunks
Chipmunks are busy little creatures that can move a surprising amount of soil and debris when excavating their burrows and tunnels. They use their tiny but powerful front paws to dig and claw away, kicking the displaced soil out behind them.
This results in noticeable piles of freshly excavated dirt around the entrance to their burrows.
These piles are often quite large, ranging from a few inches high and wide for solitary burrows, up to several feet high and wide for more complex tunnel systems. The expelled soil tends to be powdery and loose since it has been recently dug from the ground.
You may also notice small rocks, sticks, leaves, acorns, and other natural debris mixed into the soil piles.
Chipmunks need to constantly dig and expand their burrows. Their tunnels can reach up to 30 feet long! They build nesting chambers, food storage rooms, latrines, and multiple entrances/exits. All this work churning up the ground results in very conspicuous mounds and piles around their active burrow holes.
Lack of Displaced Soil from Snakes
In contrast to the large, messy dirt mounds created by chipmunks, snake holes do not have piles of excavated soil around them. This is because snakes do not actually dig or excavate burrows. Instead, they rely on existing holes, burrows, or crevices created by other animals.
Snakes may take over abandoned chipmunk burrows, enlarge openings under rocks or logs, or occupy gaps and cracks in the ground. But they do not displace soil with digging. The area around a snake hole is therefore relatively flat and undisturbed, lacking evidence of fresh digging.
Any loose soil, leaves, or debris around a snake hole would have been left by the original occupant, not the current snake resident. Of course, snakes may widen existing holes somewhat by repeatedly entering and exiting.
But this minimal wear and tear does not result in the large, freshly dug mounds that accompany chipmunk burrowing activity.
The lack of recent digging around a hole is a telltale sign it is occupied by a snake rather than a busy, burrowing chipmunk. However, caution should still be used around any wildlife burrow or hole, whether it shows signs of active digging or not.
Conclusion
Now that you know what to look for, you can confidently determine whether that mysterious little hole belongs to a chipmunk or snake when exploring the great outdoors. Key points to remember are the hole size, shape, placement, nearby tracks and digging signs that reveal clues about the occupant.
Being able to identify the owner of a hole can prevent you from accidentally disturbing a snake den or delighting in discovering a new chipmunk burrow to observe. Knowledge is power when observing holes in nature!
