If sapient chipmunks in the AATC universe are a natural occurrence, how long have they existed?
If the 80s series is anything to go by, since it’s the only series that features chipmunks besides the main cast, there are chipmunks who have adopted cultures of ancient humans. I am of course referring to the Twee-Twee tribe from the season 6 episode ‘Wings Over Siesta Grande’. Their clothing and art-style is very reminiscent of the Aztecs, who lived in Mexico, where the episode is set. This would suggest that the tribe has existed since the time of the Aztec empire. But this only sets a definitive minimum date as far back as 1521, which is when the Aztec empire collapsed after the arrival of Hernán Cortéz. A few centuries may seem like a long time, but on an evolutionary scale, that’s very recent.
Sure, there was the caveman-like chipmunk from the season 1 episode ‘Alvin… and The Chipmunk’, but he does not seem to represent any particular human culture the way the Twee-Twee did. It’s possible he and chipmunks like him could have been influenced by Paleo-American cultures that existed over 10,000BCE, such as the Clovis, who actually lived in California; but again, there’s nothing specific that ties him to them. There’s also ongoing debate as to how long ago humans arrived in North America and that the Clovis may not have been the first. This is important since chipmunks have their evolutionary roots in North America.
The oldest record of a chipmunk in the fossil record that I was able to find was Nototamias hulberti, which lived in the Miocene epoch about 20 million years ago. It’s possible than in the AATC universe, there could have been transitionary species that eventually led to the upright-walking chipmunks we see now. And 20 million years seems like ample time for that change to occur since it only took 4.4 million years for the human lineage go from the tree-dwelling Ardipithecus ramidus to modern Homo sapiens.
But what do you think? How long have chipmunks existed as a species in the AATC universe?
