Its 5-6 in long w/ a slight bushy tail,brown,lives in or around trees.it makes a sharp chuck noise not squirel

Question

my boss is making us find the answer and im stuck. im tawny brown in color,its 5-6 in long w/ a slight bushy tail,lives in or around trees.it makes a sharp chuck-chuck noise if it notices you first, im not squirrel or a woodchuck.

Answer 1

You description kinda fits that of the flying squirrel.  The are shy and don't usually come out during the day.  They are common just that they are difficult to see and are generally nocturnal.

http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/pubs/noteboo...

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/sfsq...

Answer 2

chipmunk

Answer 3

Chinchilla?

I don't know where you are, but they live in the Andes.

Does it look like this?

http://www.getchy.com/2006/About%20Us/Pe...

Answer 4

It's a chip monk.

Answer 5

It sounds like a ground squirrel.  When you say it's not a squirrel, I suppose you mean it's not a gray squirrel or a red squirrel.

Ground squirrels have smaller tails because they do less climbing; the tail is used for balance.

There are many species, some with stripes or spots, others plain colored.