| Chipmunks Temporal range: Early Miocene to Recent | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Sciuridae |
| Tribe: | Marmotini |
| Subtribe: | Tamiina Moore, 1959 |
| Genera | |
Chipmunks are small, striped rodents of subtribe Tamiina. Chipmunks are found in North America, with the exception of the Siberian chipmunk which is found primarily in Asia.
Chipmunks are classified as four genera: Tamias , of which the eastern chipmunk (T. striatus) is the only living member; Eutamias , of which the Siberian chipmunk (E. sibiricus) is the only living member; Nototamias , which consists of three extinct species, and Neotamias , which includes the 23 remaining, mostly western North American, species. These classifications were treated as subgenera due to the chipmunks' morphological similarities. [1] As a result, most taxonomies over the twentieth century have placed the chipmunks into a single genus. Joseph C. Moore reclassified chipmunks to form a subtribe Tamiina in a 1959 study, and this classification has been supported by studies of mitochondrial DNA. [2] [3]
The common name originally may have been spelled "chitmunk", from the native Odawa (Ottawa) word jidmoonh, meaning "red squirrel" (cf. Ojibwe ᐊᒋᑕᒨajidamoo). [4] [5] The earliest form cited in the Oxford English Dictionary is "chipmonk", from 1842. Other early forms include "chipmuck" and "chipminck", and in the 1830s they were also referred to as "chip squirrels", probably in reference to the sound they make. In the mid-19th century, John James Audubon and his sons included a lithograph of the chipmunk in their Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, calling it the "chipping squirrel [or] hackee". [6] Chipmunks have also been referred to as "ground squirrels" [7] (although the name "ground squirrel" may refer to other squirrels, such as those of the genus Spermophilus ). [8]
Chipmunks have an omnivorous diet primarily consisting of seeds, nuts and other fruits, and buds. [9] [10] They also commonly eat grass, shoots, and many other forms of plant matter, as well as fungi, insects and other arthropods, small frogs, worms, and bird eggs. They will also occasionally eat newly hatched baby birds. [9] [10] [11] Around humans, chipmunks can eat cultivated grains and vegetables, and other plants from farms and gardens, so they are sometimes considered pests. [9] [12] Chipmunks mostly forage on the ground, but they climb trees to obtain nuts such as hazelnuts and acorns. [9] [13] At the beginning of autumn, many species of chipmunk begin to stockpile nonperishable foods for winter. They mostly cache their foods in a larder in their burrows and remain in their nests until spring, unlike some other species which make multiple small caches of food. [9] Cheek pouches allow chipmunks to carry food items to their burrows for either storage or consumption. [10]
Eastern chipmunks, the largest of the chipmunks, [14] mate in early spring and again in early summer, producing litters of four or five young twice each year. [9] Western chipmunks breed only once a year. The young emerge from the burrow after about six weeks and strike out on their own within the next two weeks. [15]
These small mammals fulfill several important functions in forest ecosystems. Their activities harvesting and hoarding tree seeds play a crucial role in seedling establishment. They consume many different kinds of fungi, including those involved in symbiotic mycorrhizal associations with trees, and are a vector for dispersal of the spores of subterranean sporocarps (truffles) in some regions. [16]
Chipmunks construct extensive burrows which can be more than 3.5 m (11 ft) in length with several well-concealed entrances. [17] The sleeping quarters are kept clear of shells, and feces are stored in refuse tunnels. [18]
The eastern chipmunk hibernates in the winter, while western chipmunks do not, relying on the stores in their burrows. [19]
Chipmunks play an important role as prey for various predatory mammals and birds but are also opportunistic predators themselves, particularly with regard to bird eggs and nestlings, as in the case of eastern chipmunks and mountain bluebirds (Siala currucoides). [20]
Chipmunks typically live about three years, although some have been observed living to nine years in captivity. [21]
Chipmunks are diurnal. In captivity, they are said to sleep for an average of about 15 hours a day. It is thought that mammals which can sleep in hiding, such as rodents and bats, tend to sleep longer than those that must remain on alert. [22]
Genus Eutamias
Genus Neotamias
Genus Nototamias † [24]
Ground squirrels are rodents of the squirrel family (Sciuridae) that generally live on the ground or in burrows, rather than in trees like the tree squirrels. The term is most often used for the medium-sized ground squirrels, as the larger ones are more commonly known as marmots or prairie dogs, while the smaller and less bushy-tailed ground squirrels tend to be known as chipmunks.
The eastern chipmunk is a chipmunk species found in eastern North America. It is the only living member of the genus Tamias.
The least chipmunk is the smallest species of chipmunk and the most widespread in North America.
Tamias is a genus of chipmunks in the tribe Marmotini of the squirrel family. The genus includes a single living species, the eastern chipmunk. The genus name Tamias means "treasurer", "steward", or "housekeeper", which is a reference to the animals' role in plant dispersal through their habit of collecting and storing food for winter use.
Eutamias is a genus of chipmunks within the tribe Marmotini of the squirrel family. It includes a single living species, the Siberian chipmunk. The genus is often treated as a subgenus of Tamias, which is now restricted to the eastern chipmunk of North America. Neotamias, which now includes the western North American chipmunks, has also been included in Eutamias.
The Siberian chipmunk, also called common chipmunk, is one of the genera of chipmunk native to northern Asia from central Russia to China, Korea, and Hokkaidō in northern Japan. It was imported from South Korea and introduced in Europe as a pet in the 1960s.
The alpine chipmunk is a species of chipmunk native to the high elevations of the Sierra Nevada of California. No significant threats to the species are known.
The yellow-pine chipmunk is a species of order Rodentia in the family Sciuridae. It is found in parts of Canada and the United States.
The gray-footed chipmunk is a terrestrial and forest-dwelling species of chipmunk and rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is endemic to New Mexico and in the Sierra Diablo and Guadalupe Mountains in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas in the United States. Its natural habitat are coniferous forests. First discovered in 1902, they are distinguished by the unique gray dorsal colouring on the hind feet, hence the common name. They demonstrate sexual dimorphism, and the female is larger than the male.
Palmer's chipmunk is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae, endemic to Spring Mountains in southern Nevada. Its natural habitat is temperate forests. Palmer's chipmunks are limited to "sky islands" which are mountainous habitats that are surrounded by other lower elevation inhospitable habitats. It is primarily threatened by habitat loss. Palmer's chipmunk is named after Theodore Sherman Palmer, an American botanist and zoologist. With adequate habitat and food resources Palmer's chipmunks typically live from 1 to 4 years.
The Colorado chipmunk is a species of chipmunk in the squirrel family Sciuridae. It is endemic to Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico in the United States.
Allen's chipmunk, also known as the shadow chipmunk, is a species of chipmunk native to the western United States. Occurring in California, Oregon, and Nevada, it is a common species of the Sierra Nevada.
The Siskiyou chipmunk is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is endemic to northern California and central Oregon in the United States.
The Uinta chipmunk or hidden forest chipmunk, is a species of chipmunk in the family Sciuridae. It is endemic to the United States. Formerly known as Tamias umbrinus, phylogenetic studies have shown it to be sufficiently distinct from the eastern chipmunk as to be placed in a separate genus, Neotamias. The same studies have also suggested that Palmer's chipmunk may actually be a subspecies of Uinta chipmunk, although the two are still generally regarded as separate species.
The Xerinae comprise a subfamily of squirrels, many of which are highly terrestrial. It includes the tribes Marmotini, Xerini, and Protoxerini.
Neotamias is a genus of chipmunks within the tribe Marmotini of the squirrel family. It contains 23 species, which mostly occur in western North America. Along with Eutamias, this genus is often considered a subgenus of Tamias.
Nototamias is a genus of fossil ground squirrels from the Miocene of North America. Species include Nototamias hulberti Pratt and Morgan, 1989; Nototamias ateles ; and Nototamias complicatus Korth, 1992. Although the genus, characterized by fused roots on the lower cheekteeth, is often regarded as closely related to the chipmunks, and N. ateles has even been regarded as a species of Tamias, evidence for this relationship is poor and Nototamias may instead be near the origin of the Marmotini.
The Ezo chipmunk is a subspecies or local population of the Siberian chipmunk; it is found in what was once known as Ezo, namely Hokkaidō, Japan, and Sakhalin and the Southern Kuriles, Russia.