Gray-collared chipmunk | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Family: | Sciuridae |
Genus: | Neotamias |
Species: | N. cinereicollis |
Binomial name | |
Neotamias cinereicollis (J. A. Allen, 1890) | |
Synonyms | |
Tamias cinereicollisJ. A. Allen, 1890 |
The gray-collared chipmunk (Neotamias cinereicollis) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. [2] It is endemic to Arizona and New Mexico in the United States. [1]
The gray-collared chipmunk grows to a total length of about 225 mm (9 in) including a tail of around 98 mm (4 in). The forehead is greyish-brown and the side of the head bears three dark stripes, the central one of which passes through the eye. These are separated by bands of white. The cheeks, neck, shoulders, upper back, and rump are grey. The rest of the upper surface of the body is yellowish-brown with five black or dark brown stripes on the back and sides, though the outer pair of stripes may be difficult to distinguish. The underparts are pale yellowish-brown. The tail is black above and creamy-white below, both surfaces being tinged with buff. The feet are pinkish-buff. The gray face and collar distinguish this species from others in the genus Neotamias . [3]
The gray-collared chipmunk inhabits mountain coniferous forests in central and eastern Arizona and in central and western New Mexico. Its range extends from the Bill Williams Mountains, San Francisco Mountains and White Mountains to the Datil Mountains, Magdalena Mountains and San Mateo Mountains. Its altitudinal range is 1,950 to 3,440 metres (6,400 to 11,290 ft) but it is primarily found between 2,100 and 3,300 metres (6,900 and 10,800 ft). The gray-collared chipmunk is found in ponderosa pine and spruce-fir forests, often up to the timberline. It is commonest where pine and Douglas fir intermix, and is also found in oak and juniper forests. [3]
The gray-collared chipmunk climbs well and is both arboreal and terrestrial. It is found in clearings and at forest edges but also in dense woodland. It is rather shy and when alarmed retreats into cover, but when undisturbed often sits on a stump or fallen tree, gently waving its tail from side to side and uttering a "chuck-chuck-chuck" call. The alarm call is a rapidly repeated, high-pitched "chipper". It feeds mainly on acorns, fir cones, berries, and the seeds of plants, but it also consumes tubers and roots, the fruiting bodies of fungi, green plant material, and occasionally insects. [3] Most food is cached in holes and crevices for later use. [3]
Breeding takes place in late spring and early summer. The nest is made in a concealed location under a log or rock, among tree roots, or in a hole in a tree. It is ball-shaped and lined with the stems of grasses and weeds. A litter of about five young is born after a gestation period of about thirty days. The young are weaned at forty days or later. The gray-collared chipmunk sometimes hibernates in winter but at other times is active, even in snowy conditions. In bad weather it may remain in its nest making use of stored foodstuffs. [3]
The gray-collared chipmunk is listed by the IUCN as being of "least concern". This is because within its range it is common, it faces no major threats and its population size appears to be steady. In a suitable habitat in Arizona it was estimated to be present at the rate of five individuals per hectare in April, increasing to twelve per hectare in August. [1]
Chipmunks are small, striped rodents of Sciuridae, the squirrel family; specifically, they are ground squirrels (Marmotini). Chipmunks are found in North America, with the exception of the Siberian chipmunk which is found primarily in Asia.
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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.
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The red-tailed chipmunk is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in Alberta and British Columbia in Canada and Montana, Idaho and Washington 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 Sonoma chipmunk is a species of rodent in the squirrel family Sciuridae. It is endemic to northwestern California in the United States. Members of Neotamias are characterized by having two premolars. N. sonomae has two subspecies: N. s. alleni and N. s. sonomae.
The Lodgepole chipmunk is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is found in the U.S. state of California at elevations from 1,500 to 3,000 metres. The Lodgepole chipmunk has a variety of common names including: Tahoe chipmunk, Sequoia chipmunk, Mt. Pinos chipmunk, and San Bernardino chipmunk.
Townsend's chipmunk is a species of rodent in the squirrel family, Sciuridae. It lives in the forests of the Pacific Northwest of North America, from extreme southwestern British Columbia through western Washington and western Oregon. Townsend's chipmunk is named after John Kirk Townsend, an early 19th-century ornithologist.
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.
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.