Palmer's chipmunk | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Family: | Sciuridae |
Genus: | Neotamias |
Species: | N. palmeri |
Binomial name | |
Neotamias palmeri (Merriam, 1897) | |
Synonyms | |
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Palmer's chipmunk (Neotamias palmeri) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae, endemic to Nevada. Its natural habitat is temperate forests. It is threatened by habitat loss. [1] It is named after Theodore Sherman Palmer, an American botanist and zoologist. [2]
Palmer's chipmunk resembles other chipmunks in that it has solid black and white stripes that run down its body dorsally. The body of the chipmunk is tan while its ventral side is more pale. Total body length is 210–223 millimetres (8.3–8.8 in), with a tail of 86.5–101.5 millimetres (3.41–4.00 in). Adults weigh between 50 and 69.4 grams. [3]
Palmer's chipmunk is found only in the Spring Mountains of Clark County, southern Nevada. It mostly occurs at altitudes of 7,000–10,000 feet (2,100–3,000 m), inhabiting cliffs and forested areas between the upper pinyon pine and juniper regions, up and into the fir-pine and bristlecone pine communities. [4] There are some indications that the species prefers to associate with water sources. [1]
The caches of Palmer's chipmunk have been found to contain seeds from the ponderosa pine, which are an important food resource of the chipmunk. This species has also been known to eat local fruits, grass, insects, and the seeds of other conifers. [4] The species hibernates during cold weather, but is not an obligate hibernator. On warm winter days, Palmer's chipmunk will come out of its burrow to visit their caches for food. [5]
Nests are most commonly built on the ground but can occasionally be found in trees. In late spring to early summer, female chipmunks have litters of 3 or 4 pups which are born hairless. After a month or so, the pups have developed a smooth fur coat and begin to move in and out of the nest. At about 6 weeks old, the pups have moved to a mostly solid food diet. [6]
The species has been classified as endangered by the IUCN. Its habitat is being reduced by the extension of campgrounds, woodcutting, and the increasing sprawl of Las Vegas. Predation by feral dogs and cats is also likely to be a factor. [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.
The golden-mantled ground squirrel is a ground squirrel native to western North America. It is distributed in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia and Alberta, and through much of the western United States.
The least chipmunk is the smallest species of chipmunk and the most widespread in North America.
The eastern woodrat, also known as the Florida woodrat or bush rat, is a pack rat native to the central and Eastern United States. It constructs large dens that may serve as nests for many generations and stores food in outlying caches for the winter. While widespread and not uncommon, it has declined or disappeared in several areas.
The Siberian chipmunk, also called common chipmunk, is 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 Hopi chipmunk, Neotamias rufus, is a small chipmunk found in Colorado, Utah and Arizona in the southwestern United States. It was previously grouped with the Colorado chipmunk, T. quadrivittatus. This species is listed as "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List as it is common, widespread, and without any major threats. It was last evaluated in 2016.
The cliff chipmunk is a small, bushy-tailed squirrel that typically lives along cliff walls or boulder fields bordering Pinyon-juniper woodlands in the Western United States and Mexico. Cliff chipmunks are very agile, and can often be seen scaling steep cliff walls. Cliff chipmunks do not amass body fat as the more common ground squirrel does. They create caches of food which they frequent during the cold winter months.
The alpine chipmunk is a species of chipmunk native to the high elevations of the Sierra Nevada of California.
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.
The gray-collared chipmunk is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is endemic to Arizona and New Mexico in the United States.
The long-eared chipmunk, also called the Sacramento chipmunk or the four-banded chipmunk, is a species of rodent in the squirrel family, Sciuridae. It is endemic to the central and northern Sierra Nevada of California and Nevada in the United States. Long-eared chipmunks have the longest ears of all species of chipmunks.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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