| Siskiyou chipmunk | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Sciuridae |
| Genus: | Neotamias |
| Species: | N. siskiyou |
| Binomial name | |
| Neotamias siskiyou (A. H. Howell, 1922) | |
| Synonyms | |
Tamias siskiyouA. H. Howell, 1922 | |
The Siskiyou chipmunk (Neotamias siskiyou) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is endemic to northern California and central Oregon in the United States. [1]
The Siskiyou chipmunk is closest in appearance to Allen's chipmunk (Neotamias senex) and the yellow-cheeked chipmunk (Neotamias ochrogenys). [2] Its coat is brown-gray, with a pattern of five dark brown and four gray stripes along its back; the central stripe tends to be blackish and darker in color compared to the other stripes. [2] [3] Additionally, Neotamias siskiyou have three brown and two gray stripes on each cheek. [3] The specific appearance of the Siskiyou chipmunk varies due to the large geographic range the species inhabits, with larger and darker members found on the coasts compared to those found further inland. [4]
Neotamias siskiyou is found in northern California, in Humboldt and Del Norte counties, as well as in Oregon, in the Siskiyou mountains. [5] The extent of the Siskiyou chipmunk is delineated in the south by the Klamath River, and in the north by the Rogue River. [4]
Siskiyou chipmunks are most active early at night, but they also have behavioral peaks early in the morning and in the middle of the day. [3] They have a distinct call characterized by a single syllable, and usually communicate with an evenly-spaced series of these calls. [6]
Neotamias siskiyou belongs to the Townsend group of chipmunks, which are a group of closely related chipmunk species inhabiting the western United States and Canada. [4] Other chipmunk species in this group include: Neotamias senex (Allen's chipmunk), Neotamias ochrogenys (Yellow-cheeked chipmunk), and Neotamias townsendii (Townsend's chipmunk). [2] [7] This group of chipmunks was originally thought to be members of a single species. However, Sutton and Nadler cited lack of inter-breeding and the distinctive physical appearance of each type as indications that they were distinct species. [8]
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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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.
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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.
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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.
Barbara Hibbs Blake was an American mammalogist and college professor.
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