Cliff chipmunk

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Cliff chipmunk
Cliff Chipmunk (33981189526).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
Genus: Neotamias
Species:
N. dorsalis
Binomial name
Neotamias dorsalis
(Baird, 1855)
Tamias dorsalis distribution map.png
Distribution of the cliff chipmunk
Synonyms

Tamias dorsalisBaird, 1855

The cliff chipmunk (Neotamias dorsalis) 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 (commonly spotted in northern Arizona to Colorado). 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.

Description

Cliff chipmunk on a log Cliff Chipmunk - Flickr - treegrow.jpg
Cliff chipmunk on a log

The chipmunks' size varies from 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 cm), and they weigh an average of 2.5 oz (70 g). These small creatures live to a staggering 12+12 years. The chipmunks are brown on their underside and gray on the back, with white stripes on their face.


Habitat

Pinyon-juniper woodlands 2015-04-28 13 28 28 An older Single-leaf Pinyon and accompanying Utah Juniper on the south wall of Maverick Canyon, Nevada.jpg
Pinyon-juniper woodlands

The cliff chipmunk nests near cliffs in pinyon-juniper woodlands hence its name "cliff chipmunk". They are found at higher altitudes such as 5,000–12,000 ft (1,500–3,700 m) above sea level. A common destination for spotting the cliff chipmunk is the cliffs of the Grand Canyon. The cliff chipmunk is active mostly during the day, therefore easy to spot. The chipmunk's diet consists of juniper berries, pine seeds, and acorns.



Commons-logo.svg Media related to Tamias dorsalis at Wikimedia Commons

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. Lacher, T.; Álvarez-Castañeda, S.T. & Timm, R. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Neotamias dorsalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T42571A115190634. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T42571A22267136.en . Retrieved 3 January 2024.