Colorado chipmunk

Colorado chipmunk
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
Genus: Neotamias
Species:
N. quadrivittatus
Binomial name
Neotamias quadrivittatus
(Say, 1823)
Distribution of the Colorado chipmunk
Synonyms

Tamias quadrivittatus

The Colorado chipmunk (Neotamias quadrivittatus) is a species of chipmunk in the squirrel family Sciuridae. It is endemic to Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico in the United States.[1][2]

Description

This species is the largest of the three species of chipmunks found in the Colorado Front Range (which also include the least chipmunk and the Uinta chipmunk). On average it weighs about 62 grams (2.2 oz). Chipmunks are distinguished from ground squirrels in that their faces have a stripe going across under the eye. There are no dimorphic differences between males and females.

Their vocalizations are essential for defending their territories.[3]

Three subspecies are recognized.[4]

Habitat

The Colorado chipmunk primarily occupies coniferous forests in the Southern Rocky Mountains. In northeastern Colorado, the Colorado chipmunk's range is strictly bounded by competition with the higher-elevation Uinta chipmunk and it predominately occurs in open woodlands between 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) and 2,100 metres (6,900 ft).[3] In southern Colorado, where Uinta chipmunks are absent, the Colorado chipmunk occurs in montane forests and meadows up to 3,200 metres (10,500 ft).[5]

The isolated populations of Colorado chipmunks which occur in the Oscura mountains and Organ mountains exhibit distinct habitat preferences from northern populations. Oscura mountain Colorado chipmunks are closely associated with old-growth pinyon-juniper woodland.[6] In the Organ Mountains, chipmunks depend on the cool micro-climates created by arroyos.[7]

Diet

Their diet consists of seeds, berries, flowers and insects.[8] Mountain mahogany, prickly-pear, juniper berries, currants, wild cherries, and snowberry are major food sources.[9] Colorado chipmunks are not active above ground during the winter, instead relying on underground food caches it gathers during the fall.[9]

Reproduction

Depending on the elevation at which the chipmunk is found, it may range from 1-2 litters. Most commonly copulation occurs in the spring when the chipmunks emerge from their burrows. The females are only receptive of males for a couple of days after emerging from the burrow. About a month after copulation, the female will give birth to a litter that may have anywhere between 5-8 altricial young. Within 40–50 days they will be weaned from their mother.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b Cassola, F. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Neotamias quadrivittatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T42576A115191051. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T42576A22267688.en. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  2. ^ David M. Armstrong (30 October 2007). Rocky Mountain Mammals: A Handbook of Mammals of Rocky Mountain National Park and Vicinity (Third ed.). University Press of Colorado. pp. 93–. ISBN 978-1-60732-008-1.
  3. ^ a b Bergstrom, Bradley J.; Hoffmann, Robert S. (1991). "Distribution and Diagnosis of Three Species of Chipmunks (Tamias) in the Front Range of Colorado". The Southwestern Naturalist. 36 (1): 14. Bibcode:1991SWNat..36...14B. doi:10.2307/3672112. ISSN 0038-4909. JSTOR 3672112.
  4. ^ Integrated Taxonomic Information System. "ITIS - Report: Tamias quadrivittatus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  5. ^ Armstrong, David M.; Armstrong, David M. (1972). Distribution of mammals in Colorado. University of Kansas Printing Service. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  6. ^ O’Connell, Clare N; Frey, Jennifer K (2024-08-01). "Microhabitat selection by the Oscura Mountains Colorado Chipmunk (Neotamias quadrivittatus oscuraensis): an old-growth pinyon–juniper woodland specialist". Journal of Mammalogy. 105: 765. doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyae029. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  7. ^ Schweiger, Brittany R; Frey, Jennifer K; Cain, James W, III (2021-10-01). "A case for multiscale habitat selection studies of small mammals". Journal of Mammalogy. 102 (5): 1249. doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyab071. PMC 8504854.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ "Colorado Chipmunk Tamias quadrivittatus". Natural Diversity Information Source. Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Archived from the original on 2015-01-10. Retrieved 2014-08-21.
  9. ^ a b Armstrong, David M.; Fitzgerald, James P.; Meaney, Carron A. (2011). Mammals of Colorado (2 ed.). Boulder, Colorado: University Press of Colorado. p. 116.
  10. ^ "Colorado Chipmunk: Tamias quadrivittatus". Untamed Science. Archived from the original on 2012-04-22. Retrieved 2014-08-21.

Further reading

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