Chipmunk: Difference between revisions
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'''Chipmunks''' are small, striped [[ | '''Chipmunks''' are small, striped [[squirrel]]s of subtribe '''Tamiina'''. Chipmunks are found in [[North America]], with the exception of the [[Siberian chipmunk]] which is found primarily in [[Asia]]. | ||
==Taxonomy and systematics== | ==Taxonomy and systematics== | ||
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These small mammals fulfill several important functions in [[forest]] [[ecosystem]]s. Their activities harvesting and hoarding tree seeds play a crucial role in [[seedling]] establishment. They consume many different kinds of [[fungi]], including those involved in [[Mycorrhiza|symbiotic mycorrhizal associations]] with trees, and are a [[dispersal vector|vector for dispersal]] of the spores of subterranean [[Sporocarp (fungi)|sporocarps]] (truffles) in some regions.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Pyare |first1=Sanjay |last2=Longland |first2=William S. |date=2001 |title=Patterns of Ectomycorrhizal-Fungi Consumption by Small Mammals in Remnant Old-Growth Forests of the Sierra Nevada |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |volume=82 |issue=3 |pages=681–689 |doi=10.1644/1545-1542(2001)082<0681:POEFCB>2.0.CO;2 |jstor=1383605 |issn=0022-2372}}</ref> <!--which have co-evolved with these and other [[wikt:mycophagous|mycophagous]] mammals and thus lost the ability to disperse their spores through the air.<ref>{{cite book | last = Apostol | first = Dean |author2=Marcia Sinclair | title = Restoring the Pacific Northwest: The Art and Science of Ecological Restoration in Cascadia | publisher = Island Press | year = 2006 | page = 112 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CsGyhzFBjyAC&q=chipmunk+sporocarps&pg=PA112| isbn = 978-1-55963-078-8}}</ref>{{Failed verification |date=April 2017|reason=The citation only discusses northern flying squirrels eating the truffles. Chipmunks are merely mentioned as part of the above-ground food web, providing food for spotted owls, and the repetition of northern flying squirrels in that trio indicates they are not saying the Townsend's chipmunks are equivalent consumers in the food web. Chipmunks probably do eat truffles too, but this source does not say so.}}--> | These small mammals fulfill several important functions in [[forest]] [[ecosystem]]s. Their activities harvesting and hoarding tree seeds play a crucial role in [[seedling]] establishment. They consume many different kinds of [[fungi]], including those involved in [[Mycorrhiza|symbiotic mycorrhizal associations]] with trees, and are a [[dispersal vector|vector for dispersal]] of the spores of subterranean [[Sporocarp (fungi)|sporocarps]] (truffles) in some regions.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Pyare |first1=Sanjay |last2=Longland |first2=William S. |date=2001 |title=Patterns of Ectomycorrhizal-Fungi Consumption by Small Mammals in Remnant Old-Growth Forests of the Sierra Nevada |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |volume=82 |issue=3 |pages=681–689 |doi=10.1644/1545-1542(2001)082<0681:POEFCB>2.0.CO;2 |jstor=1383605 |issn=0022-2372}}</ref> <!--which have co-evolved with these and other [[wikt:mycophagous|mycophagous]] mammals and thus lost the ability to disperse their spores through the air.<ref>{{cite book | last = Apostol | first = Dean |author2=Marcia Sinclair | title = Restoring the Pacific Northwest: The Art and Science of Ecological Restoration in Cascadia | publisher = Island Press | year = 2006 | page = 112 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CsGyhzFBjyAC&q=chipmunk+sporocarps&pg=PA112| isbn = 978-1-55963-078-8}}</ref>{{Failed verification |date=April 2017|reason=The citation only discusses northern flying squirrels eating the truffles. Chipmunks are merely mentioned as part of the above-ground food web, providing food for spotted owls, and the repetition of northern flying squirrels in that trio indicates they are not saying the Townsend's chipmunks are equivalent consumers in the food web. Chipmunks probably do eat truffles too, but this source does not say so.}}--> | ||
Chipmunks construct extensive [[burrow]]s which can be more than {{convert|3.5|m|ft|abbr=on}} in length with several well-concealed entrances.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.esf.edu/aec/adks/mammals/chipmunk.htm | title=Eastern Chipmunk | publisher=Adirondack Ecological Center | work=Adirondack Mammals | date=1988 | access-date=2015-09-19 | author=Saunders, D. A.}}</ref> The sleeping quarters are kept clear of shells, and feces are stored in refuse tunnels.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D9fWfWLmMcIC&q=chipmunk+refuse+tunnel&pg=PA250 | title=Field Guide to the Natural World of New York City | publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press | isbn=978-0-8018-8682-9 | date=October 2007 | access-date=2015-09-19 | author=Leslie Day}}</ref> | Chipmunks construct extensive [[burrow]]s which can be more than {{convert|3.5|m|ft|abbr=on}} in length with several well-concealed entrances.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.esf.edu/aec/adks/mammals/chipmunk.htm | title=Eastern Chipmunk | publisher=Adirondack Ecological Center | work=Adirondack Mammals | date=1988 | access-date=2015-09-19 | author=Saunders, D. A.}}</ref> The burrows are complex and include plugged entryways,<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Burrow Systems of the Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus pipilans Lowery) in Louisiana|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1379017|journal=Journal of Mammalogy|date=1974|issn=0022-2372|pages=454–459|volume=55|issue=2|doi=10.2307/1379017|first=Kim Rutherford|last=Thomas}}</ref> separate compartments for nesting, multiple food chambers, side pockets and escape routes.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Chipmunks|url=https://extension.psu.edu/chipmunks|website=extension.psu.edu|access-date=2025-11-27|language=en}}</ref> The sleeping quarters are kept clear of shells, and feces are stored in refuse tunnels.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D9fWfWLmMcIC&q=chipmunk+refuse+tunnel&pg=PA250 | title=Field Guide to the Natural World of New York City | publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press | isbn=978-0-8018-8682-9 | date=October 2007 | access-date=2015-09-19 | author=Leslie Day}}</ref> | ||
The eastern chipmunk [[hibernation|hibernates]] in the winter, while western chipmunks do not, relying on the stores in their burrows.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kays|first1=R. W.|first2=Don E.|last2=Wilson|year=2009|publisher=Princeton University Press|title=Mammals of North America|edition=2nd|isbn=978-0-691-14092-6|page=72}}</ref> | The eastern chipmunk [[hibernation|hibernates]] in the winter, while western chipmunks do not, relying on the stores in their burrows.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kays|first1=R. W.|first2=Don E.|last2=Wilson|year=2009|publisher=Princeton University Press|title=Mammals of North America|edition=2nd|isbn=978-0-691-14092-6|page=72}}</ref> | ||
Chipmunks play an important role as prey for various predatory mammals and birds but are also opportunistic predators themselves, particularly with regard to bird eggs and [[nestling]]s, as in the case of [[eastern chipmunk]]s and [[mountain bluebird]]s (''Siala currucoides'').<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sullivan|first1=Janet|title=WILDLIFE SPECIES: Sialia currucoides|url=https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/animals/bird/sicu/all.html|website=Fire Effects Information System, [Online]|publisher=U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory|access-date=23 January 2016}}</ref> | Chipmunks play an important role as prey for various predatory mammals and birds but are also opportunistic predators themselves, particularly with regard to bird eggs and [[nestling]]s, as in the case of [[eastern chipmunk]]s and [[mountain bluebird]]s (''Siala currucoides'').<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sullivan|first1=Janet|title=WILDLIFE SPECIES: Sialia currucoides|url=https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/animals/bird/sicu/all.html|website=Fire Effects Information System, [Online]|publisher=U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory|access-date=23 January 2016}}</ref> Movement or storage of seeds in soil caused by chipmunks leads to the germination of new plants.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Chipmunks in the Garden at Fort Ticonderoga|url=https://fortticonderoga.org/news/chipmunks-in-the-garden/,%20https://fortticonderoga.org/news/chipmunks-in-the-garden/|website=fortticonderoga.org|date=2016-11-10|access-date=2025-11-27|language=en-US|first=Ryann|last=Wiktorko}}</ref> | ||
Chipmunks typically live about three years, although some have been observed living to nine years in captivity.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.essortment.com/information-chipmunks-56048.html |title=Information on Chipmunks |work=Essortment |publisher=Essortment.com |date=1986-05-16 |access-date=2012-12-07 |archive-date=2012-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121222102625/http://www.essortment.com/information-chipmunks-56048.html }}</ref> | Chipmunks typically live about three years, although some have been observed living to nine years in captivity.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.essortment.com/information-chipmunks-56048.html |title=Information on Chipmunks |work=Essortment |publisher=Essortment.com |date=1986-05-16 |access-date=2012-12-07 |archive-date=2012-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121222102625/http://www.essortment.com/information-chipmunks-56048.html }}</ref> | ||
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==Genera== | ==Genera== | ||
Genus ''[[Eutamias]]'' | Genus ''[[Eutamias]]''<ref>{{Cite mdd|species=sibiricus|genus=Eutamias|access-date=1 December 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite iucn |author=Tsytsulina, K. |author2=Formozov, N. |author3=Shar, S. |author4=Lkhagvasuren, D. |author5=Sheftel, B. |year=2016 |errata=2017 |title=''Eutamias sibiricus'' |volume=2016 |article-number=e.T21360A115161465 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T21360A22268598.en |access-date=1 December 2025}}</ref> | ||
* [[Siberian chipmunk]], ''Eutamias sibiricus'' | * [[Siberian chipmunk]], ''Eutamias sibiricus'' | ||
Genus ''[[Tamias]]''<ref> | Genus ''[[Tamias]]''<ref>{{Cite mdd|species=striatus|genus=Tamias|access-date=1 December 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite iucn |author=Cassola, F. |year=2016 |errata=2017 |title=''Tamias striatus'' |volume=2016 |article-number=e.T42583A115191543 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T42583A22268905.en |access-date=1 December 2025}}</ref> | ||
* [[Eastern chipmunk]], ''Tamias striatus'' | * [[Eastern chipmunk]], ''Tamias striatus'' | ||
* ''[[Tamias aristus]]'' † | * ''[[Tamias aristus]]'' †<ref>{{Cite journal|title=A New Chipmunk, Tamias aristus, from the Pleistocene of Georgia|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3555320|journal=Journal of Paleontology|date=1965|issn=0022-3360|pages=1016–1022|volume=39|issue=5|first=Clayton E.|last=Ray}}</ref> | ||
Genus ''[[Neotamias]]'' | Genus ''[[Neotamias]]''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Neotamias&searchType=species|title=Search for "Neotamias"|access-date=1 December 2025|website=[[IUCN Red List]]}}</ref> | ||
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Latest revision as of 16:30, 9 December 2025
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "other uses". Script error: No such module "Protection banner". Template:Excessive citations Template:Automatic taxobox
Chipmunks are small, striped squirrels of subtribe Tamiina. Chipmunks are found in North America, with the exception of the Siberian chipmunk which is found primarily in Asia.
Taxonomy and systematics
Chipmunks are classified as four genera: Tamias, of which the eastern chipmunk (T. striatus) is the only living member; Eutamias, of which the Siberian chipmunk (E. sibiricus) is the only living member; Nototamias, which consists of three extinct species, and Neotamias, which includes the 23 remaining, mostly western North American, species. These classifications were treated as subgenera due to the chipmunks' morphological similarities.[1] As a result, most taxonomies over the twentieth century have placed the chipmunks into a single genus. Joseph C. Moore reclassified chipmunks to form a subtribe Tamiina in a 1959 study, and this classification has been supported by studies of mitochondrial DNA.[2][3][4][5][6]
The common name originally may have been spelled "chitmunk", from the native Odawa (Ottawa) word jidmoonh, meaning "red squirrel" (cf. Ojibwe Script error: No such module "Lang". ajidamoo).[7][8] The earliest form cited in the Oxford English Dictionary is "chipmonk", from 1842. Other early forms include "chipmuck" and "chipminck", and in the 1830s they were also referred to as "chip squirrels", probably in reference to the sound they make. In the mid-19th century, John James Audubon and his sons included a lithograph of the chipmunk in their Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, calling it the "chipping squirrel [or] hackee".[9] Chipmunks have also been referred to as ground squirrels[10] (although the name "ground squirrel" may refer to other squirrels, such as those of the genus Spermophilus).[11]
Diet
Chipmunks have an omnivorous diet primarily consisting of seeds, nuts and other fruits, and buds.[12][13] They also commonly eat grass, shoots, and many other forms of plant matter, as well as fungi, insects and other arthropods, small frogs, worms, and bird eggs. They will also occasionally eat newly hatched baby birds.[12][13][14] Around humans, chipmunks can eat cultivated grains and vegetables, and other plants from farms and gardens, so they are sometimes considered pests.[12][15] Chipmunks mostly forage on the ground, but they climb trees to obtain nuts such as hazelnuts and acorns.[12][16] At the beginning of autumn, many species of chipmunk begin to stockpile nonperishable foods for winter. They mostly cache their foods in a larder in their burrows and remain in their nests until spring, unlike some other species which make multiple small caches of food.[12] Cheek pouches allow chipmunks to carry food items to their burrows for either storage or consumption.[13]
Ecology and life history
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Eastern chipmunks, the largest of the chipmunks,[17] mate in early spring and again in early summer, producing litters of four or five young twice each year.[12] Western chipmunks breed only once a year. The young emerge from the burrow after about six weeks and strike out on their own within the next two weeks.[18]
These small mammals fulfill several important functions in forest ecosystems. Their activities harvesting and hoarding tree seeds play a crucial role in seedling establishment. They consume many different kinds of fungi, including those involved in symbiotic mycorrhizal associations with trees, and are a vector for dispersal of the spores of subterranean sporocarps (truffles) in some regions.[19]
Chipmunks construct extensive burrows which can be more than Script error: No such module "convert". in length with several well-concealed entrances.[20] The burrows are complex and include plugged entryways,[21] separate compartments for nesting, multiple food chambers, side pockets and escape routes.[22] The sleeping quarters are kept clear of shells, and feces are stored in refuse tunnels.[23]
The eastern chipmunk hibernates in the winter, while western chipmunks do not, relying on the stores in their burrows.[24]
Chipmunks play an important role as prey for various predatory mammals and birds but are also opportunistic predators themselves, particularly with regard to bird eggs and nestlings, as in the case of eastern chipmunks and mountain bluebirds (Siala currucoides).[25] Movement or storage of seeds in soil caused by chipmunks leads to the germination of new plants.[26]
Chipmunks typically live about three years, although some have been observed living to nine years in captivity.[27]
Chipmunks are diurnal. In captivity, they are said to sleep for an average of about 15 hours a day. It is thought that mammals which can sleep in hiding, such as rodents and bats, tend to sleep longer than those that must remain on alert.[28]
Genera
- Siberian chipmunk, Eutamias sibiricus
- Eastern chipmunk, Tamias striatus
- Tamias aristus †[33]
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- Allen's chipmunk, Neotamias senex
- Alpine chipmunk, Neotamias alpinus
- Buller's chipmunk, Neotamias bulleri
- California chipmunk, Neotamias obscurus
- Cliff chipmunk, Neotamias dorsalis
- Colorado chipmunk, Neotamias quadrivittatus
- Durango chipmunk, Neotamias durangae
- Gray-collared chipmunk, Neotamias cinereicollis
- Gray-footed chipmunk, Neotamias canipes
- Hopi chipmunk, Neotamias rufus
- Least chipmunk, Neotamias minimus
- Lodgepole chipmunk, Neotamias speciosus
- Long-eared chipmunk, Neotamias quadrimaculatus
- Merriam's chipmunk, Neotamias merriami
- Palmer's chipmunk, Neotamias palmeri
- Panamint chipmunk, Neotamias panamintinus
- Red-tailed chipmunk, Neotamias ruficaudus
- Siskiyou chipmunk, Neotamias siskiyou
- Sonoma chipmunk, Neotamias sonomae
- Townsend's chipmunk, Neotamias townsendii
- Uinta chipmunk, Neotamias umbrinus
- Yellow-cheeked chipmunk, Neotamias ochrogenys
- Yellow-pine chipmunk, Neotamias amoenus
Genus Nototamias †[35]
- Nototamias ateles †
- Nototamias hulberti †
- Nototamias quadratus †
In popular culture
- Alvin and the Chipmunks, an animated virtual band
- Chip 'n' Dale, cartoon Disney chipmunks
References
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- ↑ Nichols, John D. and Earl Nyholm (1995). A Concise Dictionary of Minnesota Ojibwe. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
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- ↑ Jennifer S. Holland "40 Winks?" (July 2011). National Geographic Vol. 220, No. 1.
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Further reading
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