Burunduk

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Burunduk
Burunduk (Tamias sibiricus)

Burunduk ( Tamias sibiricus )

Systematics
Subordination : Squirrel relatives (Sciuromorpha)
Family : Squirrel (Sciuridae)
Subfamily : Ground Squirrel (Xerinae)
Tribe : Real ground squirrels (Marmotini)
Genre : Chipmunk ( Tamias )
Type : Burunduk
Scientific name
Tamias sibiricus
( Laxmann , 1769)

The Burunduk ( Tamias sibiricus ( Laxmann , 1769)), also known as the striped chipmunk , Siberian chipmunk or Asian chipmunk , is a forest-dwelling rodent from the squirrel family (Sciuridae). Found in Asia and Europe, the Burunduk is the only species of the genus chipmunk ( Tamias ) outside of North America.

Mark

The bushy tail is almost the length of the body

The Burunduk weighs up to 125 g, with a head-trunk length of 13 to 17 cm and a tail length of 8 to 11 cm. Its fur is rough, short-haired and brown, the back striped lengthways with five black-brown and four light, broad stripes. The flanks are lighter brown; the underside is light. Narrow dark stripes can also be found on the head in the eye area and on the tail. The coat is changed twice a year, in spring and in autumn.

Among other things, the base color (gray, yellow or red-brown) and the color of the underside (white, beige or reddish), the intensity of the coloring, the width of the stripes and the sharpness of the stripes and the base color (differentiated from very strong up to merging).

The head and body of the Burunduk have a typical rodent appearance with short legs and paws capable of grasping. The ears are small and round; the tail is carried horizontally.

The paws of the Burunduks show clear adaptations to the tree life. The cushion-like toe and ball of the foot are pronounced, the claws short but strongly curved and sharp.

distribution

Distribution area

Burunduk is currently at home in the entire northern coniferous forest areas of Eurasia from the Bering Strait to Finland ; also in the deciduous and mixed forests of northern Japan , Korea and Manchuria to the south .

200 years ago Burunduk was only at home in Asia . It overcame the Urals around 1850, slowly spreading to the west, crossing the Volga in the 20th century, and was reported from Finland in the 1960s.

Since the Burunduk is the only Eurasian chipmunk species to be compared with 24 species in North America , it can be assumed that the genus of the chipmunk developed in North America and that the Burunduk split off from species in western Alaska. It is not known when the Burunduk (or its predecessor) crossed the Bering Strait, whether during the Ice Age over the land bridge or later (drifting on trees or bushes washed into the sea or as a stowaway in Eskimos' boats ). It is conceivable, however, that the crossing of the Urals is only part of a general, long-lasting westward movement, and that Burunduk, as in East Asia , will slowly spread southward in Europe . The large differences in the minimum length of its winter dormancy (see below) indicate that it has the genetic variability to adapt to more southern climates in the long term .

Burunduks as neozoa in Central Europe

Burunduk in Ingolstadt

Burunduk populations can also be found in Central Europe , but they do not originate from immigrated animals, but from runaway or released animals. Most populations are quite small and usually have a limited lifespan (a few decades). The animals almost always live in parks, cemeteries, zoos or urban forest areas. There are only a few indications of permanent, self-sustaining and independently expanding populations, none of them from Germany. The ecological impact on native species is low. In addition to scattered notes in blogs and forums, the following stocks are better documented:

  • Freiburg im Breisgau: A population existed in the Freiburg main cemetery for at least 30 years. The population was estimated at around 120 to 150 animals in 1976, and around 70 animals in 1995, and the density in the most favorable habitats was around 6.5 animals per hectare. The main food was maple and linden seeds. The population died around 2001. The cause of the collapse on the 24 hectare area, bounded by walls and roads, was soon assumed to be inbreeding within the offspring of a single founding couple.
  • Münster (Westphalia): Lauheide forest cemetery . Since 1973/74, at the end of the 1970s approx. 200 animals. In addition to earthworks, nests with cubs, twice in bird nest boxes. Gone again today.
  • Aschaffenburg: Schöntal Park . Approx. 70 to 90 copies, no tendency to spread.
  • Brussels: In the Brussels city forest (Foret de Soignes). Since the 1970s, approx. 2000 individuals.
  • Geneva: Naturalized in various city parks.
  • Belluno: In forests along the Piave river and adjacent cultural landscape over a length of approx. 5 to 6 kilometers, since approx. 1970. Observations from two other cities (Verona, Rome) with smaller populations are available.

References to other places where wild animals were found in Remagen and Essen-Bredeney concern zoos and animal parks.

In 2016, Burunduk was included in the “List of Unwanted Species” for the European Union .

Habitat and way of life

Unlike their close relatives, the steppe-dwelling ground squirrels , Burunduke live mainly in coniferous and mixed forests rich in undergrowth as well as in bushes on the edges of forests and fields and in river valleys.

Although they are agile and good climbers, who can also walk up and down vertical tree trunks, they spend a large part of the time on the ground in contrast to the squirrels that predominantly live on trees . Here they create caves in the ground, the entrance of which can lead to a depth of one and a half meters depending on the nature of the soil. The actual building is one to two and a half meters long and consists of the nest chamber and several storage chambers as well as blind passages for the rubbish. In the latter, all excrement and food waste are stored, while the nest chamber is kept scrupulously clean.

Burunduke live in loose colonies , but within them as loners ; each animal has its own territory that it defends against the other animals. They can also get snappy with other rodent species in their size class. The territories are 700 to 4000 m² in size, with females claiming larger areas than males. The territorial boundaries are marked with the body's own fragrances and urine drops.

Other behavior and nutrition

Burunduke are lively and, as long as they are not conspecifics or other rodents, also trusting animals that dare to get close to people and, like squirrels, can be so trusted that they take food out of their hands.

They are diurnal and have correspondingly well-developed eyes that are also capable of color vision .

You do extensive personal hygiene and like to take sand baths; In doing so, they rub sand into their fur by snaking movements, which they then shake out again.

Burunduke are omnivores . They feed mainly on seeds , berries , nuts and insects , rarely they also prey on amphibians and reptiles or attack nesting young birds . They eat sitting on their hind legs, the food being held with their front paws.

Hibernation

Burunduke hibernate , which in the north (i.e. most of their range) can last five to six months, from October to April. In our latitudes it takes less time, from November to March. It is only interrupted for a short time to eat on warmer days.

Seeds , buds , acorns , leaves and dry mushrooms are collected as winter supplies and stowed in the storage chambers according to the type of food. On average, up to two kilograms of supplies are collected, sometimes up to six kilograms. The collecting behavior increases in late summer and autumn; During this time, their viciousness towards other conspecifics can also increase. Burunduke in human care often bury supplies in the pots of house plants; It is not known whether this behavior, which corresponds to the stock keeping of the squirrels, also occurs in the wild.

A very different degree of winter dormancy is observed in Burunduks in captivity when they are kept in heated rooms. In some animals, the length and depth of hibernation do not differ from those that are kept outdoors, in others it can be much shorter, in others it can be much less pronounced, so that the animals come out daily. From this it can be concluded that the winter dormancy of Burunduke is subject to both internal and external influences: the genes or the character expression determine a minimum duration and intensity, depending on the weather, whether the winter dormancy is extended and / or deepened.

Reproduction

The mating season begins with the end of winter dormancy . Mating takes place from March onwards, depending on temperatures and awakening from hibernation. Immediately after mating, males and females separate and go back to solitary existence. With a gestation period of 30 days (29–31 days), the boys are born from April to early June, usually around four, in individual cases up to ten. The young are suckled for four weeks and have already reached their full size as "subadult" animals at around 90 days. In the course of July, the family finally separated. (In the more southern parts of the distribution area, the dates for mating and correspondingly for the subsequent rearing of young can be earlier.)

At eleven months, in the following mating season, the young are sexually mature . Your life can be six to seven years, the average life expectancy but much shorter in nature: The natural enemies are almost all predators in the circulation area - martens and weasels , foxes and wolves , forest cats and lynx , brown bears and birds of prey , before especially the common buzzard , whose food in Siberia consists of up to a third of Burunduks in summer.

Systematics

External system

The Burunduk ( Tamias sibiricus ) is a member of the genus chipmunk ( Tamias ). This is counted within the order of the rodents (Rodentia) to the subordination of the squirrel relatives (Sciuromorpha), one of five subordinates in addition to the beaver relatives (Castorimorpha), mouse relatives (Myomorpha), thorntail squirrel relatives (Anomaluromorpha) and porcupine relatives (Horymorpha). Within the squirrel relatives, the genus chipmunk is classified in the family squirrel (Sciuridae) and here in the subfamily ground squirrel (Xerinae).

The genus chipmunk is combined with five other genera of ground squirrels to form the genus group real ground squirrels (Marmotini). From this genus group, the genus that are also represented in the German-speaking area should be mentioned: as a steppe-dwelling counterpart to the chipmunk the ground squirrel and the best-known member of the genus group the marmots .

The genus chipmunk is divided into three sub-genera with 25 species. The subgenus Old World Chipmunk ( Eutamias ) is only found in Eurasia , the Burunduk is the only species represented in it.

Species name

The currently binding scientific species name for Burunduk is Tamias sibiricus ( Laxmann , 1769), and when the subgenus is added , Tamias (Eutamias) sibiricus ( Laxmann , 1769). For a while the Burunduk was placed in its own genus chipmunks , Eutamias, next to the North American chipmunks, Tamias , so the scientific name Eutamias sibiricus can be found in older works ( Laxmann , 1769). The name Eutamias asiaticus Gmelin , 1788, can also be found; it goes back to a later first description by Johann Friedrich Gmelin. After it was recognized that both initial descriptions deal with the same species, the older species name became the only valid one.

Of the German species names, 'Burunduk' is the most common among zoologists . The terms 'Siberian chipmunk' and 'Asian chipmunk' are more likely to be found in pet shops ; probably because the animals sell better under this name. Neither of them are accurate since the Burunduk crossed the Urals. 'Striped chipmunk' can only be found in older works and should be rejected as too unspecific.

(For more synonyms, see the Synonyms of Scientific Names section .)

Internal system

While the species status, the species name Tamias sibiricus and the systematic classification of Burunduks are generally accepted scientifically, this does not apply to the subspecies. The former strong subdivision, often only based on slight differences between individual specimens, seems to have been abandoned.

Three subspecies can cautiously be named as conditionally accepted:

  • Tamias sibiricus barberi ( Johnson & Jones , 1955), occurring in Korea,
  • Tamias sibiricus lineatus ( Siebold , 1824), on the offshore islands of Sakhalin, southern Kuriles and Hokkaido,
  • Tamias sibiricus sibiricus ( Laxmann , 1769), the nominate form, in the rest of the Eurasian distribution area.

The fourth subspecies can be mentioned very carefully:

  • Tamias sibiricus albogularis ( Allen , 1909), found in central China.

Tamias sibiricus asiaticus ( Gmelin , 1788) is also mentioned very often , sometimes together with the popular name Korean or (more rarely) Manchurian chipmunk; however, this appears to be a laboratory breed line.

(For more synonyms, see the Synonyms of Scientific Names section .)

Burunduke in captivity

Burunduke are now also kept as pets . However, keeping them is not without problems because of the animals' territorial behavior. Chipmunks are colony-dwelling loners . Within this colony, however, each animal occupies its own territory (core area) of up to several hundred square meters, which it also defends against intruders. Chipmunks are only compatible with one another during the mating season - and this only for the few days when the female is ready to mate. Most females drive the male out of their territory immediately after mating. If the male is unable to escape under the conditions of the cage, this sometimes ends in severe biting, even to the point of biting dead i. d. R. of the less aggressive male. Even a cage of several square meters is not enough to satisfy the territorial needs of two animals and to prevent the sometimes fatal clashes. The occasionally reported problem-free keeping of a compatible couple or two (male) littermates are exceptions. In principle, therefore, chipmunks in captivity should be kept individually - regardless of any statutory regulations. However, it is possible to keep a couple in separate aviaries, which can then be connected at mating time. For keeping an animal, the cage should not be less than 100 cm × 60 cm × 100 cm; More important than the height of the cage is the base area, which should be as long as possible in order to do justice to the locomotion behavior of the animals as ground squirrels (several “hopping jumps”). However, these dimensions are only sufficient with daily free exercise. In addition, a sufficiently large wheel can be provided to satisfy the need to run, as well as sufficient climbing opportunities, seating boards in different heights and several nesting boxes. Sand, in which the animals like to take a sand bath, is suitable as a substrate. A cage that is twice as large is necessary for keeping in pairs, which should be able to be divided into two halves, since an (even temporary) intolerance of the Burunduke can lead to violent fights with severe injuries and even death. EU standards recommend a cage with a floor space of at least 2 m² and a height of 2 m for keeping a couple; Austria has already implemented this recommendation in national law and prescribes these dimensions as minimum dimensions by law (Federal Law Gazette of the Republic of Austria, 486th Ordinance, 2nd Animal Husbandry Ordinance). However, this recommendation for keeping pairs cannot be technically understood. Chipmunks are not pure herbivores, but need a mixture of different seeds (not just sunflower seeds - too much phosphorus, too little calcium), acorns and nuts, and occasionally animal protein, for example in the form of meal beetle larvae, boiled egg etc.

Burunduke pets can be found in the colors 'natural' (yellow-brown), 'gray' (gray-brown) and 'cinnamon' (red-brown) as well as albinos ('white'; with light gray stripes). In the latter, there is usually leucism , more rarely albinism , in each case including the further damage associated with these mutations. These manifestations are likely to be due to the inbreeding mutations which cannot be avoided with the rather small breeding base . Further domestication symptoms have not yet been described; conspicuous animals are usually not used for further breeding.

Appendix: synonyms of scientific names

Species names

Tamias asiaticus ( Gmelin , 1788)
Tamias intercessor
Tamias jacutensis
Tamias okadae
Tamias ordinalis
Tamias orientalis Bonhote
Tamias pallasi ( Baird )
Tamias senescens ( Miller , 1898)
Tamias sibiricus ( Laxmann , 1769)
Tamias striatus Pallas
Tamias uthensis
Tamias umbrosus

Eutamias albogularis J. Allen , 1909
Eutamias asiaticus ( Gmelin , 1788)
Eutamias ordinalis
Eutamias senescens Miller , 1898
Eutamias sibericus
Eutamias sibiricus ( Laxmann , 1769)

Myoxus lineatus

Sciurus asiaticus Gmelin , 1788
Sciurus sibiricus Laxmann , 1769
Sciurus striatus asiaticus
Sciurus utheesis (typo?)

Subspecies names

Tamias sibiricus albogularis ( Allen , 1909)
Tamias sibiricus asiaticus ( Gmelin , 1788)
Tamias sibiricus barberi ( Johnson & Jones , 1955)
Tamias sibiricus jacutensis ( Ognev , 1935)
Tamias sibiricus intercessor
Tamias sibiricus lineatus ( Siebold , 1824)
Tamias sibiricus ordinalis
Tamias sibiricus orientalis ( Bonhote , 1899)
Tamias sibiricus senescens
Tamias sibiricus sibiricus ( Laxmann , 1769)
Tamias sibiricus uthensis

Eutamias asiaticus albogularis ( Allen , 1909)
Eutamias asiaticus altaicus
Eutamias asiaticus lineatus ( Siebold )
Eutamias asiaticus okadae Kuroda
Eutamias asiaticus ordinalis Thomas , 1908
Eutamias asiaticus orientalis ( Bonhote , 1899)
Eutamias asiaticus uthenesis
Eutamias senescens intercessor Thomas , 1908
Eutamias sibiricus albogularis JAAllen.陈服官等 , 1980
Eutamias sibiricus altaicus Hollister
Eutamias sibiricus barberi Johnson & Jones , 1955
Eutamias sibiricus jacutensis
Eutamias sibiricus lineatus
Eutamias sibiricus ordinalis Hllen GM , 1940
Eutamias sibiricus ordinalis 王延正 , 1990
Eutamias sibiricus orientalis
Eutamias sibiricus pallasi
Eutamias sibiricus senescens
Eutamias sibiricus striatus
Eutamias sibiricus sibiricus ( Laxmann , 1769)

Sources and further reading

literature

Web links

Commons : Burunduk ( Tamias sibiricus )  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Wolfgang Nentwig , Elfi Kühnel, Sven Bacher: A Generic Impact-Scoring System Applied to Alien Mammals in Europe. In: Conservation Biology. Vol. 24, No. 1. 2010, ISSN  1523-1739 , pp. 302-311, doi : 10.1111 / j.1523-1739.2009.01289.x .
  2. ^ Sibylle Münch: Burunduk. In: Monika Braun, Fritz Dieterlen: The mammals of Baden-Württemberg. Volume 2: Insectivores (Insectivora), lagomorphs (Lagomorpha), rodents (Rodentia), predators (Carnivora), artiodactyla. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-8001-4246-5 , pp. 167-175.
  3. Forum entry. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; accessed on October 14, 2019 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )@1@ 2Template: dead link / www.streifi-forum.de
  4. Martin Berger: Chipmunk, Burunduk - Tamias sibiricus (Laxmann, 1769). In: Rüdiger Schröpfer, Reiner Feldmann, Henning Vierhaus (eds.): The mammals of Westphalia (= treatises from the Westphalian Museum of Natural History. Vol. 46, No. 4). Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe, Münster 1984, ISBN 3-924590-04-4 , pp. 155–159.
  5. Olaf Schmidt: Siberian chipmunk. In: New species in Bavaria. Enrichment or threat to our forests? (= LWF aktuell. No. 45, edition 3, ISSN  1435-4098 ). Freising, 2004, p. 35.
  6. J. Riegel, J. Pasteels, RM Lafontaine, P. Devillers: Influence potential du Tamia de Siberie tamias sibiricus (Laxmann) sur la regression de l'avifaune en Foret de Soignes. In: Cahiers d'Ethologie Fondamentale et Appliquee, Animale et Humaine. Vol. 20, No. 1, 2000, ISSN  0778-7103 , pp. 45-62.
  7. ^ Rüdiger Wittenberg (ed.): Invasive alien species in Switzerland. An inventory of alien species and their threat to biodiversity and economy in Switzerland. (= Environmental studies. Organisms. 29, 6, ZDB -ID 2632653-X ). Federal Office for the Environment FOEN, Bern 2006, p. 33, online (PDF; 1.8 MB) ( Memento of the original dated May 30, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bafu.admin.ch
  8. Sandro Bertolini, Italo Currado, Peter J. Mazzoglio, Giovanni Amori: Native and Alien Squirrels in Italy. ( Memento of the original from September 30, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Hystrix. NS Vol. 11, No. 2, 2000, ISSN 0394-1914 , pp. 65-74. (PDF; 198 kB) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / biocenosi.dipbsf.uninsubria.it 
  9. Sandro Bertolino, Piero Genovesi: The application of the European strategy on invasive alien species: an example with introduced squirrels. ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Hystrix. NS Vol. 16, No. 1, 2005, pp. 59-69, (PDF; 236 kB). @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.italian-journal-of-mammalogy.it
  10. Free colonies ( Memento of the original from January 11, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Online at www.burunduk.de, accessed June 17, 2013. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.burunduk.de
  11. List of Invasive Alien Species of Union Concern (PDF) accessed on July 15, 2016
  12. Measured in Burunduk colonies in Germany. After Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. Volume 2. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 , p. 1249.
  13. An older subdivision, for example, that circulates among Burunduk keepers (see Janssen, Kolmer (Web 2007); Kronberg, Simianer (Web 2007)), names five subspecies: Eutamias sibiricus jacutensis, E. s. orientalis, E. s. sibiricus, E. s. striatus and E. s. lineatus. The first four of these are summarized in the present subdivision in Tamias (Eutamias) sibiricus sibiricus ; E. s. lineatus, on the other hand, is divided into T. (E.) s. lineatus and T. (E.) s. barberi. (Savela (Web 2007))
  14. BNHM (Web 2007) names the first three subspecies, * Savela (Web 2007) also names the fourth.
  15. Kronberg, Simianer (Web 2007); "Acquisition", "Attitude" subpages. Accessed July 10, 2007.