Colorado chipmunk

Colorado chipmunk
	Colorado chipmunk ( Tamias quadrivittatus )
Systematics
Subordination :	Squirrel relatives (Sciuromorpha)
Family :	Squirrel (Sciuridae)
Subfamily :	Ground Squirrel (Xerinae)
Tribe :	Real ground squirrels (Marmotini)
Genre :	Chipmunk ( Tamias )
Type :	Colorado chipmunk
Scientific name
	Tamias quadrivittatus
	( Say , 1823)

The Colorado chipmunk ( Tamias quadrivittatus , syn .: Neotamias quadrivittatus ) is a type of squirrel from the genus of the chipmunk ( Tamias ). It occurs in the American states of Utah , Colorado , Arizona , New Mexico and Oklahoma .

features

The Colorado chipmunk reaches an average head-torso length of about 12.5 to 13.0 centimeters, the tail length is about 10.0 centimeters and the weight is about 45 to 70 grams. The back color is red to cinnamon brown and, like other species of the genus, there are several dark back stripes on the back, which are separated by lighter stripes and delimited from the sides of the body. The head is reddish brown to cinnamon brown, sometimes with a gray color. There are two white to creamy white stripes on the head, between which a dark to black stripe runs through the eye. There is often a gray postauricular spot behind the ears. The middle back stripe is dark gray to black, the two dark stripes further out are usually a bit lighter. The light stripes are white to creamy white or sand colored. The hips and feet are ocher to cinnamon, the belly is white to creamy white.

distribution

Distribution area of the Colorado chipmunk

The Colorado chipmunk is found in eastern Utah , much of Colorado , northeastern Arizona , northern New Mexico, and the far northwestern part of Oklahoma .

Way of life

Colorado chipmunks mainly live in stony habitats with coniferous and shrubbery vegetation. It often lives in pine-juniper stocks, oak bushes, stocks of yellow pine ( Pinus ponderosa ) and spruce-pine stocks.

The species is diurnal with main activities in the early morning and late afternoon. It lives primarily on the ground, but can also climb trees and bushes. The animals feed mainly herbivorous of seeds and fruits of grasses, bushes and trees. The main food source is seeds, with other parts of the plant as well as insects and small vertebrates as supplementary food. They take the food in the cheek pouches and store food in rock crevices or in their subterranean nest chambers. The squirrels probably do not hibernate and can be active all year round - depending on the weather. However, individual individuals stay in the nest in bad weather and hibernate . The animal territory covers an average of 2.7 hectares . The nests are created in crevices, under stones or in the ground.

The mating season for this species is from April to May, in the south of the distribution area there can also be two mating seasons in February and then again in July. The gestation period is about 30 days and the young in the regions with one reproductive phase per year are born in May to June. The young are weaned after six to seven weeks and leave the maternal nest in autumn.

In the greater part of the distribution area the species occurs sympatric with other chipmunks such as the rock chipmunk ( Tamias dorsalis ), the little chipmunk ( Tamias minimus ), the Hopi chipmunk ( Tamias rufus ) and the Uinta chipmunk ( Tamias umbrinus ). Less than a third of the animals survive the winter. As small mammals, the animals are preyed on by various predators such as martens, cats and dogs, as well as birds of prey and snakes. When threatened, the animals flee into crevices, into their nests or into the vegetation. They then emit loud "chips" and whistles as alarm calls.

Systematics

Colorado chipmunk, photograph from a nature guide, 1902

The Colorado chipmunk is classified as a separate species within the genus of chipmunks ( Tamias ), which consists of 25 species. The first scientific description comes from the American naturalist Thomas Say from 1823, who described it as Sciurus quadrivittatus using individuals from the Arkansas River near Cañon City , Colorado. Within the chipmunk group, the Colorado chipmunk is assigned to the subgenus Neotamias , which is also discussed as an independent genus, along with most of the other species . The Hopi chipmunk ( Tamias rufus ) was sometimes viewed as a subspecies, but this is currently an independent species.

Within the species, together with the nominate form, three subspecies are distinguished:

Tamias quadrivittatus quadrivittatus : nominate form; occurs in the entire range of the species with the exception of the southern area in New Mexico.
Tamias quadrivittatus australis : lives in south-central New Mexico in the Organ Mountains . The shape is grayer than the nominate shape and the top of the feet is gray-brown.
Tamias quadrivittatus oscuraensis : in central New Mexico in the Oscura Mountains . It is the smallest subspecies. The sides of the body are reddish brown and the top of the feet is also much more reddish brown.

Status, threat and protection

The Colorado chipmunk is classified as Least Concern (LC) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). This is justified by the relatively large distribution area of more than 20,000 km ² and the regular occurrence; there are no known risks to the existence of the plant.

supporting documents

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Richard W. Thorington Jr. , John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012, ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1 , pp. 333-334 .

↑ ^a ^b Neotamias quadrivittatus in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.4. Posted by: AV Linzey, NatureServe (G. Hammerson), 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
^ ^A ^b Troy L. Best , Stephanie L. Burt, Jarel L. Bartig: Tamias quadrivittatus. ( Memento of the original from March 15, 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. Mammalian Species 466, 1994. @1@ 2

↑ ^a ^b ^c Tamias (Neotamias) quadrivittatus In: Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Ed.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. 2 volumes. 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .

↑ Bruce D. Patterson, Ryan W. Norris: Towards a uniform nomenclature for ground squirrels: the status of the Holarctic chipmunks. Mammalia 80 (3), May 2016; Pp. 241-251 doi : 10.1515 / mammalia-2015-0004

literature

Richard W. Thorington Jr. , John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012, ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1 , pp. 333-334 .
Troy L. Best , Stephanie L. Burt, Jarel L. Bartig: Tamias quadrivittatus. Mammalian Species 466, 1994.

Web links

Commons : Colorado Chipmunk ( Tamias quadrivittatus ) - Collection of images, videos, and audio files

Neotamias quadrivittatus inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015.4. Posted by: AV Linzey, NatureServe (G. Hammerson), 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2016.

[Thorington_et_al._2012-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Richard W. Thorington Jr. , John L. Koprowski, Michael A. Steele: Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2012, ISBN 978-1-4214-0469-1 , pp. 333-334 .