Alpine Chipmunk

Taxobox
name = Alpine Chipmunk
status = LR/lc | status_system = IUCN2.3
status_ref = [IUCN2006|assessors=Rodent Specialist Group|year=1996|id=42568|title=Tamias alpinus|downloaded=26 Jun 2007]


regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Rodentia
familia = Sciuridae
genus = "Tamias"
species = "T. alpinus"
binomial = "Tamias alpinus"
binomial_authority = Merriam, 1893The Alpine Chipmunk, or "Tamias alpinus", is a species of chipmunk native to the high elevations of the Sierra Nevada of California [cite book | author = Hall, E.R. | title = The Mammals of North America | edition = 2nd edition | year = 1981 | publisher= John Wiley & Sons | location=New York ] . They have been observed at altitudes from around 2,300 meters (7,500 ft) [cite book | author = Johnson, D.H. | title = Systematic review of the chipmunks (genus Eutamias) of California | year = 1943 | publisher= University of California Publications in Zoology ] to 3,900 meters (12,800 ft) [cite book | author = Swarth, H.S. | title = Some Sierran chipmunks | year = 1919 | publisher= Sierra Club Bulletin ] , though they rarely occur below 2,500 meters (8,200 ft) [cite book | author = Grinnell, J. | coauthors = T.I. Storer | title = Animal life in the Yosemite: an account of the mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians of a cross-section of the Sierra Nevada | year = 1924 | publisher= University of California Press ] .

Physical Description

They have a brown forehead with three white stripes on their cheeks and four on their backs. They weigh around 80 grams.

Dietary Habits

The Alpine Chipmunk feed on the seeds of sedges, grasses, and pines. They generally eat their food on the ground. They do not generally require a source of water other than food, but will use it given the opportunity.

Nesting Habits

They nest in crevices between rocks, taking advantage of the micro-climatic conditions (i.e. higher temperatures) that exist there. Their young are born in June and July, in litters of 3-6.

Activity patterns

They are considered Diurnal, though they exhibit some nocturnal activity during the summer. They Hibernate from November through April, frequently awakening to eat.

References

External links

# [http://www.arlington.k12.va.us/schools/williamsburg/staff/thendric/animalbookb/tsld002.htm|Species description at Arlington Public Schools]