Red-tailed chipmunk facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Red-tailed chipmunk |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Neotamias
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| Species: |
ruficaudus
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| Synonyms | |
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Tamias ruficaudus |
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The red-tailed chipmunk (Neotamias ruficaudus) is a small, quick rodent that belongs to the Sciuridae family, which includes squirrels. You can find these chipmunks in parts of Canada, specifically Alberta and British Columbia. They also live in the United States in Montana, Idaho, and Washington.
Contents
What Does a Red-tailed Chipmunk Look Like?
The red-tailed chipmunk is a fairly large chipmunk. It grows to about 23 centimeters (9 inches) long. This measurement includes its bushy tail, which is about 10.5 centimeters (4 inches) long. They weigh around 54 to 60 grams (about 2 ounces). Female chipmunks are usually a little bigger than males.
Colors and Markings
Their heads are grayish-brown with dark stripes around their eyes. Their bodies are mostly orange-brown. They have five dark stripes on their back, separated by lighter gray or cream-colored stripes. Their shoulders, sides, and rump are a yellowish-brown color. Their bellies are creamy-white with a hint of pink. The top of their tail is black with a pinkish-brown color, and the underside is yellowish-brown with pinkish-brown tips. In winter, their fur becomes more gray and less orange-brown.
It can be hard to tell the red-tailed chipmunk apart from the yellow-pine chipmunk in areas where they both live. Sometimes, scientists need to study their bones to know the difference.
Where Do Red-tailed Chipmunks Live?
Red-tailed chipmunks are native to specific areas. These include southeastern British Columbia and southwestern Alberta in Canada. In the United States, they are found in northeastern Washington, northern Idaho, and western Montana.
Their Home Environment
They live in places that are between 720 and 2400 meters (about 2,360 to 7,870 feet) high. Their favorite homes are coniferous forests, which are forests with cone-bearing trees like pines and firs. They also live in other woodlands, at the edges of forests, in open clearings, and in bushy areas next to mountain meadows. While they mostly live on the ground, they can also climb trees.
Red-tailed Chipmunk Life and Habits
Red-tailed chipmunks mainly eat seeds and berries. They often carry their food in their special cheek pouches to store it. Some of their favorite foods include seeds from fir and pine trees. They also enjoy berries like honeysuckle, cranberries, and huckleberries.
What They Eat
Other foods they like are seeds from locust trees and snow brush. They also eat buckbrush, thistle, willow herb, and different types of grass seeds. Sometimes, they munch on dandelion flowers and leaves. They have even been caught in traps using meat as bait, which means they might eat some meat too!
Hibernation and Activity
Red-tailed chipmunks do not truly hibernate for the winter. However, they might have periods of torpor. This means they can slow down their body functions for a short time to save energy when it's cold or food is scarce.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Red-tailed chipmunks usually have their babies in the late spring and summer. After being pregnant for about 31 days, the mother chipmunk gives birth to a litter. On average, a litter has five young chipmunks.
Most chipmunk nests are built underground in a burrow. But sometimes, they make their nests in trees. These tree nests are often found right under thick clumps of dead branches. The young chipmunks first come out of the nest when they are about 45 days old.
