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Neotamias quadrivittatus

(Say, 1823)

Colorado Chipmunk

G5Secure Found in 16 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.103893
Element CodeAMAFB02120
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassMammalia
OrderRodentia
FamilySciuridae
GenusNeotamias
Synonyms
Eutamias quadrivittatusTamias quadrivittatus(Say, 1823)
Other Common Names
Colorado chipmunk (EN)
Concept Reference
Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/.
Taxonomic Comments
See Patterson and Norris (2016) for a revised classification of Marmotini (Sciuridae: Xerinae), based on Thorington et al. (2012), Ge et al. (2014), and Patterson and Norris (2016); the three chipmunk lineages should be recognized as three distinct genera, namely, Tamias Illiger, 1811, Eutamias Trouessart, 1880, and Neotamias A. H. Howell, 1929. Thorington and Hoffmann (in Wilson and Reeder 2005) noted that chipmunks could be legitimately allocated to one (Tamias), two (Neotamias, Tamias), or three (Tamias, Neotamias, Eutamias) genera; they chose to adopt the single-genus (Tamias) arrangement.

Pre-1953 references to this species in some cases pertain to T. umbrinus. Former subspecies rufus now is regarded as a distinct species (Patterson 1984, Best et al. 1994, Burt et al. 1994).
Conservation Status
Review Date1996-11-06
Change Date1996-11-06
Range Extent Comments
Central and southern Colorado, northern and central New Mexico, and northeastern Arizona; elevations of 1380-3360 m (Best et al. 1994).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Various habitats, mainly rocky areas with conifers or shrubs, Pinyon-juniper/rock associations in Arizona (Hoffmeister 1986) and Oklahoma. In New Mexico, mainly coincident with the ponderosa pine zone; also in pinyon-juniper and scrub oak-juniper habitats and in open stands or edges of spruce-fir forest; similar habitats in Colorado. Primarily terrestrial but also an adept climber. Commonly perches on rocks, stumps, or logs. See Best et al. (1994) for further details.

Ecology

Home range averages a few hectares. Overwinter survival rate is less than 33%; local extirpation or near-extirpation is a common event. See Best et al. (1994).

Reproduction

Mating occurs in spring (e.g., late April-May in Colorado) throughout much of range, bimodally in February and July in southern New Mexico. Gestation lasts about 30 days. Litter size is 2-6. Young are weaned at 6-7 weeks, appear commonly in August in northern Colorado (Armstrong 1975). Perhaps generally one litter per year, but the presence of pregnant and lactating females in late summer in some areas suggests a second litter or late breeding.
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedShrubland/chaparral
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
ArizonaS4Yes
Navajo NationS4Yes
New MexicoS5Yes
OklahomaS2Yes
ColoradoS5Yes
Roadless Areas (16)
Colorado (4)
AreaForestAcres
Bristol HeadRio Grande NF46,087
Comanche Peak Adjacent AreaArapaho & Roosevelt NFs44,158
HermosaSan Juan NF148,103
Long ParkRoutt NF42,100
New Mexico (12)
AreaForestAcres
Black CanyonSanta Fe National Forest1,922
Candian RiverCibola National Forest7,149
Columbine - Hondo Wilderness Study AreaCarson National Forest43,739
GallinasSanta Fe National Forest13,208
Guaje CanyonSanta Fe National Forest6,104
Jacks CreekSanta Fe National Forest740
Little TesuqueSanta Fe National Forest815
Nichols ReservoirSanta Fe National Forest1,518
Pecos WS RiverSanta Fe National Forest5,396
RendijaSanta Fe National Forest2,176
Thompson PeakSanta Fe National Forest33,001
Virgin CanyonSanta Fe National Forest6,068
References (30)
  1. American Society of Mammalogists (ASM). 2024. The Mammal Diversity Database (MDD). Online. Available: www.mammaldiversity.org
  2. Armstrong, D. M. 1975. Rocky Mountain mammals. Rocky Mountain Nature Asscoc., Inc. 174 pp.
  3. Baker, R. J., L. C. Bradley, R. D. Bradley, J. W. Dragoo, M. D. Engstrom, R. S. Hoffman, C. A. Jones, F. Reid, D. W. Rice, and C. Jones. 2003a. Revised checklist of North American mammals north of Mexico, 2003. Museum of Texas Tech University Occasional Papers 229:1-23.
  4. Banfield, A. W. F. 1974. The mammals of Canada. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada. 438 pp.
  5. Best, T. L., S. L. Burt, and J. L. Bartig. 1994. Tamias quadrivittatus. Am. Soc. Mamm., Mammalian Species No. 466:1-7.
  6. Broadbooks, H. E. 1970a. Home ranges and territorial behavior of the yellow-pine chipmunk, <i>Eutamius amoenus.</i> Journal of Mammalogy 51:310-26.
  7. Broadbooks, H. E. 1970b. Populations of the yellow pine chipmunk, <i>Eutamias amoenus</i>. American Midland Naturalist 83:472-488.
  8. Brown, J. H. 1971. Mechanisms of competitive exclusion between two species of chipmunks. Ecology 52:305-311.
  9. Burt, S. L., and T. L. Best. 1994. Tamias rufus. Am. Soc. Mamm., Mammalian Species No. 460:1-6.
  10. Burt, W. H. and R. P. Grossenheider. 1964. A field guide to the mammals. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
  11. Caire, W., J. D. Tyler, B. P. Glass, and M. A. Mares. 1989. Mammals of Oklahoma. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. Oklahoma. 567 pp.
  12. Elliot, L. 1978. Social behavior and foraging ecology of the eastern chipmunk (<i>Tamias striatus</i>) in the Adirondack Mountains. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology No. 265. 107 pp.
  13. Gashwiler, J. S. 1965. Longevity and home range of a Townsend chipmunk. Journal of Mammalogy 46:693.
  14. Hall, E. R. 1981a. The Mammals of North America, second edition. Vols. I &amp; II. John Wiley &amp; Sons, New York, New York. 1181 pp.
  15. Jackson, H. H. 1961. Mammals of Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison. 504 pp.
  16. Jameson, E. W., Jr. 1999. Host-ectoparasite relationships among North American chipmunks. Acta Theriologica 44:225-231.
  17. Jones, J. K., Jr., R. S. Hoffman, D. W. Rice, C. Jones, R. J. Baker, and M. D. Engstrom. 1992a. Revised checklist of North American mammals north of Mexico, 1991. Occasional Papers, The Museum, Texas Tech University, 146:1-23.
  18. Levenson, H., et al. 1985. Systematics of the Holarctic chipmunks (<i>Tamias</i>). J. Mammalogy 66:219-242.
  19. New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. 1985. Handbook of species endangered in New Mexico.
  20. Oxley, D. J., M. B. Fenton and G. R. Carmody. 1974. The effects of roads on populations of small mammals. Journal of Applied Ecology 11: 51-59.
  21. Patterson, B. D. 1984. Geographic variation and taxonomy of Colorado and Hopi chipmunks (genus EUTAMIAS). J. Mamm. 65:442-456.
  22. Patterson, B. D., and R. W. Norris. 2016. Towards a uniform nomenclature for ground squirrels: the status of the Holarctic chipmunks. Mammalia 80(3):241-251.
  23. Piaggio, A. J., and G. S. Spicer. 2001. Molecular phylogeny of the chipmunks inferred from mitochondrial cytochrome b and cytochrome oxidase II gene sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 20:335-350.
  24. Roberts, D. R. 1962. Rodent movements in a cutover forest of the Sierra Nevada, California. Ph.D. thesis, University of California, Berkeley.
  25. Sheppard, D. 1972. Home ranges of chipmunks (<i>Eutamias</i>) in Alberta. Journal of Mammalogy 53:379- 380.
  26. Storer, T. I., F. C. Evans, and F. G. Palmer. 1944. Some rodent populations in the Sierra Nevada of California. Ecological Monographs 14:166-192.
  27. Sutton, D. A. 1992. Tamias amoenus. Am. Soc. Mamm., Mammalian Species No. 390:1-8.
  28. Wadsworth, C. E. 1972. Observations of the Colorado chipmunk in southeastern Utah. Southwestern Naturalist 16:451-454.
  29. Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/.
  30. Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 2005. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Third edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. Two volumes. 2,142 pp. [As modified by ASM the Mammal Diversity Database (MDD) at https://www.mammaldiversity.org/index.html]