Palmer's Chipmunk (Tamias palmeri)

The Palmer's Chipmunk

Palmer’s Chipmunk (Tamias palmeri) currently has protection under the Spring Mountain Conservation act in Nevada. This act allows scientists and researchers to track the animals and prevent them from being endangered and added to the international and/or federal lists. The animals are actually most endangered by Las Vegas tourism and visitors to the beautiful mountain range.

Palmer’s Chipmunk is located only on Mount Charleston in the Spring Mountains, west of Las Vegas, Nevada. Chipmunks usually live on the ground or in underground burrows. Some of these burrows are extremely long and can be up to 30 feet in length (9 meters). These lengthy burrows help the chipmunk hide from predators. Interestingly, the chipmunk will dig and then carry the un-needed dirt out of the tunnel in the pouches in their mouths.

The Palmer’s Chipmunk usually grows to be about 8-11 inches (20-27 cm) and weighs about 3-5 ounces. They are covered with reddish-brown fur, ranging to a more gray shade towards the shoulders with black stripes down the back. They also have a furry tail and white underbelly. There are also cheek pouches that open up into their mouths, and Chipmunks can stuff these pouches so full that they can be as large as the chipmunk’s head and reach almost back to the shoulders. The name "chipmunk" comes from the noises they make, making a loud noise that sounds like ‘chip’ and other trill-type noises.

Chipmunks are omnivorous and will eat both meat and plant materials to supplement their diets. They will often steal bird eggs and eat insects, sometimes even going after a smaller mammal, like a mouse. They also eat many different kinds of plants and seeds, mushrooms, and nuts. They store their food, constantly gathering a store for the winter. They hibernate for most of the winter, sometimes ranging out of their burrows on warmer winter days and snacking on their stored food supply.

Palmer’s Chipmunk usually mates in the spring. Chipmunk males will often fight for the female’s favor, and the gestation only lasts about 30 days. Babies are usually born in midsummer and then can breed the following spring. A chipmunk’s life span is usually only about a year.

Chipmunks are the natural prey for many larger predators, such as weasels, owls, foxes, and snakes. They are constantly on alert for these predators, and their good sense of smell, sight, and hearing help them to escape quickly into the protection of their underground burrows.

Further Information on Palmer's Chipmunk:

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Bibliography:
Spring Mountains Conservation Plan Celebrated © 1998. August 5, 2004.http://pacific.fws.gov/news/1998/9844nr.htm
Keith Rogers, Las Vegas Review Journal. Cohabitation Compact Signed © 04/14/98.
Anderson, R. and J. Stephens. 2002. Tamias striatus (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed August 05, 2004 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Tamias_striatus.html.
Chipmunk. Encarta Encyclopedia, © 2000.