Townsend's chipmunk
{{Short description|Species of rodent}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Townsend's chipmunk
| image = {{random item|Tamias_townsendii_4516.JPG|Townsend%27s_Chipmunk_1965vv.jpg}}
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Neotamias
| species = townsendii
| authority = (Bachman, 1839)
| synonyms = Tamias townsendii Bachman, 1839
| range_map = Tamias townsendii distribution map.png
}}
Townsend's chipmunk (Neotamias townsendii) is a species of rodent in the squirrel family, Sciuridae. It lives in the forests of the Pacific Northwest of North America, from extreme southwestern British Columbia through western Washington and western Oregon. Townsend's chipmunk is named after John Kirk Townsend, an early 19th-century ornithologist.Ornithology of the United States of North America, John Kirk Townsend, 1839
Description
A large chipmunk, adults can be {{convert|36|cm|in|abbr=on}} from nose to the tip of its tail. In much of its range, it is the only chipmunk; it can be identified by its tail which is grayish above and reddish below, and by its brown coloration with indistinct tawny stripes.
Biology
File:Neotamias townsendii 02 MWNH 742.jpg
Townsend's chipmunk hibernates in regions where the winter is harsh, but in other parts of its range that have a more mild climate it can be active year-round. It is omnivorous, eating a variety of plants and insects and even birds' eggs.{{cite book
|last = Hartson
|first = Tamara
|title = Squirrels of the West
|publisher = Lone Pine Publishing
|year = 1999
|pages = 22, 12–56
|isbn = 1-55105-215-6}}
Townsend's chipmunks in the Oregon Coast Range have higher population densities in areas with dense shrubbery, especially salal (Gaultheria shallon).{{Cite journal
| last1 = Hayes
| first1 = John P.
| last2 = Horvath
| first2 = Eric G.
| last3 = Hounihan
| first3 = Patrick
| title = Townsend's chipmunk populations in Douglas-fir plantations and mature forests in the Oregon Coast Range
| journal = Canadian Journal of Zoology
| volume = 73
| pages = 67–73
| publisher = National Research Council
| location = Ottawa
| date = January 1995
| url = http://rparticle.web-p.cisti.nrc.ca/rparticle/AbstractTemplateServlet?calyLang=eng&journal=cjz&volume=73&year=1995&issue=1&msno=z95-008
| issn = 1480-3283
| access-date = 16 January 2010
| doi=10.1139/z95-008}} In the summer and early fall, Townsend's chipmunks eat blackberries, salal berries, and thimble berries. In the late fall, they eat acorns, huckleberries, maple seeds, thistle seeds, grain seeds, grass, roots, and conifer seeds.{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}}
References
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{{Taxonbar|from1=Q24662794|from2=Q1768062}}
Category:Mammals described in 1839
Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
Category:Taxa named by John Bachman