Red Squirrel

 

Beauty Of Animal | Red Squirrel | The red squirrel is somewhat smaller than the eastern grey squirrel which has a head-and-body length of 25 to 30 cm (9.5 to 12 in) and weighs between 400 and 800 g (14 oz to 1.8 lb) The coat of the red squirrel varies in colour with time of year and location. There are several different coat colour morphs ranging from black to red.  The underside of the squirrel is always white-cream in colour. The red squirrel sheds its coat twice a year, switching from a thinner summer coat to a thicker, darker winter coat with noticeably larger ear-tufts (a prominent distinguishing feature of this species) between August and November. A lighter, redder overall coat colour, along with the larger ear-tufts (in adults) and much smaller size, distinguish the Eurasian red squirrel from the American eastern grey squirrel.

The red squirrel, like most tree squirrels, has sharp, curved claws to enable it to climb and descend broad tree trunks, thin branches and even house walls. Its strong hind legs enable it to leap gaps between trees.The red squirrel also has the ability to swim.

Usually multiple males will chase a single female until the dominant male, usually the largest in the group, mates with the female. Males and females will mate multiple times with many partners. Females must reach a minimum body mass before they enter œstrus, and heavy females on average produce more young.
breeding may be delayed. Typically a female will produce her first litter in her

Ecology and behaviour

The red squirrel is found in both coniferous forest and temperate broadleaf woodlands.  The red squirrel is a solitary animal and is shy and reluctant to share food with others. However, outside the breeding season and particularly in winter, several red squirrels may share a drey to keep warm. The active period for the red squirrel is in the morning and in the late afternoon and evening. . The red fox, cats and dogs can prey upon the red squirrel when it is on the ground. Humans influence the population size and mortality of the red squirrel by destroying or altering habitats, by causing road casualties, and by controlling populations of grey squirrels.

The red squirrel is protected in most of Europe, as it is listed in Appendix III of the Bern Convention; it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Eradication of the grey squirrel from the North Wales Island of Anglesey began in January 1998. This facilitated the natural recovery of the small remnant red squirrel population and was followed by the successful reintroduction of the red squirrel into the pine stands of Newborough Forest.  Subsequent reintroductions into broadleaved woodland followed and today the island has the single largest red squirrel population in Wales. Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour is also populated by exclusively red squirrels (approximately 200 individuals).

Mainland initiatives in Southern Scotland and the North of England also rely upon grey squirrel control as the cornerstone of red squirrel conservation strategy.  This programme is administered by the Grampian Squirrel Society, with an aim of protecting the red squirrel; the programme centres on the Banchory and Cults areas. In 2008, the Scottish Wildlife Trust announced a four year project which commenced in the spring of 2009 called "Saving Scotland's Red Squirrels" A significant drop in red squirrel populations in the area has been observed since 1970, and it is feared that the eastern grey squirrel may expand into the rest of Europe.

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Allen's Chipmunk

Beauty Of Animal | Allen's Chipmunk |  Allen’s Chipmunk hibernates from November to mid-March. Before hibernation it gains an average of 20 percent of its body weight, depositing layers of fat under the skin and around internal organs. In contrast to other chipmunks, Allen’s is a heavy fungus feeder, but it also eats, in much lower amounts, insects and some vegetative material. This chipmunk was previously considered a subspecies of Townsend’s Chipmunk, but is now recognized as a separate species based on penis-bone morphology and its calls. The calls include an excited bark consisting of three to five notes in a series and a single-syllable chip. These calls also help distinguish Allen’s from the Yellow-cheeked and Siskiyou chipmunks.

description A large chipmunk, with grayish fur, especially on head, rump, and thighs. Varies from overall dark coloration with obscure back stripes along coast to olive-grayish coloration with conspicuous stripes in Nevada mountains. Usually markings on body relatively indistinct, except dark middle stripe on back. In winter, dark back stripes are black mixed with brown, with middle stripe darkest. In summer, pair of light stripes often tinged with pinkish buff in middle of back. Conspicuous white spot behind ears. Tail pale tawny underneath with indistinct buffy edging. 

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Merriam's Chipmunk

Beauty Of Animal | Merriam's Chipmunk  | Merriam's chipmunks (Tamias merriami) are distributed throughout central and southern California. In particular, they occurs below 2700 m in the South Coast, Transverse, Peninsular, and Southern Sierra Nevada ranges. (Harvey and Polite, 1999) Merriam's chipmunks occur in habitats that have trees, shrubs, logs, stumps, snags, rocks, and litter. An important factor is understory brush that they use for foraging. These animals inhabit chaparral, oak and pine forests, thickets by streams, and are often found around rock outcroppings. They also inhibit a wide variety of habitats if there are no competing species, such as black bears, mule deer, wild pigs, deer mice, kangaroo rats, and woodrats. (Best and Granai, 1994)

Merriam's chipmunks are grayish-brown, with dark stripes of equal width on the dorsal area. The stripes are typically gray or brown, rarely black. The belly and cheeks are white. The tail is long and bushy, and is usually edged with dull white. The average length of the head and body is 134.6 mm. Length of tail is 109.5 mm. The average mass is 71.8 g from males and 77.8 g for females. Hind foot length averages 35.8 mm. The length of the rostrum is 14.1 mm. Braincase length is 24.2 mm. The length of the maxillary tooth-row is 5.9 mm. The length of nasals is 12.1 mm for males and 12.6 mm for females. Width of nasals is 2.5 mm. The depth of the cranium is 14.7 mm. The dental formula for Merriam's chipmunks is i 1/1, c 0/0, p 2/1, m 3/3 = 22. (Best and Granai, 1994)

Merriam's chipmunk seems to follow Gloger's rule. The darker populations occur in the humid coastal areas of the redwood forests from San Francisco Bay southward. The palest populations are in single-leaf pinyon forests in Walker Pass in the semi-arid Kern Basin and on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada. (Best and Granai, 1994) The nature of the mating system in T. merriami has not been reported. However, the act of mating has been well described. Females attract males by calling to them. Females call for 10 to 20 minutes intervals. These intervals of calling may take up 3 to 4 hours of a female's day. A male will approach a calling female and perform a display. During this display, the male runs and leaps around the female. Then he will nuzzle his face on the female's face. The female may go into a crouching postion, allowing the male to mount her. In one instance, copulation consisted of four series of pelvic thrusts. There were 12 to 24 thrusts in each series, and each series of thrusts lasted about four seconds. After each series, the male rested and brushed his face side to side on the back of the female's neck. The entire copulation lasted for about 18 seconds. (Callahan and Compton, 1995)

Merriam's chipmunks breed from mid-January to June, with a peak during April. Gestation is about thirty-two days. Average litter size is four, but ranges from three to eight. Females have one litter per year. Mothers spend most of their time with their young for about two weeks. Nests are made in logs, stumps, snags, and burrows. Males that survive the breeding season are usually in poor condition. They will go to their burrows to recover in May and stay there until August or September. (Best and Granai, 1994; Harvey and Polite, 1999)

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Cliff Chipmunk-Neotamias Dorsalis

Beauty Of Animal | Cliff Chipmunk-Neotamias Dorsalis | The cliff chipmunk "Neotamias dorsalis", is common in many types of habitat, ranging from saltbrush to pine forests, in western, central, and northeastern Utah. The species also occurs in parts of Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico. The cliff chipmunk is primarily a ground-dwelling species, but individuals will occasionally climb trees to look for food.

Cliff chipmunks eat seeds, nuts, and fruits. The species mates in the spring, and litters of three to six young are born in the late spring or early summer. During the summer, cliff chipmunks are most active during the early morning and late afternoon. In Utah, individuals of the species are inactive during the winter, when they retreat to their underground burrows to hibernate.


Habitat: Chipmunks are lively and familiar animals, active by day and tolerant of people. In fact, they readily become beggars in picnic grounds. They can live in a variety of habitats.
Diet: Their native diet is seeds, berries, flowers and insects. Food is stored for winter, and the animals usually do not come above ground while the snow lies above their home.
Reproduction: Chipmunks have a single litter of five to eight tiny, naked young per year; born in early summer after a gestation period of about 30 days. The young are weaned 40 to 50 days old. Chipmunks are the smallest of ground squirrels, and Colorado is home to five species.

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The Beauty Gray-collared Chipmunk

Beauty Of Animal | The Beauty Gray-collared Chipmunk  | Description Dark, grayish, with paler gray neck and shoulders. Prominently gray cheeks, upper back, and shoulders are unique among chipmunks. 5 well-defined black or brown stripes and 4 pale stripes usually present on back; outer stripes may be hard to discern. L 8 1/4–9 7/8" (208–250 mm); T 3 1/8–4 1/2" (80–115 mm); HF 1 1/4–1 3/8" (32–36 mm); Wt 2–3 oz (57–85 g).

Similar Species No other chipmunk has gray cheeks. Gray-footed Chipmunk has paler sides and browner outer back stripes. Least Chipmunk is smaller and less gray; lacks gray "collar." Cliff and Merriam’s chipmunks have indistinct striping on back. Colorado Chipmunk has gray only on shoulders.

Breeding Apparently mates late April–early May; gestation is at least 30 days. 1 litter per year of 4–6 young is born June–July and is aboveground by late July. Young begin eating solid food at 36–40 days and are weaned at 41–45 days. Habitat Ponderosa pine forests extending into spruce forests, especially around logs near clearings.

Range East-central Arizona and sw New Mexico.

Discussion The common and Latin species names of this small chipmunk refer to its pale gray "collar." Although the Gray-collared stores food prior to winter, it may or may not hibernate. If it occurs, hibernation is short, extending from late November to mid-March. The diverse diet of this species includes acorns, Douglas-fir seeds, currants, gooseberries, green vegetation, insects, and mushrooms and other fungi. A good climber, the Gray-collared Chipmunk is often seen in dense foliage. Its nests are located under logs, stumps, or roots, or in tree hollows. One chipmunk’s nest was found in a woodpecker hole.

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The Beauty Yellow-pine Chipmunk

Beauty Of Animal | The Beauty  Yellow-pine Chipmunk | In open forests where the sun casts sharp shadows, the well-defined stripes of the Yellow-pine Chipmunk afford protective coloration. Individuals of this species that were observed in Washington State remained active about seven months and hibernated about five, waking to eat about every two weeks and emerging in April and May. One study indicated that 97 percent of the individuals survived a phenomenal rate of winter survival for a small mammal. Some individuals are active even on snow. This chipmunk lives in underground burrows, usually about 1 1/2 to 3 feet (450–900 mm) long and 7 to 21 inches (180–540 mm) deep in an open area within the forest; there is generally one entrance, though there may also be short side openings. Seeds, its most important food, are eaten as they are available early in the season when green and later when ripe.

When pinecones open in the fall, this chipmunk climbs trees to get the seeds. It also eats some insects and fungi. In Washington it apparently finds the thorns of the thistle no deterrent: First it eats the seeds from the head; then it cuts the head, which falls to the ground, and consumes it with impunity. In the fall the animal stuffs its cheek pouches with food to be stored in its burrows; one food cache contained an estimated 67,970 items, including 15 kinds of seeds, corn, and part of a bumblebee. It has at least 10 different calls; one sounds like a robin’s chirp and another, among the most common, is a sharp, accented kwist.

description Brightly colored, from tawny to pinkish cinnamon, with 5 distinct longitudinal dark stripes, usually black, that are evenly spaced and about equal in width. Central 3 dark stripes extend to rump; lateral 2 only to mid-body. Pale stripes are white or grayish. Distinct black lower eye stripe. Sides of body and underside of tail grayish yellow. Top of head brown. Ears blackish in front, whitish behind.

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The Beauty Of The Chipmunk

Beauty Of Animals | The Beauty Of The Chipmunk | Description  of Chipmunk : Chipmunks Tamias are easily recognized by the light and dark stripes on the back and head. They can be confused with some of the striped ground squirrels, but chipmunks are smaller, and have facial markings and five dark stripes on their backs, including a distinct, central line that extends forward onto the head. Ground squirrels do not have markings on the head.

The eastern chipmunk is a colourful and attractive rodent with bright russet on its hips, rump, and tail; black, grey, and white stripes on its back; brown, grey, and buff on its head; white underparts; and brown feet. The western chipmunk species are arrayed in shades of grey, brown, reddish, white, and buff and share a distinctive pattern of black, pale grey, and buff stripes, although in the Townsend’s chipmunk the colour contrasts of the stripes are masked by a warm brown overall wash. The red-tailed chipmunk is the most brightly coloured of the western species.

The eastern chipmunk is large (up to 125 g) with a relatively short tail (about one-third of the total length from its nose to the tip of its tail), whereas western chipmunks are smaller (about 55 g) with a relatively longer tail (nearly half the total length from its nose to the tip of its tail). The eastern chipmunk is between 20 and 30 cm long, and western species are 16 to 28 cm long.

Signs and sounds

Chipmunks are quite vocal. People walking in the woods do not always realize that they are hearing chipmunks, for some of the cries that chipmunks make are like bird chirps.

Biologists have not yet determined the meaning of all the chipmunk’s many calls. For example, when a chipmunk is startled, it runs quickly along the ground giving a rapid series of loud chips and squeaks. Perhaps this sudden burst of noise startles predators, helping the chipmunk to escape. Also, chipmunks frequently call with a high-pitched chip or chuck repeated over and over at intervals of one or two seconds. This scolding noise is often made by a chipmunk watching an intruder from a safe vantage point. Some scientists think that it may also be the mating call of the female chipmunk.


Habitat and habits  

All species of chipmunks in Canada live in forested areas. Most of them live in burrows and gather food on the ground, generally in areas where there are enough rocks, bushes, fallen logs, and piles of brush to shelter them from predators as they scamper about. Immature forests and the edges of forests near clearings, streams, ravines, and logging roads provide ample cover. Stands of tall, mature trees with no plants on the shady forest floor are unsuitable.

Chipmunks are fun to watch. They charm campers and hikers by their small size, their boldness in search of food, and their constant busyness. They are not hard to approach or photograph. An encounter with a chipmunk often provides a child with a captivating first experience of a wild mammal in its natural setting.

Surprisingly, in animals so quick to befriend curious children and delight all ages, chipmunks are solitary animals. Each chipmunk has its own burrow and ignores its fellows except when conflicts arise or during mating or when females care for their young.

Nevertheless, chipmunks are not territorial in the conventional sense. They use home ranges that overlap broadly (sometimes completely) and trespass repeatedly near each other’s burrows. Home ranges vary from 0.04 to 1.26 ha; usually those of adults are larger than those of juveniles and those of males larger than those of females. Boundaries change continually to include seasonally available food sources, but most animals probably maintain approximately the same home range from season to season.

Chipmunks spend most of their time in the part of their home range that includes their burrow, which is called their dominance area. Between these smaller areas there is no overlap. Within them the resident chipmunk is dominant and trespassers avoid interactions with the rightful owner, fleeing immediately if an encounter occurs. The boundaries of dominance areas are more stable than those of home ranges.

Most chipmunks construct tunnels and chambers in the ground. Entrances are well hidden under rocks or tangled bushes. Less typical are those western species that spend a fair amount of their time in trees and sometimes even nest in tree cavities.

Naturalists have dug up only a few burrows, all excavated by eastern chipmunks. Most of these consisted of a single entrance leading to an unbranched tunnel that sloped gradually down to a depth of 45 to 85 cm and ended in a rounded nest chamber, about 15 cm in diameter. In this chamber, the chipmunk had built a nest using insulating materials such as grasses, shredded leaves, or the fluffy seed heads of certain plants. Seeds and nuts stored beneath the nest provided a handy food supply for the coldest part of the winter. In a few cases, biologists unearthed complex burrow systems up to 4 m long with tunnels that branched and led to side tunnels and accessory chambers. In neither type of burrow was evidence of a latrine, or toilet area, found.

Chipmunks are known to be hibernators, even in the southern parts of their range. Near the end of July, they begin to collect and store large quantities of seeds. By October, each chipmunk has accumulated enough seeds to enable it to survive the winter.

With the onset of winter in November, chipmunks disappear below ground. At present, it is not known exactly what happens when chipmunks retire to their burrows for the winter. One view is that they immediately go into a torpid state. (In this state, the body temperature, rate of breathing, and rate of heartbeat drop to very low levels, reducing the amount of energy required to maintain the chipmunk.) Periods of torpor last from one to eight days, and perhaps longer. Between periods of torpor, chipmunks wake up and consume part of their food supply. They have occasionally been seen above ground on warm winter days. A second view is that chipmunks do not actually hibernate until their food supply has been exhausted.

With the first warm days of March, chipmunks begin to emerge, sometimes burrowing up through a metre of snow.

Unique characteristics

In Canada, in most years, chipmunks have only one breeding season and one litter, but in favourable years a small percentage of adult eastern chipmunks produces a second litter in the fall. In the southern United States, the production of two litters per year by both eastern and western chipmunks is not uncommon.

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