| The least chipmunk is the smallest and most widely distributed North American chipmunk. It occurs in a variety of habitats, from coniferous forests to meadows to sagebrush desert, feeding primarily on seeds but also eating flowers, buds, leaves, grasses, fungi, and even insects, eggs, and carrion. Least chipmunks are diurnal, like all ground-dwelling members of squirrel family. They retreat to their burrows at night and spend the winter underground, periodically waking up to feed on stored food. They scatter-hoard, storing seeds all over the place, so they unwittingly help many species of plants sprout in new places.
Sexual Dimorphism:
Females are slightly larger than males.
Length:
Average:
201 mm
Range:
185-216 mm
Weight:
Average:
43.6 g
Range:
32-50 g
References:
Bachman, J., 1839. Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 8:71.
Links:
Mammal Species of the World
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Tamias minimus - southwest paler variant
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