336 Tamias rufuspostauricular patches. The sides and the feet are bright pale
reddish orange. The venter is buff to pale orange. The tail is
grizzled charcoal suff used with reddish on the dorsal sur-
face, and a bright red orange with a black border on the ven-
tral side.
size: Both sexes—Body 120 mm (93–148 mm); Head 35.1 mm
(34.5–35.7 mm); Mass 59.3 g in September, 47.9 g in March.
Females are slightly larger than males.
distribution: This species is found in eastern Utah, west-
ern Colorado, and northeastern Arizona.
geographic variation: None.
conservation: IUCN status—least concern. Population
trend—stable.
habitat: Hopi chipmunks are found in various rocky habi-
tats, although most often in open pinyon-juniper (Pinus, Ju-
niperus) woodlands.
natural history: This species is diurnal. T. rufus likely
does not hibernate; rather, it enters into short bouts of torpor
during extreme weather and will emerge from burrows on
warm winter days or feed on cached food stores near its nest.
Hopi chipmunks do store more fat (10%–20% of their body
mass) than most western North American chipmunks, sug-
gesting the potential for prolonged torpor or perhaps hiber-
nation. Males are reproductively active from February to late
April; mating typically occurs in February and March. A sin-
gle litter of about fi ve young is produced in nests after a gesta-
tion of 30–33 days. The young emerge from nests in May and
are weaned after 6–7 weeks. Growth is somewhat slow, and
sexual maturity is not reached until 10–11 months of age; thus
reproduction does not occur until individuals are yearlings.
Nests are often in burrows beneath rocks or shrubs or in
crevices. Hopi chipmunks are primarily herbivores, feeding
heavily on the seeds of forbs, shrubs, and trees; but they are
opportunistic and will eat other plant parts, fungi, and in-
sects. Individuals have home ranges of 1.0–1.3 ha that include
many trees and shrubs, as well as cliff s, which the squirrels
climb in search of food. T. rufus collects seeds in its cheek
pouches and retreats to the cover of trees, shrubs, or rocks to
feed. It caches seeds under rocks or in crevices. This species’
primary predators are probably coyotes (Canis latrans), foxes,
weasels, raptors, and snakes. Hopi chipmunks are not hunted
or trapped; however, they can become a nuisance in crop-
lands, gardens, and campgrounds.general references: Burt and Best 1994; Root et al. 2001.Tamias sene x (J. A. Allen, 1890)
Shadow Chipmunkdescription: Among Tamia s, this species is noted for its
large size, but the body size and pelage characteristics of T.
senex vary throughout its range (see below). It is distin-
guished by a grayish wash on the head and the dorsal hind-Tamias rufus. Photo courtesy Doris Potter / Focus on Nature
Tour s, In c.