Fun Yellow-pine Chipmunk Facts For Kids

Some rodents or mammals can be annoying pests and may scare the daylights out of a person, but some can be really cute looking and even funny to some. Their food habits are also annoying as they feed on shrubs.

One such rodent mammal that has a very and frequent TV appearance is a chipmunk. A lot of people may not think that a chipmunk is a rodent conifer species, but it is definitely a cute one!

These chipmunks belong to the family Sciuridae and the order Rodentia. Yellow-pine chipmunks (Neotamias amoenus) are native to North America and are found in Canada and the United States.

Their scientific name is Neotamias amoenus and these animals were first discussed and described by J A Allen in 1890. The preferred habitat range for yellow-pine chipmunk (Tamias amoenus) can be found in abundance across the United States and Canada.

Here are some of the most interesting facts about the yellow-pine chipmunk (Neotamias amoenus), a chipmunk species of Least Concern in terms of conservation status. Afterward, do check our other articles on eastern chipmunk and least chipmunk as well.

Yellow-Pine Chipmunk Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a yellow-pine chipmunk?

A yellow-pine chipmunk (Tamias amoenus) is a rodent of the Rodentia family, native to the North American continent, namely the USA and Canada. J. A.  Allen first named and described these chipmunks in 1890.

What class of animal does a yellow-pine chipmunk belong to?

A yellow-pine chipmunk (Tamias amoenus) is a rodent and belongs to the class Mammalia in the phylum Chordata and kingdom Animalia. Further, the yellow-pine chipmunk (Tamias amoenus) belongs to the family Sciuridae, the family of squirrels in the order Rodentia. The characteristic feature of these chipmunks is a pair of incisors in both the upper and lower jaw.

How many yellow-pine chipmunks are there in the world?

The yellow-pine chipmunk (Tamias amoenus) is present in abundance across its home ranges in North America. The yellow-pine chipmunk (Tamias amoenus) is found dawdling in pine trees and gardens, and feeding and communicating with others of their species using their vocal abilities.

There is no proper count of the population of Tamias amoenus (yellow-pine chipmunk), but they are found in good numbers in their habitat range.

Where does a yellow-pine chipmunk live?

A yellow pine chipmunk (Tamias amoenus) is a terrestrial being and prefers temperate regions to survive in its habitat. Tamias amoenus (yellow-pine chipmunk) habitat range can be found in meadows, shrubs, and rocky outcrops. These chipmunks mostly prefer brushy coniferous forests across the United States and Canada for their habitat range.

What is a yellow-pine chipmunk's habitat?

The Tamias amoenus (yellow pine chipmunk) habitat range is in nests found in log crevices, stumps, and snags of ponderosa pine. Tamias amoenus (yellow-pine chipmunk) are mostly occupants of regions with shrubs that are home to serviceberry, currant, antelope brush, and buckbrush.

Who do yellow-pine chipmunks live with?

Yellow-pine chipmunks (Tamias amoenus ), like any other chipmunks, prefer living solitary in their habitat range. Tamias amoenus (yellow-pine chipmunk) comes together with its partner during the mating season. However, they are mostly found in logs where they nest and collect as many as 165 acorns at a time.  

How long does a yellow-pine chipmunk live?

The Tamias amoenus (yellow-pine chipmunk)is easy prey for birds of prey. Owing to this reason, it doesn't have a really long life. On average, a yellow-pine chipmunk (Tamias amoenus ) may live for around five years, and the young ones only have a 30 % survival rate.

How do they reproduce?

The yellow-pine chipmunk (Tamias amoenus) is a polyandrous animal from order Rodentia and reaches reproductive maturity after 12-23 months from their birth. Each year, a female goes in estrous period for one day.

On a mating day, the females are chased by many males which is called a mating chase.

Late April or early May is the preferred breeding season period. After the mating process is completed in its habitat areas, the female undergoes a gestation period of 30 days and gives birth to a litter size featuring anywhere from three to eight young ones.

What is their conservation status?

A  Tamias amoenus (yellow-pine chipmunk) doesn't really have special conservation status and is considered as a Least Concern species according to the IUCN Red List. Besides, there are no possible threats facing Tamias amoenus (yellow-pine chipmunk), except for deforestation. There is a slight threat from potential predators like hawks, and bobcats that eat this chipmunk.

Yellow-Pine Chipmunk Fun Facts

What do yellow-pine chipmunks look like?

The yellow-pine chipmunk (Tamias amoenus) has a dark reddish body color and sort of cinnamon color to them. Their body has visible light and dark stripes. The outer stripes are creamy in appearance, and the median stripes are smoky gray in appearance.

Their head has three dark stripes on each side and two lighter ones in between. Also, their crown is smoky gray or black in appearance. Females are usually larger in body measurements in comparison to a male, but both have the same coloring.

How cute are they?

Chipmunks are absolutely adorable and cute creatures. The way these animals break nuts and eat from them in a manner that looks like their head is misshapen is even cuter. Besides, the animation industry has shown them in a very funny and cute way through virtual media. This is one reason why many people find them cute.  

How do they communicate?

There are a lot of ways and areas through which these chipmunks communicate. One is through chemical secretions that are the release of pheromones. The yellow-pine chipmunk (Tamias amoenus) also communicates through visuals, particularly during the mating season. Yellow-pine chipmunks communicate with their mates in a non-aggressive manner by sniffing each other's cheeks and touching noses.

How big is a yellow-pine chipmunk?

A female Tamias amoenus (yellow-pine chipmunk) is bigger in size than a male chipmunk. On average, an amoenus yellow pine chipmunk may measure in the range of 7.1-9.6 in (18-24.4 cm) in length.

How fast can a yellow-pine chipmunk run?

On average, yellow-pine chipmunks run at a speed range of around 21 mph (33.8 kph). Yellow pine chipmunks are quadrupedal beings and use both pairs of limbs for running. Their average basal metabolic rate is 0.5 W.

How much does a yellow-pine chipmunk weigh?

Female yellow-pine chipmunks are more stout and bulky than male yellow pine chipmunks. An average adult yellow-pine chipmunk's average body mass may fall somewhere in the range of 1.1-2.5 oz (30-70 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

Male and female yellow-pine chipmunks do not really have separate names. They are known as male yellow-pine chipmunks and female yellow-pine chipmunks. There are a few physical features that can be used as indicators to spot males and females.

What would you call a baby yellow-pine chipmunk?

A baby yellow-pine chipmunk is referred to as a pup. The pups are born hairless, blind, and measure the size of jelly beans. The juveniles leave their parents and go on to find their own burrow after eight to 12 months of birth.

What do they eat?

Yellow-pine chipmunks have an omnivorous diet. Yellow-pine chipmunks feed on a variety of seeds, almost 59 types of seeds. These animals also feed on insects, eggs, plants, and fungi. During the fall season, yellow-pine chipmunks collect a lot of food such as bumblebees and seeds, to feed on in winter.

Are they poisonous?

Chipmunks are not exactly poisonous, but one needs to be really careful because these are rodents and are hosts to a number of deadly viruses and diseases such as hantavirus, plague, and rabies.

Would they make a good pet?

They are illegal to be a pet in many countries.

Did you know...

Chipmunks hibernate and enter a torpor state when winter approaches and the temperature drops below 73.4 F (23 C)  and the photoperiod starts decreasing. In this period of hibernation, these mammals may emerge every five to seven days to feed on the caches where they keep their stored seeds and food.

These mammals regularly brush their fur, take dust baths, and wash their faces.

In western Montana, these chipmunks can be found in areas with open stands of ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir.

Is a yellow-pine chipmunk a predator?

A yellow-pine chipmunk is not a predator, but it is itself prey to a variety of predators such as various birds of prey. Even house cats lookout for these rodents to prey on.

Does California have chipmunks?

California chipmunk's binomial name is Neotamias obscurus.  These rodents are found in Baja California, Mexico, and also in southern California in the USA.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Siberian chipmunk facts and red-tailed chipmunk facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable yellow-pine chipmunk coloring pages.