Merriam's chipmunk
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Merriam's chipmunk (''Neotamias merriami'') is a species of
rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...
in the family
Sciuridae Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...
. It is found in central and southern
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in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and a small area in northern
Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...
,
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. The dental formula for Tamias merriami is


Reproduction

When mating, females attract males by calling to them. The duration of the female call is ten to fifteen minutes. A male will hear the call and respond to it by running to and jumping around the female. The female then squats down, and the male performs 12-24 thrusts. The entire process of mating lasts about fifteen seconds.


References

Neotamias Mammals described in 1889 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{ground-squirrel-stub