Minnesota Seasons - Least Chipmunk

Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List

LC - Least Concern

NatureServe

N5 - Secure
SNR - Unranked

Minnesota

not listed

Description

Least chipmunk is the most widespread and also the smallest of the North American chipmunks. In Canada it occurs from Ontario to Yukon Territory. In the United States it occurs west of the Great Plains and in the upper Great Lakes region. In Minnesota it occurs in the Arrowhead and north-central regions and is absent from the remainder of the state. There are 21 subspecies of least chipmunk. Only one, Neotamias minimus neglectus, occurs in Minnesota. It is found at the edges and in the openings, clearcuts, and disturbed areas of coniferous and mixed forests.

The adult is 7¼″ to 8¾″ (185 to 222 mm) long and weighs 1.48 to 1.87 ounces (42 to 53 grams). It weighs about half as much as an eastern chipmunk. The coat (pelage) on the sides is reddish-brown in the front, grayish brown in the rear. The rump is grayish-brown. The belly is grayish-white. There are five dark brown or black stripes on the back separated by white or cream-colored stripes. The middle stripe stretches from the nape of the neck to the base of the tail. On each side of the face there are three dark brown stripes separated by two white or cream-colored stripes. The facial stripes are well defined and highly visible. The tail is 3″ to 4½″ (76 to 114 mm) long, orangish-brown, and bushy.

Size

Total length: 7¼″ to 8¾″ (185 to 222 mm)

Head and body: 3⅝″ to 4½″ (93 to 114 mm)

Tail: 3″ to 4½″ (76 to 114 mm)

Sign

Similar Species

Habitat

Edges, openings, clearcuts, and disturbed areas within coniferous and mixed forests

Ecology

Behavior

When running it holds its tail erect.

Lifespan

10 years

Life Cycle

Least chipmunk nests under stumps, logs, and rocks. It winters in a burrow it digs that reaches up to one meter underground.

Food

Seeds, nuts, fruits, acorns, snails, insect eggs and larvae, and small birds and mammals

Distribution
		Sources 24, 29, 30. Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu, 12/24/2025). Timm, R. M. 1975. Distribution, natural history, and parasites of mammals of Cook County, Minnesota. Occasional Papers, Bell Museum of Natural History, University of Minnesota 14:1–56. Hazard, Evan B. 1982. The Mammals of Minnesota. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 280 pp. The counties in light green lack modern records but have historic county or township specimens or records.
12/14/2025





Occurrence
Common

Taxonomy

Class

Mammalia (Mammals)

Subclass

Theria

Infraclass

Placentalia (Placental Mammals)

Magnorder

Boreoeutheria

Superorder

Euarchontoglires (Primates, Rodents, and Allies)

Order

Rodentia (Rodents)

Suborder

Sciuromorpha (Squirrels, Dormice, and Mountain Beavers)

Family

Sciuridae (Squirrels)

Subfamily

Xerinae (Ground and African Tree Squirrels)

Tribe

Tamiini (Chipmunks)

Genus

Neotamias (Western Chipmunks)

Genus

Three subgenera were of the genus Tamias were previously recognized: Neotamias, Tamias, and Eutamias. A recent analysis (DeGruyter, 2015) showed an earlier evolutionary divergence of Neotamias from Tamias and Eutamias. The three subgenera were raised to genus level. Eutamias now contains a single living species, the Siberian chipmunk (Eutamias sibiricus). Noetamias now contains 23 species, mostly occurring in western North America. Tamias now contains just a single living species, the eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus). Many sources, including ITIS, NCBI, The Taxonomicon, and Mammal Species of the World, continue to place all chipmunks in a subgenus of the genus Tamias.

Subordinate Taxa

Badlands chipmunk (Neotamias minimus ssp. cacodemus)

Bighorn chipmunk (Neotamias minimus ssp. confinis)

Cary’s chipmunk (Neotamias minimus ssp. caryi)

Chuska Mountain chipmunk (Neotamias minimus ssp. chuskaensis)

common least chipmunk (Neotamias minimus ssp. minimus)

flathead least chipmunk (Neotamias minimus ssp. oreocetes)

gray-headed chipmunk (Neotamias minimus ssp. caniceps)

Great Basin chipmunk (Neotamias minimus ssp. pictus)

Hudson Bay chipmunk (Neotamias minimus ssp. hudsonius)

Lake Superior chipmunk (Neotamias minimus ssp. jacksoni)

least chipmunk (Neotamias minimus ssp. grisescens)

least chipmunk (Neotamias minimus ssp. neglectus)

least chipmunk (Neotamias minimus ssp. scrutator)

least chipmunk (Neotamias minimus ssp. silvaticus)

lesser Arizona chipmunk (Neotamias minimus ssp. arizonensis)

lesser Colorado chipmunk (Neotamias minimus ssp. operarius)

northern interior d(Neotamias minimus ssp. borealis)

Peñasco least chipmunk (Neotamias minimus ssp. atristriatus)

Plains chipmunk (Neotamias minimus ssp. pallidus)

Selkirk least chipmunk (Neotamias minimus ssp. selkirki)

timberline chipmunk (Neotamias minimus ssp. oreocetus)

Wasatch chipmunk (Neotamias minimus ssp. consobrinus)

Synonyms

Eutamias minimus

Tamias minimus

Common Names

least chipmunk

Glossary

Pelage

The coat of a mammal, consisting of fur, wool, or hair, and including a soft undercoat and stiff guard hairs.

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Ramona Abrego

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Ramona Abrego
4/26/2015

Location: Cook County Gunflint Trail

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Least chipmunk