Description: Alpine Chipmunks (Neotamias alpinus) are small, gray squirrels with dark and
light stripes on the face and back. On the back, the outer dark stripes are reddish, while the inner strips are blackish. The head and body are about 4-inches long, and the tail is about 3 inches long. There usually is a bit of orange on the sides.
This species lives in the high Sierra Nevada mountains of California at tree-line and above. They can be found in the highest forested areas, but only if the larger and darker Lodgepole Chipmunks are absent. Look for this species while hiking in Yosemite or near Mt. Whitney.
In the Las Vegas area, only chipmunks have stripes on the face, and chipmunks are equally at home on the ground and in the trees. |