| Eastern Chipmunk | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Range | Southern Canada, Eastern US |
| Scientific Classification | |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Rodentia |
| Family | Sciuridae |
| Genus | Tamias |
| Species | Tamias striatus |
| Conservation Status | |
 Least Concern | |
The eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) is a chipmunk species found in eastern North America. It is the only living member of the chipmunk subgenus Tamias, sometimes recognized as a separate genus. The word "chipmunk" was first attested in 1832 which was influenced by chipping squirrel from earlier chitmunk which is from older Ojibwe ačitamo˙nˀ meaning "squirrels" with a literal meaning of "those who descend headlong" which is a compound. It was first described by Mark Catesby in his 1743 The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands. The chipmunk was first classified as Sciurus striatus by Linnaeus, meaning "striped shadetail" in Greek. The scientific name was changed to Tamias striatus, meaning "striped steward," by Johann Illiger in 1811.