Chipmunk vs. Squirrel - ardillas

Question

Is there any way to say "chipmunk" other than "ardilla listada"? And "squirrel" is just "ardilla"? Se llaman "ardillas" las dos animales o siempre se dice "ardilla listada" para la más chiquita?

If you were translating a children's book with pictures of a chipmunk on one page saying "Chipmunks have fun." and a squirrel on the next page saying "Squirrels have fun too." would you translate it "Ardillas listadas se divierten. Ardillas se divierten también"?

Thanks.

![squirrel][1]

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![chipmunk][1]

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Amazing photograph! (chipmunk) - Jsanthara, Jul 9, 2010

Answer 1

A chipmunk als o is called "tamia". Well if is just a tale for fun I'd say "las ardillitas rayadas..." (chipmunks) and "y las ardillas grises / cafés también.

Answer 2

I have seen the descriptive term "ardilla rayada" used for "chipmunk"! I believe this and the term you used is the only way to differentiate the two animals, but maybe a native has better insight.

Answer 3

Hahaha, I'm Mexican and we don't use that word for chipmunk! we are changing words all the time, just for fun, and that meaning could be gross, haha! We probably would say "ardilla" and "ardillita"... I loved the first answer, specially for a children's book.

I'm afraid your in poor position to chortle on behalf of all Mexicans however. Chichimoco is exactly the word that a Mexican friend from Chihuahua who has spent his entire life in the wilds as a cowboy shepherd and agriculturalist used when he saw one. - Cobaeno, Sep 6, 2013

Answer 4

I must admit I have always found the Spanish vocabulary relating to ground squirrels lacking in specificity. Then again, I suppose that if speakers of the language do not come across a certain group of animals, it makes sense that it would not seem to them a particularly pressing need to differentiate between them succinctly in their names. But the real point of this post was to share this picture. Pretty cute as far as rodents go.

Haha! Funny! Is that a ground-hog? - Sheily, Aug 19, 2010

Did you shoot it? I mean as in take his portrait yourself? - LateToDinner, Aug 19, 2010

I should say not, Late! Oh, I see. No, I didn't take the picture. ;) It's from Wikipedia. Rather a good shot, though, eh? - MacFadden, Aug 19, 2010

Actually, he's a rock chuck. Or Yellow-bellied Marmot. Or Marmota flaviventris. Depending on your preferred level of formality in rodent-naming. - MacFadden, Aug 19, 2010

Thought he might have been a souvenier from one of your rock climbing expeditions. - LateToDinner, Aug 19, 2010

I thought I saw you passing pitons to Schmitz and Madsen. - LateToDinner, Aug 19, 2010

You've hacked into my dreams and seen me climbing in Yosemite in the 60s! I need a better firewall. - MacFadden, Aug 19, 2010

Answer 5

A friend of mine just got back from Mexico where he picked up the word chichimoco for chipmunk. I think it's a lot cuter than ardilla listada but wonder if anyone besides people living in Mexico use it.

Answer 6

Hi, I'm dragging up an old thread here, but I've just been chatting online to a Spanish friend of mine. She saw some photos I took of squirrels and said she used to have an "ardilla coreana" as a pet. She didn't know what it was called in English but said it had stripes from head to tail, so I guess it could be a chipmunk. Has anyone else heard of this term?