California mammals

Alpine Chipmunk in California

Neotamias alpinus

Native to California S3 Vulnerable in California

Not listed as nonindigenous in California by USGS NAS; native to its California range.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Close-up alpine chipmunk peering around orange pine bark, dark eye-stripe and pale flank stripes visibleAlpine Chipmunk Family - 1Alpine Chipmunk (Neotamias alpinus)Alpine Chipmunk (Neotamias alpinus)Alpine Chipmunk (Neotamias alpinus)Alpine Chipmunk (Neotamias alpinus)
Photo: Eric Sonstroem · CC BY 2.0Close-up alpine chipmunk peering around orange pine bark, dark eye-stripe and pale flank stripes visiblePhoto: Eric Sonstroem · CC BY 2.0Alpine Chipmunk Family - 1Photo: Rusty · CC BY 4.0Alpine Chipmunk (Neotamias alpinus)Photo: Oscar Dove · CC BY 4.0Alpine Chipmunk (Neotamias alpinus)Photo: Trevor Van Loon · CC BY 4.0Alpine Chipmunk (Neotamias alpinus)Photo: Trevor Van Loon · CC BY 4.0Alpine Chipmunk (Neotamias alpinus)

Alpine Chipmunk in California, by the numbers

Occasional in California 156th most recorded of 241 mammals logged in California

53 occurrence records
51 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the Alpine Chipmunk in California

Most sightings fall in July.

53 California occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly California records (table)
MonthRecords
January0
February0
March0
April0
May2
June7
July20
August9
September13
October2
November0
December0

Monthly alpine chipmunk occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in California, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in California, with recorded sightings peaking in July, with a smaller rise in September.

Occurrence map

Where Alpine Chipmunk has been recorded in California

53 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

53 California records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Yosemite National Park 18
John Muir Wilderness 7
Ansel Adams Wilderness 6
Hoover Wilderness 5
Sequoia National Park 4

Protected places with the most alpine chipmunk sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in California

CountyRecords
Mono County 22
Tuolumne County 17
Tulare County 5
Inyo County 3
Mariposa County 2
Fresno County 2
Madera County 1
Los Angeles County 1

The complete county distribution, spread across 8 California counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Alpine Chipmunk records in California fit cool conifer forest, rocky slopes, and mountain meadows.

Reports center on the Sierra Nevada high country, with records separated from California’s hot lowlands. They show where people have documented the species, and they don’t rank California’s best habitat.

Reports rise most clearly in Jun–Sep. That pattern can reflect animal movements, weather, and observer effort, so it isn’t a population count.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Close-up alpine chipmunk peering around orange pine bark, dark eye-stripe and pale flank stripes visible
Full species profile Alpine Chipmunk Neotamias alpinus Size 16.6–20.3 cm6.5–8 in Weight 27–45 g1–1.6 oz Lifespan 3 yr View the full profile

More mammals in California in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"