California mammals

Bailey's Pocket Mouse in California

Chaetodipus baileyi

Native to California

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

IUCN Red List status

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Photo: Olivia Guswiler · CC BY 4.0Bailey's pocket mouse on desert soilPhoto: Olivia Guswiler · CC BY 4.0Bailey's pocket mouse beside rocks and seed husksPhoto: Juan Cruzado Cortés · CC BY-SA 4.0Bailey's pocket mouse in rocky desert coverPhoto: Olivia Guswiler · CC BY 4.0Bailey's pocket mouse from above on desert gravel

Photo: Olivia Guswiler · CC BY 4.0Bailey's pocket mouse on desert soilPhoto: Olivia Guswiler · CC BY 4.0Bailey's pocket mouse beside rocks and seed husksPhoto: Juan Cruzado Cortés · CC BY-SA 4.0Bailey's pocket mouse in rocky desert coverPhoto: Olivia Guswiler · CC BY 4.0Bailey's pocket mouse from above on desert gravel

Bailey's Pocket Mouse in California, by the numbers

Occasional in California 120th most recorded of 241 mammals logged in California

221 occurrence records

Records from 2000–2026.

221 total records count every California occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 220; the monthly chart covers the 220 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Bailey's Pocket Mouse in California

Most sightings fall in August to September.

220 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)

Month	Records
January	1
February	31
March	33
April	21
May	8
June	1
July	11
August	58
September	40
October	13
November	1
December	2

Monthly bailey's pocket mouse occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in California, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in California, with recorded sightings peaking in August–September.

Occurrence map

Where Bailey's Pocket Mouse has been recorded in California

220 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

220 California records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monument	iNaturalist records
Jacumba Wilderness Area	18
Chuckwalla Mountains Wilderness Area	3

Protected places with the most bailey's pocket mouse 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

County	Records
Imperial County	142
Riverside County	58
San Diego County	19
San Bernardino County	1
Other localities	1

The complete county distribution, spread across 4 California counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Bailey’s Pocket Mouse records in California fit dry scrub, rocky canyons, and sandy or gravelly ground.

Reports center on the Mojave and Colorado deserts, including Death Valley and the Joshua Tree region. They show where people have documented the species, and they don’t rank California’s best habitat.

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

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Full species profile Bailey's Pocket Mouse Chaetodipus baileyi Size 11.2–12.7 cm4.4–5 in Weight 24–38 g0.8–1.3 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
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"