California mammals

California Chipmunk in California

Neotamias obscurus

Native to California SNR Unranked in California

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

IUCN Red List status

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Photo: Oscar Dove · CC BY 4.0California Chipmunk (Neotamias obscurus)Photo: Scott Loarie from San Francisco, USA · CC BY 2.0California Chipmunk (Tamias obscurus) (8567007633)Photo: lallen · CC0California Chipmunk (Neotamias obscurus)Photo: CaracalShan · CC BY 4.0California Chipmunk (Neotamias obscurus)Photo: Trevor Van Loon · CC BY 4.0California Chipmunk (Neotamias obscurus)Photo: klicklo · CC BY 4.0California Chipmunk (Neotamias obscurus)

Photo: Oscar Dove · CC BY 4.0California Chipmunk (Neotamias obscurus)Photo: Scott Loarie from San Francisco, USA · CC BY 2.0California Chipmunk (Tamias obscurus) (8567007633)Photo: lallen · CC0California Chipmunk (Neotamias obscurus)Photo: CaracalShan · CC BY 4.0California Chipmunk (Neotamias obscurus)Photo: Trevor Van Loon · CC BY 4.0California Chipmunk (Neotamias obscurus)Photo: klicklo · CC BY 4.0California Chipmunk (Neotamias obscurus)

California Chipmunk in California, by the numbers

Occasional in California 141st most recorded of 241 mammals logged in California

115 occurrence records

108 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the California Chipmunk in California

Most sightings fall in April to May.

115 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	5
February	3
March	10
April	21
May	32
June	13
July	12
August	4
September	1
October	3
November	4
December	7

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

Seasonality

Year-round in California, with recorded sightings peaking in April–May.

Occurrence map

Where California Chipmunk has been recorded in California

115 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

115 California records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monument	iNaturalist records
Joshua Tree National Park	32
San Bernardino National Forest	16
Santa Rosa And San Jacinto National Monument	7

Protected places with the most california 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

County	Records
Riverside County	76
San Bernardino County	38
San Diego County	1

The complete county distribution, spread across 3 California counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

California Chipmunk records in California fit pine forest, chaparral, and rocky mountain slopes.

Reports center on southern California’s San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountains. They show where people have documented the species, and they don’t rank California’s best habitat.

Reports rise most clearly in Mar–Jun. 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 California Chipmunk Neotamias obscurus Size 20.8–24 cm8.2–9.4 in Weight 90 g3.2 oz 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"