California mammals

Common Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel in California

Callospermophilus lateralis

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

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

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Common golden-mantled ground squirrel on a fallen log, showing its plain face and striped sidesCommon golden-mantled ground squirrel perched on a wooden railGolden-mantled ground squirrel sitting upright beside a trail railingCommon golden-mantled ground squirrel crossing a sunlit logClose view of a golden-mantled ground squirrel with no facial stripes
Photo: stephen · CC BY 4.0Common golden-mantled ground squirrel on a fallen log, showing its plain face and striped sidesPhoto: Karen Kincy · CC BY 4.0Common golden-mantled ground squirrel perched on a wooden railPhoto: Karen Kincy · CC BY 4.0Golden-mantled ground squirrel sitting upright beside a trail railingPhoto: stephen · CC BY 4.0Common golden-mantled ground squirrel crossing a sunlit logPhoto: Darrin LeBlanc · CC BY 4.0Close view of a golden-mantled ground squirrel with no facial stripes

Common Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel in California, by the numbers

Common in California 28th most recorded of 241 mammals logged in California

6,936 occurrence records
4,423 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

6,936 total records count every California occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 6,918 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Common Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel in California

Most sightings fall in June to August.

6,918 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
January14
February4
March16
April99
May708
June1,399
July1,844
August1,605
September882
October318
November28
December1

Monthly common golden-mantled ground squirrel occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in California, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

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

Occurrence map

Where Common Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel has been recorded in California

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 California records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Yosemite National Park 614
Lassen Volcanic National Park 573
Sequoia National Park 380
Lake Tahoe 297
John Muir Wilderness 209
Desolation Wilderness 193
Tahoe National Forest 176
Eldorado National Forest 121

Protected places with the most common golden-mantled ground squirrel 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 806
Tulare County 669
El Dorado County 660
Shasta County 543
Inyo County 528
San Bernardino County 487
Nevada County 406
Siskiyou County 386
Mariposa County 370
Tuolumne County 337
Lassen County 313
Sierra County 231
24 other counties 1,200

The complete county distribution, spread across 36 California counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Golden-mantled ground squirrel reports climb into California’s cool conifer forests, rocky slopes, and mountain meadows. The strongest band runs through the Sierra Nevada high country, clearly separated from the hot Central Valley and southeastern deserts.

Almost no observations arrive in midwinter. Reports surge in June, remain high through September, and then collapse as snow and winter denning reduce both squirrel activity and access. Popular mountain trails add many sightings, so the summer peak isn’t a population count.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Common golden-mantled ground squirrel on a fallen log, showing its plain face and striped sides
Full species profile Common Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel Callospermophilus lateralis Size 23–32 cm9.1–12.6 in Weight 120–350 g4.2–12.3 oz Lifespan 7 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"