Idaho mammals

Common Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel in Idaho

Callospermophilus lateralis

Native to Idaho S5 Secure in Idaho

Not listed as nonindigenous in Idaho by USGS NAS; native to its Idaho 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 Idaho, by the numbers

Common in Idaho 18th most recorded of 123 mammals logged in Idaho

664 occurrence records
418 with iNaturalist photos
Jul 6, 2026 Last seen in Idaho

Records from 2000–2026.

664 total records count every Idaho occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 659 records with a full observation date.

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

Most sightings fall in July to August.

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

Monthly Idaho records (table)
MonthRecords
January0
February0
March0
April13
May33
June114
July220
August230
September44
October3
November1
December1

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

Seasonality

Year-round in Idaho, with recorded sightings peaking in July–August.

Occurrence map

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

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 Idaho records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Sawtooth National Recreation Area 46
Sawtooth Wilderness 37
Craters of the Moon National Monument 20
Frank Church-River Of No Return Wilderness 14
Craters Of The Moon National Monument 14
City of Rocks National Reserve 11
Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness 9
Boise National Forest 8

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 Idaho

CountyRecords
Custer County 149
Cassia County 82
Blaine County 50
Shoshone County 48
Valley County 41
Idaho County 41
Boise County 39
Bear Lake County 37
Lemhi County 32
Butte County 24
Owyhee County 21
Fremont County 15
15 other counties 85

The complete county distribution, spread across 27 Idaho counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Golden-mantled ground squirrels are familiar residents of Idaho’s mountain forests and rocky openings. Campgrounds, trailheads, talus margins, and open pine-fir woods in the Sawtooths and the Boise, Caribou-Targhee, and Panhandle forests are productive places to watch, without feeding them.

They hibernate, despite being resident in Idaho, so observations are concentrated in the snow-free season. June through August is the clear peak, when squirrels forage heavily before returning underground for winter.

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 Idaho 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"