Montana mammals

Common Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel in Montana

Callospermophilus lateralis

Native to Montana S5 Secure in Montana

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

Common in Montana 14th most recorded of 122 mammals logged in Montana

923 occurrence records

Records from 2000–2026.

923 total records count every Montana occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 920 records with a full observation date.

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

Most sightings fall in July to August.

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

Monthly Montana records (table)
MonthRecords
January1
February1
March3
April11
May40
June173
July309
August304
September72
October4
November1
December1

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

Seasonality

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

Occurrence map

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

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 Montana records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Glacier National Park 421
Lee Metcalf Wilderness 9
Deerlodge National Forest 7
Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness 7
Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness 6
Montana State Trust Lands 5
Flathead National Forest 4
Gallatin National Forest 4

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 Montana

CountyRecords
Glacier County 272
Flathead County 247
Carbon County 86
Missoula County 62
Ravalli County 58
Granite County 45
Beaverhead County 41
Lewis and Clark County 18
Gallatin County 16
Madison County 13
Deer Lodge County 12
Sanders County 7
13 other counties 46

The complete county distribution, spread across 25 Montana counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

The Montana occurrence set contains 923 records of golden-mantled ground squirrels from 2000–2026. Reporting is strongest from June through August, the practical high-country viewing season, and the Red Rock Lakes and Flathead regions offer the state’s characteristic mix of rocky openings, forest edge, and accessible mountain recreation sites.

NatureServe considers the species S5 (Secure) in Montana. Its record total is not a population measure: these squirrels are conspicuous around trails, overlooks, and campgrounds, so visitor concentration can strongly shape where and how often they are recorded.

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 Montana 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"