New Mexico mammals

Common Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel in New Mexico

Callospermophilus lateralis

Native to New Mexico S4 Apparently Secure in New Mexico

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

Common in New Mexico 25th most recorded of 176 mammals logged in New Mexico

1,615 occurrence records
814 with iNaturalist photos
Jul 7, 2026 Last seen in New Mexico

Records from 2000–2026.

1,615 total records count every New Mexico occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 1,606 records with a full observation date.

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

Most sightings fall in June to August.

1,606 New Mexico occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly New Mexico records (table)
MonthRecords
January19
February1
March6
April46
May147
June337
July512
August418
September98
October21
November1
December0

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

Seasonality

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

Occurrence map

Where Common Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel has been recorded in New Mexico

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 New Mexico records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Valles Caldera National Preserve 133
Wheeler Peak Wilderness 60
Pecos Wilderness 44
Carson Other 23
Fenton Lake Fishing Area (and Dam) 22
Bandelier National Monument 14
San Pedro Parks Wilderness 12
Colin Neblett Wildlife Management Area 11

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 New Mexico

CountyRecords
Sandoval County 415
Taos County 314
Catron County 219
Rio Arriba County 182
Colfax County 134
San Miguel County 127
Santa Fe County 87
San Juan County 37
Mora County 37
Grant County 35
Los Alamos County 10
Sierra County 6
4 other counties 12

The complete county distribution, spread across 16 New Mexico 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 gather in New Mexico’s northern high country. Valles Caldera contributes open mountain meadows, while Carson and Santa Fe national forests add wooded slopes and clearings around them.

June through August dominates the monthly record, matching the season when high roads and trails are easiest to reach. This daytime squirrel is conspicuous near visitor areas, which can make public lands look unusually dense with reports. The pattern shows observation opportunity, not population size.

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 New Mexico 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"