Utah mammals

Common Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel in Utah

Callospermophilus lateralis

Native to Utah S5 Secure in Utah

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

IUCN Red List status

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

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

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 Utah, by the numbers

Common in Utah 18th most recorded of 141 mammals logged in Utah

2,370 occurrence records

1,538 with iNaturalist photos

Jul 10, 2026 Last seen in Utah

Records from 2000–2026.

2,370 total records count every Utah occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 2,367 records with a full observation date.

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

Most sightings fall in June to August.

2,367 Utah occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly Utah records (table)

Month	Records
January	2
February	4
March	29
April	78
May	308
June	509
July	747
August	514
September	142
October	28
November	6
December	0

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

Seasonality

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

Occurrence map

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

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 Utah records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monument	iNaturalist records
Bryce Canyon National Park	720
Dinosaur National Monument	82
Cedar Breaks National Monument	59
Wasatch National Forest	29
Uinta National Forest	22
Dixie National Forest	15
Mount Timpanogos Wilderness	11
Lone Peak Wilderness	10

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 Utah

County	Records
Garfield County	940
Salt Lake County	246
Uintah County	234
Kane County	136
Daggett County	90
Iron County	75
Summit County	75
Utah County	55
Wayne County	52
Grand County	50
Cache County	44
Duchesne County	42
15 other counties	331

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

Bryce Canyon supplies Utah’s largest named cluster of golden-mantled ground squirrel reports. The Uinta-Wasatch-Cache high country forms the other major center, while Cedar Breaks and Dinosaur add smaller pockets. These places share cool forests, rocky openings, and heavily visited overlooks where the squirrels are easy to notice.

Reports run highest from May through August and crest in July. Both squirrel activity and summer visitor traffic contribute, so the pattern isn’t a count of how many live in each park.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

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 Utah 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"