California mammals

Least Chipmunk in California

Neotamias minimus

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

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Photo: John D Reynolds · CC BY 4.0Least Chipmunk in natural habitatPhoto: Daughter Dad · CC BY 4.0Least chipmunk moving through low grassPhoto: Syd Cannings · CC BY 4.0Least chipmunk foraging in green groundcoverPhoto: Daughter Dad · CC BY 4.0Least chipmunk among dry leavesPhoto: Pete Schwartz · CC BY 4.0Least chipmunk at the edge of open cover

Least Chipmunk (Neotamias minimus) — Photo: John D Reynolds · CC BY 4.0Least Chipmunk in natural habitatPhoto: Daughter Dad · CC BY 4.0Least chipmunk moving through low grassPhoto: Syd Cannings · CC BY 4.0Least chipmunk foraging in green groundcoverPhoto: Daughter Dad · CC BY 4.0Least chipmunk among dry leavesPhoto: Pete Schwartz · CC BY 4.0Least chipmunk at the edge of open cover

Least Chipmunk in California, by the numbers

Occasional in California 140th most recorded of 241 mammals logged in California

124 occurrence records

Records from 2000–2026.

124 total records count every California occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 123; the monthly chart covers the 123 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Least Chipmunk in California

Most sightings fall in June to September.

123 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)

Month	Records
January	0
February	0
March	1
April	5
May	10
June	28
July	25
August	18
September	28
October	6
November	2
December	0

Monthly least chipmunk occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in California, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

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

Occurrence map

Where Least Chipmunk has been recorded in California

123 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

123 California records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monument	iNaturalist records
Inyo National Forest	25
Yosemite National Park	3
Ansel Adams Wilderness	2
Granite Mountain Wilderness Area	1
White Mountains Wilderness	1
John Muir Wilderness	1
Mokelumne Wilderness	1
Lassen Volcanic National Park	1

Protected places with the most least chipmunk 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

County	Records
Mono County	68
Inyo County	12
Lassen County	12
Modoc County	12
Tuolumne County	4
Plumas County	3
Shasta County	3
Nevada County	2
Alpine County	2
Mariposa County	2
Sierra County	1
El Dorado County	1
Tulare County	1
Other localities	1

The complete county distribution, spread across 13 California counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Least Chipmunk records follow California’s cooler uplands and forests more closely than the hot Central Valley floor. The Sierra Nevada, Klamath Mountains, and Coast Ranges aren’t interchangeable: snow, summer moisture, tree cover, and elevation shape where reports appear.

Road access and popular trails make some mountain belts much better documented than remote forest. A dense group of reports can identify a well-watched area, but it doesn’t prove that the species is more numerous there.

The California record set contains 110 research-grade community observations. Monthly patterns can also reflect weather and observer activity, so they shouldn’t be treated as a direct count of animals.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist.

Full species profile Least Chipmunk Neotamias minimus Size 10–11 cm3.9–4.3 in Weight 41–47 g1.4–1.7 oz Lifespan Up to 10 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"