Least Chipmunk in Minnesota

Neotamias minimus

Native to Minnesota SNR Unranked in Minnesota

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

Occasional in Minnesota 40th most recorded of 88 mammals logged in Minnesota

162 occurrence records

162 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

162 total records count every Minnesota occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 159; the monthly chart covers the 159 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Least Chipmunk in Minnesota

Most sightings fall in June to September.

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

Monthly Minnesota records (table)

Month	Records
January	0
February	0
March	1
April	8
May	12
June	26
July	27
August	33
September	36
October	15
November	1
December	0

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

Seasonality

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

Occurrence map

Where Least Chipmunk has been recorded in Minnesota

159 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

158 Minnesota records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monument	iNaturalist records
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness	46
Superior National Forest	22
Voyageurs National Park	3
Miscellaneous	2
Minnesota Point Pine Forest State Scientific and Natural Area	2
Sugarloaf Point State Scientific and Natural Area	1
Grand Portage National Monument	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 Minnesota

County	Records
Lake County	50
Cook County	46
St. Louis County	30
Ramsey County	1
Lake of the Woods County	1
Other localities	34

The complete county distribution, spread across 5 Minnesota counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Least chipmunk records in Minnesota cluster in the Arrowhead, where Lake, Cook, and St. Louis counties hold most of them and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Superior National Forest lead the named sites, near the southern edge of a range that otherwise spans boreal Canada and the northern Rockies. All 162 records come from iNaturalist.

Reports run from June through September and peak in August and September, tracking the warm months when this small, ground-dwelling chipmunk is most active foraging before winter hibernation. NatureServe has not yet assigned the species a Minnesota rank, and its records here stay concentrated in the far northeast.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

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 Minnesota 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"