Montana mammals

Least Chipmunk in Montana

Neotamias minimus

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

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 Montana, by the numbers

Occasional in Montana 43rd most recorded of 122 mammals logged in Montana

161 occurrence records

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the Least Chipmunk in Montana

Most sightings fall in July to August.

161 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)

Month	Records
January	0
February	0
March	1
April	3
May	8
June	23
July	58
August	47
September	14
October	6
November	1
December	0

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

Seasonality

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

Occurrence map

Where Least Chipmunk has been recorded in Montana

161 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

161 Montana records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monument	iNaturalist records
Glacier National Park	11
Makoshika State Park	10
Lee Metcalf Wilderness	7
Custer National Forest	3
Bannack State Park	2
Montana State Trust Lands	2
Calf Creek Wildlife Management Area	1
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area	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 Montana

County	Records
Carbon County	29
Fergus County	29
Dawson County	14
Beaverhead County	12
Carter County	12
Glacier County	8
Flathead County	8
Gallatin County	8
Madison County	8
Phillips County	5
Lewis and Clark County	5
Missoula County	4
11 other counties	19

The complete county distribution, spread across 23 Montana counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Least chipmunks are the smallest chipmunk species in North America and among the most adaptable, turning up from Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge’s high-elevation basin to the shoreline woods of Flathead Lake and brushy stretches of the Missouri River corridor, a wider habitat range than most of Montana’s other chipmunk species tolerate.

Records climb sharply into a July peak, more than 50 times the March low, tracking the heart of the active season when this day-active forager is out gathering seeds before winter hibernation. Every one of Montana’s 161 records comes through GBIF specimen data, and NatureServe rates the species secure (S5) statewide.

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 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"