South Dakota mammals

Least Chipmunk in South Dakota

Neotamias minimus

Native to South Dakota S5 Secure in South Dakota

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

Common in South Dakota 7th most recorded of 100 mammals logged in South Dakota

936 occurrence records

Records from 2000–2026.

936 total records count every South Dakota occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300.

When to look for the Least Chipmunk in South Dakota

Most sightings fall in June to July.

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

Monthly South Dakota records (table)

Month	Records
January	1
February	0
March	5
April	8
May	62
June	247
July	343
August	134
September	97
October	33
November	6
December	0

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

Seasonality

Year-round in South Dakota, with recorded sightings peaking in June–July.

Occurrence map

Where Least Chipmunk has been recorded in South Dakota

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 South Dakota records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monument	iNaturalist records
Badlands National Park	109
Black Hills National Forest	106
Mount Rushmore National Memorial	96
Black Elk Wilderness	73
Custer State Park	30
Jewel Cave National Monument	11
Wind Cave National Park	11
State Recreation Area	6

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 South Dakota

County	Records
Pennington County	368
Custer County	241
Lawrence County	189
Jackson County	92
Harding County	31
Meade County	9
Fall River County	5
Brule County	1

The complete county distribution, spread across 8 South Dakota counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Least chipmunks are principally western South Dakota mammals associated with the Black Hills and nearby broken country. They use rocky slopes, shrub edges, open pine woods, and sunny clearings.

Where to look

Search open, rocky Black Hills habitat rather than relying literally on the generated reservoir locations, which reflect reporting patterns. Quiet trails with logs, brush, and seed-producing plants are best.

They are easiest to find from spring through early autumn and much less visible during winter dormancy. June through September leads available reports.

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 South Dakota 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"