Least Chipmunk in Utah

Neotamias minimus

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: 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 Utah, by the numbers

Common in Utah 33rd most recorded of 141 mammals logged in Utah

465 occurrence records

351 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

465 total records count every Utah occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 452 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Least Chipmunk in Utah

Most sightings fall in June to September.

452 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	0
February	0
March	2
April	18
May	56
June	64
July	101
August	74
September	103
October	26
November	7
December	1

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

Seasonality

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

Occurrence map

Where Least Chipmunk 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	39
Wasatch National Forest	9
Zion National Park	8
Cache National Forest	7
Jordanelle State Park	5
Cedar Breaks National Monument	4
Deer Creek State Park	4
Manti-La Sal National Forest	3

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 Utah

County	Records
Salt Lake County	121
Garfield County	56
Summit County	46
Tooele County	41
Wasatch County	38
San Juan County	32
Utah County	17
Cache County	13
Washington County	9
Emery County	9
Iron County	8
Uintah County	8
13 other counties	67

The complete county distribution, spread across 25 Utah counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Least chipmunk reports in Utah lead with Bryce Canyon National Park and run through the Wasatch and Cache national forests, Zion, and Cedar Breaks, while Salt Lake County, with 121, holds more than any other county. The species favors sagebrush, brushy woodland edges, and open conifer forest, from the rim country at Bryce up into the Wasatch.

Records climb sharply into summer and hold into early fall, with 101 of the state’s 465 in July and 103 in September, against 56 in May. iNaturalist supplies 351 of them, so casual photos of this day-active chipmunk, not just small-mammal surveys, drive much of the count.

NatureServe lists the least chipmunk as S5, Secure, in Utah, the most stable rank on the scale and consistent with its wide range across the Mountain West.

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 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"