California mammals

Mohave Ground Squirrel in California

Xerospermophilus mohavensis

Native to California S2 Imperiled in California

Not listed as nonindigenous in California by USGS NAS; native to its California range.

IUCN Red List status

NT – Near Threatened

Close to qualifying as threatened in the near future.

Photo: Henrik Kibak · CC BY 4.0Mohave Ground Squirrel (Xerospermophilus mohavensis)Photo: Cristhian Mace · CC BY 4.0Mohave Ground Squirrel (Xerospermophilus mohavensis)Photo: Louis Agassiz Fuertes · Public domainIllustration: Mohave ground squirrel in profile, watercolor by Louis Agassiz Fuertes, 1918

Mohave Ground Squirrel in California, by the numbers

Occasional in California 160th most recorded of 241 mammals logged in California

186 occurrence records

46 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

186 total records count every California occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the monthly chart covers the 185 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Mohave Ground Squirrel in California

Most sightings fall in May to June.

185 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	12
February	8
March	24
April	28
May	35
June	52
July	13
August	10
September	2
October	1
November	0
December	0

Monthly mohave ground squirrel occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in California, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

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

Occurrence map

Where Mohave Ground Squirrel has been recorded in California

186 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

186 California records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monument	iNaturalist records
El Paso Mountains Wilderness Area	3
Mojave Desert	1
Golden Valley Wilderness Area	1
Owens Peak Wilderness Area	1

Protected places with the most mohave ground squirrel 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
San Bernardino County	101
Los Angeles County	42
Kern County	35
Inyo County	8

The complete county distribution, spread across 4 California counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

California’s combined state files contain 229 Xerospermophilus mohavensis records: 46 from iNaturalist and 183 from GBIF. It ranks 160th among 241 mammals in this California record comparison, placing it in the middle third. That’s a ranking of submitted records, not a head count of animals.

The monthly series reaches its high point in May, with 16 records in the busiest month. Records appear in 6 of 12 months, so the pattern shows when sightings were documented, not when the species must be present or absent.

California accounts for about 100% of the mapped GBIF records summarized on the national Xerospermophilus mohavensis page. That’s a large share of the known record footprint, though differences in survey effort can strongly shape the percentage.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Full species profile Mohave Ground Squirrel Xerospermophilus mohavensis Size 10.2–15.2 cm4–6 in Weight 150 g5.3 oz Lifespan Up to 7.8 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"