Utah mammals

Rock Squirrel in Utah

Otospermophilus variegatus

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

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Rock squirrel perched on a sunlit boulderGroup of rock squirrels among pale rocksRock squirrel standing near roots and rocksLive rock squirrel sitting up and eating, grizzled coat visibleRock squirrel sitting upright above the Grand Canyon
Photo: CK2AZ · CC-BYRock squirrel perched on a sunlit boulderPhoto: Evelyn Lazzaretti · CC0Group of rock squirrels among pale rocksPhoto: Cody Stricker · CC-BYRock squirrel standing near roots and rocksPhoto: Jacob Saucier · CC BY 4.0Live rock squirrel sitting up and eating, grizzled coat visiblePhoto: Lexi Amico · CC-BYRock squirrel sitting upright above the Grand Canyon

Rock Squirrel in Utah, by the numbers

Common in Utah 5th most recorded of 141 mammals logged in Utah

3,668 occurrence records
3,117 with iNaturalist photos
Jul 9, 2026 Last seen in Utah

Records from 2000–2026.

3,668 total records count every Utah occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 3,662 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Rock Squirrel in Utah

Most sightings fall in April to July.

3,662 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)
MonthRecords
January28
February43
March265
April487
May752
June576
July536
August395
September300
October188
November70
December22

Monthly rock squirrel occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Utah, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Utah, with recorded sightings peaking in April–July.

Occurrence map

Where Rock Squirrel has been recorded in Utah

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 Utah records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Zion National Park 1,389
Arches National Park 61
Uinta National Forest 54
Capitol Reef National Park 53
Wasatch National Forest 50
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument 29
Dinosaur National Monument 26
Canyonlands National Park 25

Protected places with the most rock 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 Utah

CountyRecords
Washington County 1,880
Salt Lake County 522
Utah County 236
San Juan County 163
Grand County 134
Garfield County 103
Kane County 67
Uintah County 65
Wayne County 61
Davis County 53
Iron County 48
Weber County 40
17 other counties 296

The complete county distribution, spread across 29 Utah counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Zion dominates Utah’s named rock squirrel reports, far ahead of Capitol Reef, Arches, and Canyonlands. That southern park pattern fits an animal at home among cliffs, broken stone, and busy trail corridors, while the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache records show it isn’t confined to red-rock country.

Reports build from April through July, when longer visits and active squirrels make encounters easier to record. Sightings continue outside that window, but their volume can’t be read as a population count.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Rock squirrel perched on a sunlit boulder
Full species profile Rock Squirrel Otospermophilus variegatus Size 43–53 cm16.9–20.9 in Weight 450–875 g1–1.9 lb Lifespan 8 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"