Texas antelope squirrels reach the western edge of their US range in New Mexico; Texas holds roughly twice as many range-wide records as New Mexico does. Within the state, Cibola National Forest and Carlsbad Caverns National Park anchor the named sightings, from high desert grassland to the Chihuahuan desert flats around the caverns.
Records climb through spring and peak in April and May, in step with a ground squirrel that forages by day and is simply easier to spot and photograph than nocturnal desert rodents.
NatureServe rates the species S3, Vulnerable, in New Mexico, despite a fairly steady year-round reporting pattern. That conservation concern reflects the animal’s narrow, patchy Chihuahuan desert range rather than a shortage of records.
Full species profile
