Oklahoma mammals

Thirteen-lined ground squirrel in Oklahoma

Ictidomys tridecemlineatus

Native to Oklahoma SNR Unranked in Oklahoma

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

Thirteen-lined ground squirrel crouched beside short grassThirteen-lined ground squirrel standing upright in prairie grassThirteen-lined ground squirrel rising from green lawn grassThirteen-lined ground squirrel peering from a burrow entranceThirteen-lined ground squirrel close portrait in dry grass
Photo: sofi v · CC-BYThirteen-lined ground squirrel crouched beside short grassPhoto: carterdorscht · CC0Thirteen-lined ground squirrel standing upright in prairie grassPhoto: Lauren McLaurin · CC-BYThirteen-lined ground squirrel rising from green lawn grassPhoto: Millie Basden · CC-BYThirteen-lined ground squirrel peering from a burrow entrancePhoto: Sean Frey · CC-BYThirteen-lined ground squirrel close portrait in dry grass

Thirteen-lined ground squirrel in Oklahoma, by the numbers

Occasional in Oklahoma 61st most recorded of 120 mammals logged in Oklahoma

196 occurrence records
24 with iNaturalist photos
May 30, 2026 Last seen in Oklahoma

Records from 2000–2026.

196 total records count every Oklahoma occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the monthly chart covers the 192 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Thirteen-lined ground squirrel in Oklahoma

Most sightings fall in April to August.

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

Monthly Oklahoma records (table)
MonthRecords
January0
February0
March4
April37
May34
June30
July36
August28
September10
October10
November3
December0

Monthly thirteen-lined ground squirrel occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Oklahoma, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Oklahoma, with recorded sightings peaking in April–August.

Occurrence map

Where Thirteen-lined ground squirrel has been recorded in Oklahoma

196 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

196 Oklahoma records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
CLO Lands 19
Cimarron Bluff Wildlife Management Area 1
Evans Chambers Public Fishing Area 1
Fobb Bottom Wildlife Management Area 1

Protected places with the most thirteen-lined 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 Oklahoma

CountyRecords
Cleveland County 51
Washita County 23
Tulsa County 23
Dewey County 10
Woods County 9
Kiowa County 9
Payne County 7
Marshall County 6
Jackson County 5
Texas County 5
Woodward County 4
Cimarron County 4
20 other counties 40

The complete county distribution, spread across 32 Oklahoma counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Thirteen-lined ground squirrels carry no NatureServe state rank in Oklahoma, SNR unranked, and the record leans heavily toward GBIF (192 of 216 total records), reflecting how thoroughly trapping and survey work document this small, sun-loving prairie squirrel compared to casual sightings.

The record goes completely silent from September through March, a clean signature of true hibernation, this species is one of the deepest hibernators among ground squirrels, before building to a June peak (15 of the year’s monthly-tallied sightings) as animals become fully active through the warm months.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Thirteen-lined ground squirrel crouched beside short grass
Full species profile Thirteen-lined ground squirrel Ictidomys tridecemlineatus Size 17–30 cm6.7–11.8 in Weight 173 g6.1 oz Lifespan Up to 7.9 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Oklahoma 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"