Idaho mammals

White-tailed Antelope Squirrel in Idaho

Ammospermophilus leucurus

Native to Idaho S4 Apparently Secure in Idaho

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

White-tailed antelope squirrel showing the pale flank stripe and white tail undersideWhite-tailed antelope squirrel perched on desert woodWhite-tailed antelope squirrel on red desert rockWhite-tailed antelope squirrel in rocky desert wash habitatWhite-tailed antelope squirrel on a Joshua tree branch
Photo: Renee Grayson from Las Vegas, USA · CC BY 2.0White-tailed antelope squirrel showing the pale flank stripe and white tail undersidePhoto: VJAnderson · CC BY-SA 4.0White-tailed antelope squirrel perched on desert woodPhoto: Renee Grayson from Las Vegas, USA · CC BY 2.0White-tailed antelope squirrel on red desert rockPhoto: Marshal Hedin from San Diego · CC BY 2.0White-tailed antelope squirrel in rocky desert wash habitatPhoto: Joshua Tree National Park · Public domainWhite-tailed antelope squirrel on a Joshua tree branch

White-tailed Antelope Squirrel in Idaho, by the numbers

Occasional in Idaho 74th most recorded of 123 mammals logged in Idaho

62 occurrence records
28 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the White-tailed Antelope Squirrel in Idaho

Most sightings fall in May to August.

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

Monthly Idaho records (table)
MonthRecords
January2
February1
March2
April5
May11
June10
July10
August10
September2
October8
November1
December0

Monthly white-tailed antelope squirrel occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Idaho, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Idaho, with recorded sightings peaking in May–August, with a smaller rise in October.

Occurrence map

Where White-tailed Antelope Squirrel has been recorded in Idaho

62 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

62 Idaho records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Snake River Plain 1
Big Jacks Creek Wilderness Area 1

Protected places with the most white-tailed antelope 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 Idaho

CountyRecords
Owyhee County 49
Twin Falls County 4
Gooding County 4
Canyon County 3
Elmore County 2

The complete county distribution, spread across 5 Idaho counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

White-tailed antelope squirrel records in Idaho concentrate on the Snake River Plain and around Craters of the Moon National Monument, sagebrush desert and lava-rock terrain this heat-tolerant squirrel can forage across even at midday, when most desert mammals stay hidden.

Reports peak in April and May and again in August, tracking spring emergence from a shorter winter dormancy and late-summer foraging before the season winds down. NatureServe ranks the species S4, Apparently Secure, statewide.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

White-tailed antelope squirrel showing the pale flank stripe and white tail underside
Full species profile White-tailed Antelope Squirrel Ammospermophilus leucurus Size 18.8–23.9 cm7.4–9.4 in Weight 97 g3.4 oz Lifespan 1 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Idaho 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"