Idaho mammals

Wyoming Ground Squirrel in Idaho

Urocitellus elegans

Native to Idaho S3 Vulnerable 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.

Wyoming ground squirrel peering from a burrow entranceWyoming ground squirrel close-up at a burrow rimWyoming ground squirrel standing upright in green grassWyoming ground squirrel feeding among meadow grassesLive Wyoming ground squirrel peering out of its burrow
Photo: Michael W Belitz · CC0Wyoming ground squirrel peering from a burrow entrancePhoto: Michael W Belitz · CC0Wyoming ground squirrel close-up at a burrow rimPhoto: JTchagbele · CC BY-SA 3.0Wyoming ground squirrel standing upright in green grassPhoto: ayden · CC BY 4.0Wyoming ground squirrel feeding among meadow grassesPhoto: Michael W Belitz · CC0Live Wyoming ground squirrel peering out of its burrow

Wyoming Ground Squirrel in Idaho, by the numbers

Occasional in Idaho 75th most recorded of 123 mammals logged in Idaho

56 occurrence records
19 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

56 total records count every Idaho occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 54; the monthly chart covers the 53 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Wyoming Ground Squirrel in Idaho

Most sightings fall in March.

53 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
January0
February0
March19
April3
May5
June7
July11
August8
September0
October0
November0
December0

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

Seasonality

Year-round in Idaho, with recorded sightings peaking in March.

Occurrence map

Where Wyoming Ground Squirrel has been recorded in Idaho

54 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

54 Idaho records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Targhee National Forest 5

Protected places with the most wyoming 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 Idaho

CountyRecords
Butte County 19
Clark County 11
Custer County 9
Fremont County 7
Lemhi County 3
Twin Falls County 2
Owyhee County 2
Cassia County 1
Other localities 2

The complete county distribution, spread across 8 Idaho counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Wyoming ground squirrel records in Idaho concentrate on the Snake River Plain’s sagebrush steppe near Craters of the Moon and the Birds of Prey conservation area, open grassland and shrub-steppe country this ground squirrel shares with the raptors the latter site is named for, since ground squirrels are a key prey base for the area’s nesting hawks and eagles.

Every record falls between March and August, with nothing the rest of the year, tracking this ground squirrel’s short active season before it retreats underground for one of the longest hibernations of any North American mammal. NatureServe ranks the species S3, Vulnerable, in Idaho.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Wyoming ground squirrel peering from a burrow entrance
Full species profile Wyoming Ground Squirrel Urocitellus elegans Size 19–24 cm7.5–9.4 in Weight 299 g10.5 oz Lifespan Up to 6 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"