Nevada mammals

Wyoming Ground Squirrel in Nevada

Urocitellus elegans

Native to Nevada S5 Secure in Nevada

Not listed as nonindigenous in Nevada by USGS NAS; native to its Nevada 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 Nevada, by the numbers

Rare in Nevada 115th most recorded of 142 mammals logged in Nevada

68 occurrence records
5 with iNaturalist photos
Jun 12, 2024 Last seen in Nevada

Records from 2000–2026.

68 total records count every Nevada occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 67; the monthly chart covers the 67 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Wyoming Ground Squirrel in Nevada

Most sightings fall in March to April.

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

Monthly Nevada records (table)
MonthRecords
January10
February0
March15
April11
May3
June14
July11
August3
September0
October0
November0
December0

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

Seasonality

Year-round in Nevada, with recorded sightings peaking in March–April, with a smaller rise in January and June–July.

Occurrence map

Where Wyoming Ground Squirrel has been recorded in Nevada

67 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

67 Nevada records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
South Fork State Recreation Area 1

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 Nevada

CountyRecords
Elko County 26
Humboldt County 25
Eureka County 8
Nye County 6
Pershing County 1
Lander County 1
Other localities 1

The complete county distribution, spread across 6 Nevada counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Nevada records for the wyoming ground squirrel are anchored by Ruby Mountains and Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge. They show where people have reported it, not how many animals live there.

These sites tie the Nevada record pattern to the state’s long mountain spine. Records from separate ranges matter because Nevada’s high country is broken into isolated peaks. The monthly pattern is fairly spread out rather than confined to one Nevada season. It tracks observer records and shouldn’t be read as a population count.

The file combines 5 research-grade iNaturalist records and 66 GBIF records. Those 71 records measure documented encounters, not Nevada’s population size. It’s native to Nevada. Nevada doesn’t specifically list it under the state’s conservation framework, and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern.

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 Nevada 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"