Urocitellus beldingi
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Belding's ground squirrel (Urocitellus beldingi), also called pot gut, sage rat or picket-pin, is a squirrel that lives on mountains in the western United States. In California, it often is found at 6,500 to 11,800 feet (2,000–3,600 m) in meadows between Lake Tahoe and Kings Canyon. This species is not of conservation concern, and its range includes some protected areas.
The Belding's ground squirrel is medium-sized with "a relatively short tail, short limbs, and small ears". It has a gray pelage that becomes more cinnamon at the underside and reddish-brown on the back. Its body length is 230 to 300 millimetres (9.1–11.8 in). The tail is 44 to 76 millimetres (1.7–3.0 in) and is bushy but also flattened. The distal hairs of the tail have three color bands, one black, one white, and one red. On average, the ground squirrel weighs 290 grams (0.64 lb). Its feet are covered in little to no hair. Compared to other ground squirrel species, its cheek pouches are moderate in size.
Being native to the northwestern United States, the Belding's ground squirrel ranges covers northeastern Oregon and part of Washington, north California... Wikipedia →
Recording0:09
United States · 2026
© Richard Hasegawa · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording1:01
United States · 2022
© Sean Cozart · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:06
United States · 2021
Scott Loarie · iNaturalist · CC0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Belding's Ground Squirrel sighting in Yosemite National Park on a given day, based on 366 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 8th most-seen of the 21 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and August
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Belding's Ground Squirrel in Yosemite National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to April, the lowest months. Those are among Yosemite National Park's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain a month against 220 mm in January.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Belding's Ground Squirrel sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Belding's Ground Squirrel sightings, Yosemite National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (United States, about 20%).
Same family: Sciuridae
The closest relatives of the Belding's Ground Squirrel that you can see in Yosemite National Park (family Sciuridae, Squirrels) are California Ground Squirrel (about 70%), Yellow-bellied Marmot (about 50%) and Douglas' Squirrel (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Belding's Ground Squirrel is recorded against all the mammals logged in Yosemite National Park (366 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
