Otospermophilus beecheyi
Silhouette: Joseph Smit · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The California ground squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi), also known as the Beechey ground squirrel, is a common and easily observed ground squirrel of the western United States and the Baja California Peninsula. It is common in California with its range spanning through much of the state, as well as northeastern Nevada in areas around Reno and Lake Tahoe.
Formerly placed in Spermophilus, as Spermophilus beecheyi, it was reclassified in Otospermophilus in 2009, as it became clear that Spermophilus as previously defined was not a natural (monophyletic) group. John Richardson, who originally described the species as Arctomys (Spermophilus) beecheyi, or "Beechey's marmot", named it after Frederick William Beechey, an early 19th-century British explorer and naval officer. The squirrel's upper parts are mottled, with the fur containing a mixture of gray, light brown and dusky hairs. The shoulders, neck and sides are a lighter gray. The fur around the eyes is whitish. The underside is lighter, buff or grayish yellow. Head and body are about 30 cm (12 in) long and the tail an additional 15 centimetres (5.9 in). They can weigh from 280 to 738 g (9.9 to 26... Wikipedia →
Alarm call0:38
United States · 2019
© Daan Drukker · XC959773 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
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United States · 2025
© Nathan J Taylor · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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United States · 2026
© robertbogdon · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tijuana | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sierra Safari Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a California Ground Squirrel sighting in Yosemite National Park on a given day, based on 1,179 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 21 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April–May and August–November
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a California Ground Squirrel in Yosemite National Park on a given day, against about 30% in January, the lowest month. Those are among Yosemite National Park's driest months, with about 55 mm of rain a month against 220 mm in January.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most California 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 5 parks where we can rate California Ground Squirrel sightings, Yosemite National Park has the highest daily chance: about 70%. Next come Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (United States, about 40%) and Joshua Tree National Park (United States, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Sciuridae
The closest relatives of the California Ground Squirrel that you can see in Yosemite National Park (family Sciuridae, Squirrels) are Yellow-bellied Marmot (about 50%), Douglas' Squirrel (about 40%) and Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the California Ground Squirrel is recorded against all the mammals logged in Yosemite National Park (1,179 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.
