---
title: "California Ground Squirrel"
description: "Otospermophilus beecheyi — Mammals. The California ground squirrel, 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."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/california-ground-squirrel
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# California Ground Squirrel

> Otospermophilus beecheyi — Mammals. The California ground squirrel, 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.

- Scientific name: *Otospermophilus beecheyi*
- Category: `mammals` (Mammals)
- Habitats: `grassland` (Fields & meadows), `urban` (Towns & gardens)
- iNaturalist observations: 64352
- Wikidata: [Q21727766](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21727766)
- iNaturalist taxon: [180007](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/180007)

## Names

- en: California Ground Squirrel
- de: Kalifornischer Ziesel
- es: Ardillón de California
- fr: Spermophile de Californie

## Countries with the most observations

US (60276), MX (1211)

## Summary

The California ground squirrel, 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.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_ground_squirrel

## Photo

![California Ground Squirrel](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/california-ground-squirrel/medium.jpg)

Photo: Megan Ralph · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/65042864

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/california-ground-squirrel?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).