California mammals

California Leaf-nosed Bat in California

Macrotus californicus

Native to California S3 Vulnerable in California

Not listed as nonindigenous in California by USGS NAS; native to its California 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.

California leaf-nosed bat hanging from a cave ceiling, showing its tall spear-shaped nose-leaf and long earsCalifornia leaf-nosed bat roosting on a cave ceiling with wings partly spreadCalifornia leaf-nosed bat in flight inside a rock shelter, wings fully spreadSmall cluster of California leaf-nosed bats roosting together on a mine ceiling
Photo: kclarksdnhmorg · CC BY 4.0California leaf-nosed bat hanging from a cave ceiling, showing its tall spear-shaped nose-leaf and long earsPhoto: kclarksdnhmorg · CC BY 4.0California leaf-nosed bat roosting on a cave ceiling with wings partly spreadPhoto: Joshua Tree National Park (NPS) · Public domainCalifornia leaf-nosed bat in flight inside a rock shelter, wings fully spreadPhoto: Bill Levine · CC BY 4.0Small cluster of California leaf-nosed bats roosting together on a mine ceiling

California Leaf-nosed Bat in California, by the numbers

Rare in California 194th most recorded of 241 mammals logged in California

917 occurrence records
21 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

917 total records count every California occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 830 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the California Leaf-nosed Bat in California

Most sightings fall in April.

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

Monthly California records (table)
MonthRecords
January56
February97
March29
April175
May35
June32
July109
August44
September50
October9
November135
December59

Monthly california leaf-nosed bat occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in California, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in California, with recorded sightings peaking in April, with a smaller rise in July and November.

Occurrence map

Where California Leaf-nosed Bat has been recorded in California

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 California records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Riverside Mountains Wilderness Area 169
Big Maria Mountains Wilderness Area 1
Otay Mountain Wilderness Area 1
Cleveland National Forest 1

Protected places with the most california leaf-nosed bat 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 California

CountyRecords
Riverside County 468
Imperial County 215
San Diego County 114
San Bernardino County 21
Los Angeles County 14
San Mateo County 3
Other localities 82

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

California leaf-nosed bat reports do not form one smooth seasonal peak. April is highest in the supplied series, with secondary rises in November and July, while October has only nine records. That irregular calendar can reflect survey timing and access as well as bat activity.

Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, and Mojave National Preserve are the three suggested settings, but the file gives no site-level counts with which to rank them. NatureServe’s S3, vulnerable, assessment describes statewide conservation standing; the 917 occurrence records are documentation, not a measure of abundance.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

California leaf-nosed bat hanging from a cave ceiling, showing its tall spear-shaped nose-leaf and long ears
Full species profile California Leaf-nosed Bat Macrotus californicus Size 6–7 cm2.4–2.8 in Weight 12–20 g0.4–0.7 oz Lifespan 15 yr View the full profile

More mammals in California 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"