New Mexico mammals

California Myotis in New Mexico

Myotis californicus

Native to New Mexico S4 Apparently Secure in New Mexico

Not listed as nonindigenous in New Mexico by USGS NAS; native to its New Mexico 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 Myotis (Myotis californicus)California myotis facing the camera while roosting in a creviceCalifornia myotis resting on mesh
Photo: The High Fin Sperm Whale · CC BY-SA 3.0California Myotis (Myotis californicus)Photo: The High Fin Sperm Whale · CC BY-SA 3.0California myotis facing the camera while roosting in a crevicePhoto: Roan · CC BY 4.0California myotis resting on mesh

California Myotis in New Mexico, by the numbers

Occasional in New Mexico 107th most recorded of 176 mammals logged in New Mexico

406 occurrence records
3 with iNaturalist photos
Apr 25, 2026 Last seen in New Mexico

Records from 2000–2026.

406 total records count every New Mexico occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 404 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the California Myotis in New Mexico

Most sightings fall in June to July.

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

Monthly New Mexico records (table)
MonthRecords
January4
February3
March19
April19
May45
June124
July123
August29
September22
October8
November4
December4

Monthly california myotis occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in New Mexico, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in New Mexico, with recorded sightings peaking in June–July.

Occurrence map

Where California Myotis has been recorded in New Mexico

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 New Mexico records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Chaco Culture National Historical Park 8
Cibola National Forest 2
Carlsbad Caverns National Park 1
Bandelier National Monument 1
Oliver Lee State Park 1
State Trust Land 1
Organ Mountains - Desert Peaks National Monument 1

Protected places with the most california myotis 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 New Mexico

CountyRecords
Hidalgo County 110
San Juan County 95
Eddy County 40
Socorro County 32
Grant County 27
Catron County 20
Cibola County 18
Sierra County 12
Otero County 12
Doña Ana County 12
Sandoval County 8
Rio Arriba County 7
7 other counties 13

The complete county distribution, spread across 19 New Mexico counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

The California myotis is among the smallest bats in the West, and in New Mexico it’s recorded almost entirely in the rugged southwestern corner of the state, around Gila National Forest, City of Rocks State Park, and the Gila River corridor. Nearly all of the state’s 406 records are GBIF specimen entries; only 3 come from iNaturalist, so this reads as a bat New Mexico knows from bat-survey mist netting more than from casual photos.

Records climb steeply in late spring and peak in June and July, in step with the warm-season activity typical of small insect-eating bats. The species carries an S4, Apparently Secure, NatureServe rank in New Mexico, fitting a wide western range that only clips the state’s mountainous southwest.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

California Myotis (Myotis californicus)
Full species profile California Myotis Myotis californicus Size 3–3.5 cm1.2–1.4 in Weight 4 g0.1 oz Lifespan 15 yr View the full profile

More mammals in New Mexico 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"