Utah mammals

California Myotis in Utah

Myotis californicus

Native to Utah S4 Apparently Secure in Utah

Not listed as nonindigenous in Utah by USGS NAS; native to its Utah 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 in Utah, by the numbers

Occasional in Utah 67th most recorded of 141 mammals logged in Utah

159 occurrence records
2 with iNaturalist photos
Oct 29, 2025 Last seen in Utah

Records from 2000–2026.

159 total records count every Utah occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 158; the monthly chart covers the 156 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the California Myotis in Utah

Most sightings fall in May to August.

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

Monthly Utah records (table)
MonthRecords
January1
February1
March2
April4
May33
June29
July32
August34
September13
October7
November0
December0

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

Seasonality

Year-round in Utah, with recorded sightings peaking in May–August.

Occurrence map

Where California Myotis has been recorded in Utah

158 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

158 Utah records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Capitol Reef National Park 31
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument 11
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area 8
Zion National Park 5
Arches National Park 5
Bears Ears National Monument 4
The State of Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration 1047 3
Dinosaur National Monument 3

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 Utah

CountyRecords
Garfield County 52
Washington County 19
San Juan County 18
Kane County 17
Wayne County 16
Uintah County 12
Grand County 12
Millard County 4
Emery County 2
Tooele County 2
Utah County 1
Weber County 1
2 other counties 3

The complete county distribution, spread across 14 Utah counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

California myotis records around Arches and Canyonlands fit a tiny bat that roosts in rock crevices, caves, trees, and occasionally buildings across dry western landscapes. It typically hunts small moths and flies close to vegetation or water, using maneuverable flight rather than the high, fast sweeps of free-tailed bats.

August leads Utah’s 159-record calendar, when warm canyon nights keep insects active and acoustic detectors are widely deployed. That reporting peak cannot be converted into bat numbers. California myotis may shift roosts frequently and use very narrow cracks, so a feeding record can reveal suitable foraging habitat without identifying the day roost it came from.

Its S4 Utah rank fits a bat adaptable enough to roost in rock crevices, trees, and buildings alike, spreading its risk across roost types that some of Utah’s more specialized bats can’t fall back on.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

More mammals in Utah 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"