Gray Bat

Myotis grisescens

Also known as: Grey Bat, Gray Myotis

VUVulnerable

Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters · Public domainMyotis grisescens colonyPhoto: evangrimes · CC BY 4.0Gray Bat (Myotis grisescens)Photo: abotto · CC BY 4.0Gray Bat (Myotis grisescens)Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters · Public domainMyotis grisescens hibernating

Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters · Public domainMyotis grisescens colonyPhoto: evangrimes · CC BY 4.0Gray Bat (Myotis grisescens)Photo: abotto · CC BY 4.0Gray Bat (Myotis grisescens)Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters · Public domainMyotis grisescens hibernating

The gray bat is a cave specialist moving among a few suitable caves. It occurs across southeastern limestone regions. Its habits explain more than a map point: It hunts flying insects over rivers and reservoirs at night. The records shown here document encounters and survey effort, not population size. Together, they show where this mammal has been found and why healthy habitat matters for its future.

US Range

Range includes: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia.

Explore by state

Gray Bat across 9 states

Occurrence records, conservation status, and the places it turns up, state by state. Open a state for detail, or visit its full page.

TennesseeNativeOccasional1,083 records
State rankImperiled
Notable placesChuck Swan State Forest · Whiteville Lake Wildlife Management Area
Countiesrecorded in 12
Year-round in Tennessee, with recorded sightings peaking in June.
Full Tennessee page →All Tennessee mammals →
AlabamaNativeRare637 records
State rankImperiled
Notable placesLittle River Canyon National Preserve
Countiesrecorded in 9
Year-round in Alabama, with recorded sightings peaking in May–June.
Full Alabama page →All Alabama mammals →
ArkansasNativeRare368 records
State rankImperiled
Notable placesBuffalo National River · Ozark National Forest · Cave Springs Cave Natural Area · Sylamore Wildlife Management Area
Countiesrecorded in 9
Year-round in Arkansas, with recorded sightings peaking in April, with a smaller rise in January.
Full Arkansas page →All Arkansas mammals →
FloridaNativeCommon265 records
State rankCritically Imperiled
Notable placesFlorida Caverns State Park
Countiesrecorded in 3
Year-round in Florida, with recorded sightings peaking in May, with a smaller rise in August.
Full Florida page →All Florida mammals →
MissouriNativeRare214 records
State rankVulnerable
Notable placesMark Twain National Forest
Countiesrecorded in 12
Year-round in Missouri, with recorded sightings peaking in August.
Full Missouri page →All Missouri mammals →
OklahomaNativeRare196 records
State rankCritically Imperiled
Notable placesCLO Lands
Countiesrecorded in 5
Year-round in Oklahoma, with recorded sightings peaking in July.
Full Oklahoma page →All Oklahoma mammals →
KansasNativeRare57 records
State rankCritically Imperiled
Countiesrecorded in 2
Year-round in Kansas, with recorded sightings peaking in October–November.
Full Kansas page →All Kansas mammals →
IllinoisNativeOccasional47 records
State rankCritically Imperiled
Countiesrecorded in 2
Year-round in Illinois, with recorded sightings peaking in July.
Full Illinois page →All Illinois mammals →
KentuckyNativeOccasional27 records
State rankImperiled
Countiesrecorded in 11
Year-round in Kentucky, with recorded sightings peaking in January.
Full Kentucky page →All Kentucky mammals →

Show all 9 states Show fewer

IUCN Red List status

VU – Vulnerable

High risk of extinction in the wild.

Elevation

From 200 georeferenced records, the Gray Bat is recorded from 22 m72 ft to 522 m1,713 ft, with half of sightings below 226 m741 ft.

500–550 m1,640–1,804 ft

450–500 m1,476–1,640 ft

400–450 m1,312–1,476 ft

350–400 m1,148–1,312 ft

300–350 m984–1,148 ft

250–300 m820–984 ft

200–250 m656–820 ft

150–200 m492–656 ft

100–150 m328–492 ft

50–100 m164–328 ft

22–50 m72–164 ft

Each band shows the share of georeferenced sightings that fall within it. Records cluster where people live and hike, so low, populated elevations are over-represented. Read this as observation density, not true abundance.

Best encounter

Where and when to see a Gray Bat

Your best chance: Tennessee.

Where: TennesseeTN

Trophic relationshipsFood web What a Gray Bat eats, and what eats it.

Eaten by2

Eastern Screech-owlMegascops asioWestern RatsnakeElaphe obsoleta

This speciesGray Bat

insectsSpotted Cucumber BeetleDiabrotica undecimpunctatabeetles

Eats3

A sample of documented feeding relationships, filtered to species that also occur in the US. Diet and predators vary by region and season, and this is not a complete list, many animals eat, and are eaten by, more than what has been formally recorded here.

Life history

The Gray Bat (10 g0.4 oz) is a carnivore that first breeds around 1.2 years, and bears about 1 young per litter. Maximum recorded longevity is 16.5 years.

Life cycle

Birthlitter of 1 young
Sexual maturity1.2 yr (female)
Typical lifespan16.5 years
Maximum recorded longevity16.5 years

Reproduction

Litter size: 1youngaverage
Litters / year: 1litter
Age at first breeding: 1.2years

Diet composition

Carnivore

By foraging composition: 100% invertebrates.

100%

Invertebrates100%

Most active at night.

Typical values for the species, not local measurements. Maximum longevity is the longest lifespan on record; most individuals live far less.

Commonly confused with

Animals people sometimes mistake for the gray bat, and how to tell them apart.

Photo:USFWSmidwestWikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Indiana bat

Myotis sodalis

How to tell apart An Indiana bat has a pinkish nose and wing membrane attached at the base of the toes, while a gray bat has a darker muzzle and the membrane attaches at the ankle.

View species page Compare side by side

Photo:Ashwin SrinivasaniNaturalist (CC BY 4.0)

Southeastern Myotis

Myotis austroriparius

How to tell apart A southeastern myotis has woollier brown to reddish fur and wing membrane attached at the toes, while a gray bat has smooth uniform gray fur and ankle attachment.

View species page Compare side by side

Life in its habitat

It hunts flying insects over rivers and reservoirs at night. It’s tied to places supplying food and shelter. That connection explains much of its range.

What records reveal

Records point toward caves and waterways, not colony size. Survey effort varies, and accessible places receive more attention. A gap can’t prove absence.

Gray bat tucked into a small crevice in cave rock — Roosting bats wedge into narrow cave crevices during the day, emerging at dusk to forage. Photo: Dominic, iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0.

Looking ahead

Disturbance, flooding, and habitat change remain threats. Conservation works best when it protects connected habitat and reduces avoidable deaths. Surveys can reveal change without confusing records with animal numbers.

Sources

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
PhyloPicCC0 / CC-BY per itemthe to-scale silhouettesAndrew A. Farke (human silhouette, CC-BY 3.0)
AnAge (HAGR)CC-BY 3.0longevity, maturity, and gestation figures
IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
Global Biotic Interactions (GloBI)CC0 · public domainthe food web
Amniote Life-History DatabaseCC0 · public domainreproduction figures
EltonTraitsCC0 · public domaindiet and foraging-activity data