Long-legged myotis records in Alaska are sparse and scattered, with plausible habitat reaching into Denali National Park and Preserve, the boreal forest near Fairbanks, and the Yukon River valley. This bat’s broader range runs up from the mountain West into Alaska, and it favors conifer forest wherever it settles.
It’s a fast, direct flier that keeps hunting moths and other insects on cold nights long after many bats have quit, slipping into torpor to coast through the coldest stretches without burning fat reserves. In summer it roosts under loose bark on standing dead trees, shifting between several roosts through the season instead of settling on one.
The handful of Alaska records recorded so far cluster from May through July, when insects are most active during the long northern daylight. A thin record count here likely reflects how few people are out surveying bats in Interior Alaska, not a truly rare population.
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