California mammals

Long-legged Myotis in California

Myotis volans

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.

Long-legged myotis roosting on tree bark with wings foldedAI-generated image: Long-legged myotis roosting on tree bark. No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyAI-generated image: Long-legged myotis tucked under a loose bark flap. No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy
Photo: Juan Cruzado Cortés · CC BY-SA 4.0Long-legged myotis roosting on tree bark with wings foldedAI-generated image No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyLong-legged myotis roosting on tree barkAI-generated image No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyLong-legged myotis tucked under a loose bark flap

Long-legged Myotis in California, by the numbers

Rare in California 173rd most recorded of 233 mammals logged in California

20 occurrence records
12 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the Long-legged Myotis in California

Most sightings fall in July.

20 California occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence. Based on a small number of dated records; the seasonal pattern may not be representative.

Monthly California records (table)
MonthRecords
January0
February0
March0
April1
May3
June3
July6
August2
September3
October2
November0
December0

Monthly long-legged myotis occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in California, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in California, with recorded sightings peaking in July.

Occurrence map

Where Long-legged Myotis has been recorded in California

20 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

20 California records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Pinnacles National Park 2
Hastings Natural History Reserve 2
Hain Wilderness Area 1

Protected places with the most long-legged 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 California

CountyRecords
San Benito County 3
San Bernardino County 3
Riverside County 2
Monterey County 2
Tulare County 2
Fresno County 2
Sierra County 1
Inyo County 1
Plumas County 1
Siskiyou County 1
Modoc County 1
Mono County 1

The complete county distribution, spread across 12 California counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

The long-legged myotis is a forest and woodland bat across much of the West, but California has only 20 records of it since 2000. Those few are spread thinly over 12 counties, from San Benito and Monterey in the Coast Ranges to San Bernardino and Riverside in the south and Siskiyou, Modoc, and Plumas in the far north, with no county holding more than 3.

Pinnacles National Park and Hastings Natural History Reserve each account for 2 records, both in the oak and chaparral country of the central Coast Ranges, where rock crevices and old trees offer daytime roosts. iNaturalist supplies 12 of the records and GBIF 16, with some overlap between the two.

Records run from April to October and reach their high point in July, with 6. A set this small mostly shows when bat surveys and night walks happen to take place, not how the bat’s own activity shifts through the season.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Long-legged myotis roosting on tree bark with wings folded
Full species profile Long-legged Myotis Myotis volans Size 8.3–10.6 cm3.3–4.2 in Weight 6–10 g0.2–0.4 oz Lifespan 21 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"