South Dakota mammals

Long-legged Myotis in South Dakota

Myotis volans

Native to South Dakota S4 Apparently Secure in South Dakota

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

Common in South Dakota 26th most recorded of 100 mammals logged in South Dakota

148 occurrence records
1 with iNaturalist photos
May 16, 2022 Last seen in South Dakota

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the Long-legged Myotis in South Dakota

Most sightings fall in June to July.

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

Monthly South Dakota records (table)
MonthRecords
January0
February0
March0
April0
May15
June55
July56
August13
September7
October0
November2
December0

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

Seasonality

Year-round in South Dakota, with recorded sightings peaking in June–July.

Occurrence map

Where Long-legged Myotis has been recorded in South Dakota

148 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

148 South Dakota records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Badlands National Park 28
Jewel Cave National Monument 9
Wind Cave National Park 7

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 South Dakota

CountyRecords
Harding County 44
Custer County 31
Pennington County 30
Jackson County 26
Lawrence County 13
Fall River County 3
Meade County 1

The complete county distribution, spread across 7 South Dakota counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

South Dakota holds the strongest long-legged myotis record in the northern plains: 148 reports since 2000, with a spread that covers both ends of the state’s forested country. Harding County’s Cave Hills and Slim Buttes lead the county list, the Black Hills counties of Custer, Pennington, and Lawrence follow close behind, and Jackson County adds a surprising bloc from the Badlands in between.

The named places reinforce that shape. Badlands National Park tops the list, with Jewel Cave National Monument and Wind Cave National Park close behind. Dry badlands and cave country might not look like classic habitat for a forest bat, but the long-legged myotis roots its days in rock crevices and cliff faces as readily as in trees, and it hunts over whatever the night offers. NatureServe ranks it apparently secure in the state, one of its better standings anywhere.

June and July tower over every other month in the record. That’s the bats’ peak activity season overlapping with the field season for the survey crews, and it’s the honest way to read the calendar here: records show when bats and biologists meet, not the whole of what the bats are doing.

Occurrence data from 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 South Dakota 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"