South Dakota mammals

Western Little Brown Myotis in South Dakota

Myotis lucifugus

Native to South Dakota S3 Vulnerable 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

EN – Endangered

Very high risk of extinction in the wild.

Little brown myotis roosting alertly on a wooden beamLittle brown myotis roosting in the corner of an attic beamLittle brown myotis roosting on painted wood sidingLittle brown myotis resting among blue spruce branches
Photo: Steph Brulot-Sawchyn · CC0Little brown myotis roosting alertly on a wooden beamPhoto: LeeAnn Latremouille · CC BY 4.0Little brown myotis roosting in the corner of an attic beamPhoto: Tom Romeo · CC BY 4.0Little brown myotis roosting on painted wood sidingPhoto: Patrick Jackson · CC BY 4.0Little brown myotis resting among blue spruce branches

Western Little Brown Myotis in South Dakota, by the numbers

Common in South Dakota 29th most recorded of 100 mammals logged in South Dakota

114 occurrence records
2 with iNaturalist photos
Dec 26, 2025 Last seen in South Dakota

Records from 2000–2026.

114 total records count every South Dakota occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 113; the monthly chart covers the 113 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Western Little Brown Myotis in South Dakota

Most sightings fall in May to July.

113 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
May28
June27
July45
August4
September1
October0
November7
December1

Monthly western little brown myotis occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in South Dakota, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

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

Occurrence map

Where Western Little Brown Myotis has been recorded in South Dakota

113 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

113 South Dakota records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Jewel Cave National Monument 21
Black Hills National Forest 3
Badlands National Park 2
Black Elk Wilderness 1

Protected places with the most western little brown 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
Custer County 33
Harding County 27
Lawrence County 27
Pennington County 20
Fall River County 2
Jackson County 1
Union County 1
Meade County 1
Brookings County 1
Other localities 1

The complete county distribution, spread across 9 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’s little brown bat records orbit the Black Hills. Custer, Lawrence, and Pennington counties, the Hills’ core, plus Harding County in the far northwest corner, account for the great majority of the state’s 114 reports. Jewel Cave National Monument alone contributes 21, and Wind Cave, Custer State Park, and the surrounding national forest fill in the picture: this is a bat tied to the Hills’ cave-studded limestone and ponderosa country.

Reports build from May to a July peak, tracking both the bats’ active season and the summer survey calendar. A scattering of late-year records points to hibernation monitoring in the caves.

NatureServe ranks the species S3, vulnerable, in South Dakota, a notch better than the S1 ranks it now carries through much of the East. Even so, the IUCN lists it as Endangered globally after white-nose syndrome’s sweep across the continent. The Black Hills’ caves, cold, deep, and full of bats, are exactly the places biologists are watching closest.

Occurrence data from GBIF.

Little brown myotis roosting alertly on a wooden beam
Full species profile Western Little Brown Myotis Myotis lucifugus Size 8–9.5 cm3.1–3.7 in Weight 6–13 g0.2–0.5 oz Lifespan 35 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"