South Dakota mammals

Western Small-footed Myotis in South Dakota

Myotis ciliolabrum

Native to South Dakota S5 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.

Western small-footed myotis roosting on wood with its dark face mask visibleSmall group of western small-footed myotis roosting under a beamWestern small-footed myotis hanging against a pale roost surfaceWestern small-footed myotis showing small feet and folded dark wingsClose view of a western small-footed myotis face and dark ears in a narrow roost
Photo: Colin Croft · CC BYWestern small-footed myotis roosting on wood with its dark face mask visiblePhoto: Colin Croft · CC BYSmall group of western small-footed myotis roosting under a beamPhoto: Colin Croft · CC BYWestern small-footed myotis hanging against a pale roost surfacePhoto: Colin Croft · CC BYWestern small-footed myotis showing small feet and folded dark wingsPhoto: Colin Croft · CC BYClose view of a western small-footed myotis face and dark ears in a narrow roost

Western Small-footed Myotis in South Dakota, by the numbers

Occasional in South Dakota 64th most recorded of 100 mammals logged in South Dakota

122 occurrence records
11 with iNaturalist photos
Aug 27, 2024 Last seen in South Dakota

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the Western Small-footed Myotis in South Dakota

Most sightings fall in July.

122 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
May3
June30
July73
August8
September3
October0
November5
December0

Monthly western small-footed myotis occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in South Dakota, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

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

Occurrence map

Where Western Small-footed Myotis has been recorded in South Dakota

122 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

122 South Dakota records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Badlands National Park 60
Jewel Cave National Monument 14
Black Hills National Forest 2
Black Elk Wilderness 1
Custer State Park 1

Protected places with the most western small-footed 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
Pennington County 46
Jackson County 29
Custer County 23
Harding County 8
Lawrence County 7
Fall River County 5
Hughes County 3
Shannon County 1

The complete county distribution, spread across 8 South Dakota counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Western small-footed myotis show a stark source imbalance in South Dakota: 116 GBIF records against just 11 from iNaturalist, more than ten to one, meaning cave and hibernaculum surveys, not casual sightings, document nearly everything known about this small bat in the state. NatureServe rates the state population S5, secure, fitting a species well suited to the Black Hills’ abundant rock crevices and caves.

The handful of iNaturalist-visible records cluster in late summer, July through September, though with GBIF dominating the total record so heavily, that pattern likely says more about when casual observers happened to encounter one than about the bat’s actual seasonal activity in the Black Hills.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Western small-footed myotis roosting on wood with its dark face mask visible
Full species profile Western Small-footed Myotis Myotis ciliolabrum Size 8–10 cm3.1–3.9 in Weight 4–5 g0.1–0.2 oz Lifespan 12 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"