Utah mammals

Western Small-footed Myotis in Utah

Myotis ciliolabrum

Native to Utah S3 Vulnerable in Utah

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

Rare in Utah 115th most recorded of 141 mammals logged in Utah

104 occurrence records
5 with iNaturalist photos
Sep 27, 2025 Last seen in Utah

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the Western Small-footed Myotis in Utah

Most sightings fall in July.

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

Monthly Utah records (table)
MonthRecords
January2
February4
March4
April2
May26
June14
July32
August10
September9
October1
November0
December0

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

Seasonality

Year-round in Utah, with recorded sightings peaking in July, with a smaller rise in May.

Occurrence map

Where Western Small-footed Myotis has been recorded in Utah

104 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

104 Utah records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Capitol Reef National Park 4
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park 1
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument 1
Golden Spike National Historical Park 1
Bears Ears National Monument 1
Utah State Department of Wildlife Resources 178 1
Red Cliffs National Monument 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 Utah

CountyRecords
Garfield County 20
Tooele County 19
Wayne County 12
Juab County 9
San Juan County 9
Millard County 7
Kane County 4
Washington County 4
Cache County 4
Salt Lake County 3
Iron County 3
Box Elder County 2
6 other counties 8

The complete county distribution, spread across 18 Utah 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 records in Utah center on wetland refuges rather than the rocky canyon country this bat usually favors, with Great Salt Lake, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, and Ouray National Wildlife Refuge all showing records, likely because these sites draw the insects it hunts low over open water and shoreline. Almost all of Utah’s 104 records come from specimen data rather than photos, a pattern that fits a bat this small and this easy to miss.

Reports peak in May and July, tracking when survey work and roost checks happen more than any true seasonal shift. This species drops into torpor on cool nights rather than disappearing for the season. NatureServe lists it S3 Vulnerable in Utah, worth noting for a bat that depends on small, specific roost cracks that are easy to lose without anyone noticing.

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 Utah 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"