Species Present on the Kootenai National Forest 

 California Myotis (Myotis californicus) 



Description: Fur full and long, but not glossy. Body variably light tan to nearly black. Hind 

 foot small (< 8.5 mm), but ears relatively long (extending beyond the tip of the nose 

 when pressed forward). Naked part of the snout is about as long as the width of the 

 nostrils when viewed from above. Calcar is keeled. 



Distribution: Found from southeastern Alaska south to southern Mexico in western North 

 America. 



Habitat and Habits: This species is a bat of western lowlands (usually < 1800 m elevation), often 

 found associated with rock-walled canyons, from arid to humid woodlands and forests. 

 Small numbers have been reported hibernating in mines and caves in Oregon, 

 Washington (Perkins er a/. 1990) and British Columbia (Nagorsen e? (3/. 1993). Summer 

 roost sites include buildings, rock crevices, hollow trees, and spaces under loose bark. 

 Females fomi small maternity colonies, sometimes also in with M. lucifugus (Hoffmann 

 and Pattie 1968). with young bom in July. Roemer (1994) captured lactating females on 

 16 July on the Cabinet District and 27 August on the Fisher River District. This species 

 emerges from roosts at sunset to feed until dawn. Flight is slow, erratic, and usually low 

 near vegetation or water. 



Status: Hoffmann and Pattie (1968) and Hoffmann et al. (1969) indicate that the distribution of 

 this bat in Montana is restricted to valleys west of the Continental Divide; specimens are 

 available from Flathead (Kalispell) and Ravalli Counties. Eighteen of 1 13 bats captured 

 by Roemer (1994) on the Kootenai National Forest were this species; it has been 

 recorded from the Cabinet, Fisher River, Libby, and Rexford Districts (Appendix 4). 

 While not noted during the 1994 survey, this species may have been present at sites 

 where Myotis sp. was detected ( most species of Myotis are not easily distinguishable 

 with bat detectors). Present in the Idaho panhandle (Groves and Marks 1985), but 

 probably winters outside of the region. The California Myotis is not listed by any federal 

 agency. 



Natural Heritage Program rank: G5; not on Montana Species of Special Concern list. 



