Eastern small-footed myotis
ExploreMyotis leibii
Type: mammal
Status:
Species Guide
Eastern small-footed myotis
Myotis leibii
Species Type: mammal
Conservation Status:
IDENTIFICATION
The eastern small-footed bat is the smallest member of the Myotis genus. Its feet are distinctly smaller than any other's within the genus, measuring less than 9 mm in length. Small-footed bats have black-accented golden brown fur and a solid black face. They weigh between 3.5 and 6 grams, are about 3 inches long, and have a wingspan of 8 to 10 inches. Males and females are generally the same size. Their wings are broad and rounded, allowing for slow yet agile flight through dense habitats.
The small-footed bat has a sloped forehead, differing from the typical broad forehead of other Myotids. This bat also has a strong keel on its calcar, which is the spur of cartilage running from the inner ankle along the bottom edge of the interfemoral membrane (between the foot and tail). Little brown bats (M. lucifugus) and tri-colored bats (Perimyotis subflavus) lack keels. Tri-colored bats have pink forearms, further differentiating the species.
Distribution & Habitat
DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT
The eastern small-footed bat is widely distributed throughout the United States and Canada, ranging from Ontario and the northeastern U.S. states to Georgia, along the Appalachian Mountains, through the Ozarks, and as far west as Oklahoma.
Small-footed bats use a variety of roosting sites within forested regions, including crevices in sunlit rock piles, talus slopes, and outcroppings, beneath tree bark and in tree crevices, in caves, and occasionally even in buildings. These bats prefer colder, drier hibernacula in winter than other bats that hibernate in the region. Hemlock forests seem to be favored over other forest types. The bats usually return to the same mines and caves each winter. They are generally the last to enter hibernation in fall and the first to emerge in the spring.