- Scientific Name
- Myotis yumanensis
- Family
- Vespertilionidae
- Region
- British Columbia, North America, USA, Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Utah, Oregon, Idaho, Washington, Canada, Wyoming, Alberta, Montana
Pronunciation: my-oh-tis you-ma-nen-sis
The Yuma Myotis is found throughout western North America, from British Columbia through Washington, Idaho, and western Montana, southern Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, West Texas and into Mexico. Occasionally roosting in mines or caves, these bats are most often found in buildings or bridges. Bachelors also sometimes roost in abandoned cliff swallow nests, but tree cavities are likely the original sites for most nursery roosts. These bats typically forage over water in forested areas.
A study in western Oregon showed that the feeding activity of Yuma Myotis was up to eight times higher along forested edges of streams compared to those in logged areas, apparently because the wooded areas contain greater insect diversity. Although Yuma Myotis feed predominantly over water, they eat a variety of insects that includes moths, froghoppers, leafhoppers, June beetles, ground beetles, midges, mosquitoes, muscid flies, caddisflies, and crane flies. Yuma Myotis are threatened by loss of riparian habitats and the decline in permanent water sources in the southwest.