 The
little brown myotis is abundant in Wind Cave National Park and throughout
forested areas of the U.S. as far north as Alaska. In the West it
is found mainly in mountainous and riparian areas in a wide variety
of forest habitats; from tree-lined xeric-scrub to aspen meadows and
Pacific Northwest coniferous rain forests. This species is especially
associated with humans, often forming nursery colonies containing
hundreds, sometimes thousands of individuals in buildings, attics,
and other man-made structures. The little brown myotis is poorly studied
in the West. In northern Arizona, numerous nursery colonies of 50-100
bats each have been documented beneath exfoliating bark on ponderosa
pine snags. In addition to day roosts in tree cavities and crevices,
little brown myotis seem quite dependent upon roosts, which provide
safe havens from predators that are close to foraging grounds. Unlike
their eastern counterparts, the winter habitats of western little
brown myotis remain a mystery. Despite summer nursery colonies numbering
in excess of 1,000 individuals, only a handful of hibernating individuals
have ever been found. In the West, where few caves or mines contain
appropriate temperature or humidity for hibernation, these bats may
hibernate in hollow tree cavities in moist coastal areas or in deep
cliff-face crevices. Little brown myotis forage over water where their
diet consists of aquatic insects, mainly midges, mosquitoes, mayflies,
and caddisflies. They also feed over forest trails, cliff faces, meadows,
and farmland where they consume a wide variety of insects, from moths
and beetles to crane flies. Individuals can catch up to 1,200 insects
in just one hour during peak feeding activity. |
|
