Scientists have not been able to determine whether it even occurs in Washington because of the difficulty of catching bats in those habitats. The Keen's myotis looks in the hand exactly like a sister species of bat. Funding is being sought now to enable researchers to collect tissue samples necessary to begin to investigate where this species exists in the state. An important function of the agency's work with bats involves conservation of roost sites. Bats use many different habitats for roosting, but at certain times of the year their needs can be very specific.
Colonial bats depend primarily on caves, mines and attics for daytime roosts.
Most females give birth to one pup per year and raise it in a nursery colony with other females. Typically, these colonies are safe from predators and disturbance and warm enough for newborns to grow quickly. Most Northwest bats are small about the size of a thumb and can live relatively long lives up to 30 years. Male bats and bats of species that tend not to aggregate are often found roosting in cliff faces, rock crevices, dead and dying trees and under bridges. Since all bats in Washington are dependent on insects for food, they must either migrate south each fall to areas with winter insect populations or hibernate until spring when insects become plentiful.