Southeastern myotis

The southeastern myotis (Myotis austroriparius) is a small species of bat. It found throughout the Gulf Coastal Plain and the Lower Mississippi alluvial plain of the southeastern United States.

Description
The southeastern myotis weighs 5–8 g. It eats mainly insects. The southeastern bat, rests by day and look for food at night. The southeastern bat has a wingspan of about 9-11 inches. Pelage varies from gray to bright orange-brown. The females are generally more brightly colored than the males.

This species is sometimes seen roosting with Rafinesque's big-eared bats.

Distribution and Habitat
The range of this species includes southern Illinois and Indiana in the north, westward into southeastern Oklahoma, western Tennessee and Arkansas, and northeastern Texas, and eastward to the southern part of North Carolina.Whitaker, J., W. Hamilton. 1998. Mammals of the Eastern United States. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press.

The southeastern myotis lives in bottomland hardwood forests. It roosts and looks for food near water. Bottomland hardwood forests usually contain bald cypress and water tupelo which are common roosting trees of bottomland bats. Good habitats are made up of trees of sufficient size and maturity sufficient for tree cavities to form. They are also known to roost in caves, cisterns, abandoned buildings, and under bridges.

Ecology
Southeastern myotis are an important source of food for barred owls, particularly in the nesting season.Bergstrom, B. J., & Smith, M. T. (2017). Bats as Predominant Food Items of Nesting Barred Owls. Southeastern Naturalist, 16(1), N1-N4. They are less important as a source of food outside of the nesting season.

References

Category:Bats
Category:Mammals of North America