Southern Myotis (Myotis macropus) lives in freshwater ecosystems across Eastern Australia. It feeds on insects and spiders. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Southern Myotis
- It trawls water with its feet, making it one of only two Australian "fishing" bats. Large-footed myotis drag their specially adapted hind feet across the surface to snag aquatic insects and tiny fish, a hunting style no other local bat shares. This niche shows how evolution can turn a night-flyer into a miniature fisherman, linking bat health to water quality.
- It landed on the New South Wales Threatened Species Act in 1995, even before scientists split it from its close cousin Myotis adversus. The bat's sensitivity to heavy-metal pollution and bioaccumulation means deteriorating water quality can push it out of its aquatic hunting grounds, turning a legal listing into an early warning for river health.
- Its diet reads like a buffet of water life: fish, water boatmen, non-biting midges, mosquitoes, moths, beetles and other insects. Scat analyses reveal this broad menu, showing the bat's role as both predator and pest controller, and highlighting how changes in insect or fish populations could ripple through its survival.
- It was recorded west of the Great Dividing Range in the 1970s at a billabong in Boomanoomana State Forest near Mulwala.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeEastern Australia
HabitatFreshwater ecosystems
DietInsects and spiders
About the Southern Myotis
In the warm, golden light of dusk, the Southern Myotis bat takes to the skies, its delicate wings beating at a hypnotic pace as it dances through the air in pursuit of insects. With each effortless glide, it weaves a intricate tapestry of sound and motion, its high-pitched calls echoing through the landscape as it navigates the world with ease. As it flits and darts, its remarkable agility and precision are a testament to the wonders of evolution, a true marvel of the natural world.
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