Information About Vampire Bat

known for what they eat. They feed on the blood of cattle, horses, other animals, and sometimes even people. Vampire bats can be dangerous because they can spread a disease called rabies, which can be deadly to those infected. To get to the blood of their animal victims, they bite away any fur or feathers, and then bite. They drink only small amounts of blood each time they feed. Vampire Bat, a bat that feeds on fresh blood. A number of large, fruit-eating bats are miscalled vampire bats. True vampire bats have upper incisor teeth shaped like canines. There are three species, found in various areas of Latin America.

Vampire bats have no tails and are about three inches (7.5 cm) long. They shelter in areas of almost complete darkness, such as eaves and hollow trees. To obtain their food, they will attack almost any warm-blooded animal that is resting quietly. After biting a victim, they suck the flowing blood. Although the wound and amount of blood lost are not serious, these bats are dangerous because they can transmit such diseases as rabies

Does a Vampire Bat Kill Its Prey? Vampire bats are very small mammals. They usually weigh about 1 ounce (28 grams). Their wingspan might measure 12 inches (30.5 centimeters) across. They eat only about 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of blood a day. Most animals never notice that they’ve been bitten by a vampire bat. The greater danger, though, is that vampire bats often spread diseases to their victims. If a vampire bat drinks the blood of an animal that has a disease, the bat can then carry the germs of that disease and spread them to other animals it bites. Sometimes the bat itself can become sick, as well.

A few kinds of bats feed on the blood of other mammals. These bats are called vampire bats.

Common vampire bats, which live in Mexico and South America, feed on the blood of horses, cattle, and fowl (birds such as chickens). Although it is rare, vampire bats can also feed on human blood.

A vampire bat searches for a sleeping animal. Then it lands nearby and climbs onto the animal. The bat uses its teeth to cut away the fur of the animal and quickly makes a small cut into the victim’s skin. Its teeth are so sharp that the sleeping animal doesn’t even feel the cut.

Once an animal starts bleeding, the vampire bat uses its tongue to lap up blood from the wound.

Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Chiroptera
Family:	Phyllostomidae
Subfamily:	Desmodontinae Bonaparte, 1845

Vampire Bats are small flying mammals. They give birth to live young and nourish them with milk. They are nocturnal; they are most active at night and sleep during the day hanging upside-down. Vampire Bats live in Central and South America. Vampire Bats are microchiropterans, bats who use echolocation.

Anatomy: Bats' wings are long fingers covered by thin skin, and they have furry bodies. These tailless mammals have weak legs and don't walk very well. Vampire Bats have a wingspan of only 8 inches (20 cm). The body is the size of a person's thumb.

Senses/Diet: Vampire Bats can see, but use echolocation as their primary sense in order to find insects and small animals to eat. While flying, these bats send out high-pitched sounds that bounce off other objects. The bat listens for the bounced sound, and can determine where objects are located. People cannot hear these high-pitched sounds. The vampire bat is the only bat (and the only mammal) that eats blood, preying on cattle, horses, large birds and pigs. Vampire bats don't suck animals' blood, they make a small hole with their two very sharp incisor teeth and lap up the blood, which doesn't clot (thicken) because of anti-coagulants (anti-thickeners) in the bat's saliva.