vampire bat

A bat of family Desmodontidae, native to the New World tropics; sharp pointed incisor teeth; no tail; flies low over ground; drinks blood; lands near resting animal and walks to it using wings and legs; may trim hair or feathers with teeth; makes shallow incision with incisors (prey usually not disturbed) and laps blood; tongue has grooves to carry blood to mouth; bat's saliva prevents blood clotting, and wound may bleed for eight hours; feeding may take two hours; at least 20 ml of blood drunk per night. There are three species: the common or great vampire (Desmodus rotundus), the white-winged vampire (Diaemus youngi), and the hairy-legged vampire (Diphylla ecaudata). Bats of the family Megadermatidae, and some species of Phyllostomidae, are called false vampires (they do not drink blood).

iVampire bats
Common Vampire Bat, Desmodus rotundus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Chiroptera Family: Phyllostomidae Subfamily: Desmodontinae'
Genera
Desmodus Diphylla Diaemus

Vampire bats are bats that feed on blood (hematophagy). There are only three bat species that feed on blood: The Common Vampire Bat (Desmodus rotundus), the Hairy-legged Vampire Bat (Diphylla ecaudata), and the White-winged Vampire Bat (Diaemus youngi). In older literature, the three genera are placed within a family, Desmodontidae, but this is now regarded as unhelpful, as it hides the similarities the vampire bats have with other members of the American leaf-nosed bat family, Phyllostomidae. The fact that the three known species of vampire bat all seem more similar to one another than any of them is to any other species suggests that sanguivory (feeding on blood) only evolved once, and that all three species share a common ancestor.

Unlike fruit-eating bats, the vampire bats have a short, conical muzzle without a nose leaf. Like fruit-eating bats, and unlike insectivorous and fish-eating bats, they only emit low-energy sound pulses. The Common Vampire Bat feeds mostly on the blood of mammals, whereas the Hairy-legged Vampire Bat, and the White-winged Vampire Bat feed on the blood of birds.

The feeding pattern of the vampire bat adds a layer of complexity to its anatomy.

Vampire bats tend to live in almost completely dark places, such as caves, old wells, hollow trees, and buildings. If they can't get blood, they'll approach another vampire bat whilst roosting, asking for a blood 'transfusion'.

Vampire bats are common carriers of the deadly rabies virus which, aside from its danger to humans, is responsible for the deaths of many thousands of farm animals each year in tropical and sub-tropical America.