Vampire bat

Common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus)

The common vampire bat, taken from Brehm's Tierleben

Vampire bats is a subfamily of bats. Unlike other bats, vampire bats feed on blood. Currently, there are three species of bats known to do this. All of them live in the Americas, in Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Argentina. Of the three known species, one feeds on the blood of mammals, the other two on the blood of birds.

The common vampire bat lives in large groups, of up to 100 animals. They have developed complex social behaviour.

Vampire bats commonly spread diseases, most notably rabies. The saliva of the vampire bats contain chemicals that prevent the clotting of the blood of the victim; this has been used to develop drugs to help the patients of strokes and heart attacks.

The false vampire bats are not vampire bats; they do not feed on blood, some eat fruits, others devour small animals.

Vampires may be modelled on bats.

Scientific studies

Vampire bats were some of the first animals studied using the broadly applicable tracking system, or BATS. Scientists glued very small backpacks with sensors onto vampire bats and used GPS to tell when they looked for food, rested, or met each other. The study, which was printed for people to read on October 31, 2019 (Halloween), said that vampire bats formed social bonds when being held by humans that they remembered after being released back into the wild.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Vampire Bat Media

A vampire bat skeleton, showing the distinctive incisors and canines
A vampire bat feeding on a pig (taxidermy specimens)
Common vampire bat at the Louisville Zoo

References

↑ Ohio State University (April 2, 2020). Scientists develop 'backpack' computers to track wild animals in hard-to-reach habitats. Eurekalert. https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-04/osu-sd040120.php. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
↑ Fingertip-size "Backpack" Computers Used to Track Tiny Animal's Social Behavior. Science Times. April 3, 2020. https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/25198/20200403/fingertip-size-backpack-computers-used-track-tiny-animals-social-behavior.htm. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
↑ Simon P. Ripperger; Gerald G. Carter; Rachel A. Page; Niklas Duda; Alexander Koelpin; Robert Weigel; Markus Hartmann; Thorsten Nowak; Jörn Thielecke; Michael Schadhauser; Jörg Robert; Sebastian Herbst; Klaus Meyer-Wegener; Peter Wägemann; Wolfgang Schröder-Preikschat; Björn Cassens; Rüdiger Kapitza; Falko Dressler; Frieder Mayer (April 2, 2020). "Thinking small: Next-generation sensor networks close the size gap in vertebrate biologging". PLOS Biology. PLOS. 18 (4): e3000655. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.3000655. PMC 7117662. PMID 32240158.

[Eureka-1] Ohio State University (April 2, 2020). Scientists develop 'backpack' computers to track wild animals in hard-to-reach habitats. Eurekalert. https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-04/osu-sd040120.php. Retrieved April 4, 2020.

[SciTimes-2] Fingertip-size "Backpack" Computers Used to Track Tiny Animal's Social Behavior. Science Times. April 3, 2020. https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/25198/20200403/fingertip-size-backpack-computers-used-track-tiny-animals-social-behavior.htm. Retrieved April 7, 2020.

[PLOS-3] Simon P. Ripperger; Gerald G. Carter; Rachel A. Page; Niklas Duda; Alexander Koelpin; Robert Weigel; Markus Hartmann; Thorsten Nowak; Jörn Thielecke; Michael Schadhauser; Jörg Robert; Sebastian Herbst; Klaus Meyer-Wegener; Peter Wägemann; Wolfgang Schröder-Preikschat; Björn Cassens; Rüdiger Kapitza; Falko Dressler; Frieder Mayer (April 2, 2020). "Thinking small: Next-generation sensor networks close the size gap in vertebrate biologging". PLOS Biology. PLOS. 18 (4): e3000655. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.3000655. PMC 7117662. PMID 32240158.

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