Blood Sucking Freaks or Just Bats

When you hear the word bat many people get the willies. They are hated by many and loved by few but the vampire bat is a very unique animal.

These bats got their name because they feed solely on blood. Yes, they have been known to attack humans and feed on their blood too but mostly these creatures feed on small mammals and birds. Most of its prey lay fast asleep when they are attacked by these nocturnal vamps.

There are actually three different species of vampire bats. All of them live in the Americas which range from Mexico to Argentina.

All species of vampire bats have an interesting nose which has a receptor on it which allows these guys to locate places on the bodies of their pray where the blood runs closest to the surface. They have very small ears and short stubby tails, their front teeth are made for cutting and the back teeth are smaller than any other bat.

The vampire bats digestive system is made to accept their liquid diet. Draculin is a substance that can be found in their saliva which makes it impossible for their victims blood to clot. The coagulating agent in their saliva has been being tested in stroke patients to stop their blood from clotting and the results have been positive.

Unlike the fables of vampire bats sucking the blood of their prey they instead cut a wound with their teeth and lap the blood like that of a kitten lapping up milk.

These blood sucking freaks also have something unique in their brains which can detect the breathing sounds of their victims. Vampire bats feed only in the darkness of the night and use  low energy sound pulses to find their way around. These creatures once they find their prey land close by and approach them on the ground. They sneak up quietly and attack. These bats are very agile being able to not only fly but while on the ground can run almost 5 miles per hour.

Vampire bats do not have any enamel on their teeth which keeps them really sharp. If they attack an animal with fur on their skin they use their teeth to shave the hair off before inflicting a cut on their victim. In one feeding the bat will consume 20 to 30 percent of its total body weight in blood. To take flight after a feeding they must crouch for extra momentum for take off. Once they settle down after their meal they excrete lots of urine high in protein which is very concentrated.

Bats live in colonies which range from a few to thousands and may share with other than their own species. They also live in dark places such as caves, houses, and in the hollows of trees. Vampire bats only have one offspring each season. When raising their young they must have a blood meal every few days. If they cannot get one then another bat will donate by mouth blood to keep the mothering female alive.This donation act resembles that of kissing.

Vampire bats live around nine years out in the wild and double that in captivity. These guys have also got a bad reputation as being disease carriers, which less than .5 percent carry rabies or any other types of diseases. Humans getting disease from them is very rare, but cattle populations and other small mammals have been known to contract rabies from being bitten by these blood suckers.

Bats in general have gotten a reputation for tangling themselves in peoples hair and biting them for their blood but this mostly happens in the movies. They are like anything else, they have their own means to exist with the rest of the creatures on earth they just eat blood instead of fruit or meat.

Vampire bats are just another example of what all of nature has to offer. Knowledge of them and how they survive may help all of us to see them differently and understand what they do and why.

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