Yo Kass answered
Although it is far less common than popular horror stories might suggest, it is possible that a vampire bat would try to and feed on human blood.
'Vampire bat' is the name given to three different types of blood drinking bat:
What do vampire bats eat? Vampire bats are the only mammal whose diet consists entirely of blood. This makes them the only parasite of the mammal kingdom.
The common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) is also unique within the species as the one type of bat that actually feeds on the blood of larger mammals (usually goats, cows and horses). Other types of vampire bat restrict themselves to a diet of small birds.
Vampire bats are fascinating hunters. They only ever venture out in full-darkness, and navigate through the dark using a form of low-frequency sonar. To feed, they usually listen out for the sounds of sleeping animals, which constitute their main prey.
As far as preying on humans, a vampire bat probably wouldn't distinguish between a sleeping human and a sleeping horse.
How do vampire bats feed? The way vampire bats feed on their prey is just as chilling as their appearance. The common vampire bat will target its sleeping prey and then close in on an area of the body that it senses to be 'warm' (signalling the presence of blood). It then uses its teeth to make a small incision, from which it laps up the blood.
To keep the blood flowing from a victim, a vampire bat's saliva contains chemicals that act as an anti-coagulant, preventing the blood from clotting.
Another interesting aspect of vampire bat's feeding is that it is armed with sharp canine and cheek teeth which it uses to shave away the hair preventing access to the skin of its prey.
'Vampire bat' is the name given to three different types of blood drinking bat:
- Desmodus rotundus
- Diphylla ecaudata
- Diaemus youngi
What do vampire bats eat? Vampire bats are the only mammal whose diet consists entirely of blood. This makes them the only parasite of the mammal kingdom.
The common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) is also unique within the species as the one type of bat that actually feeds on the blood of larger mammals (usually goats, cows and horses). Other types of vampire bat restrict themselves to a diet of small birds.
Vampire bats are fascinating hunters. They only ever venture out in full-darkness, and navigate through the dark using a form of low-frequency sonar. To feed, they usually listen out for the sounds of sleeping animals, which constitute their main prey.
As far as preying on humans, a vampire bat probably wouldn't distinguish between a sleeping human and a sleeping horse.
How do vampire bats feed? The way vampire bats feed on their prey is just as chilling as their appearance. The common vampire bat will target its sleeping prey and then close in on an area of the body that it senses to be 'warm' (signalling the presence of blood). It then uses its teeth to make a small incision, from which it laps up the blood.
To keep the blood flowing from a victim, a vampire bat's saliva contains chemicals that act as an anti-coagulant, preventing the blood from clotting.
Another interesting aspect of vampire bat's feeding is that it is armed with sharp canine and cheek teeth which it uses to shave away the hair preventing access to the skin of its prey.
