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Common Vampire Bat

Desmodus rotundus

Vampire bat

Photograph by Michael & Patricia
Fogden/Corbis

Common Vampire Bat Profile

Bats are the only mammals that can fly, but vampire
bats have an even more interesting distinction—they are
the only mammals that feed entirely on
blood.

These notorious bats sleep during the day
in total darkness, suspended upside down from the roofs
of caves. They typically gather in colonies of about 100
animals, but sometimes live in groups of 1,000 or more.
In one year, a 100-bat colony can drink the blood of 25
cows.

During the darkest part of the night, common vampire
bats emerge to hunt. Sleeping cattle and horses are
their usual victims, but they have been known to feed on
people as well. The bats drink their victim's blood for
about 30 minutes. They don't remove enough blood to harm
their host, but their bites can cause nasty infections
and disease.

Vampire bats strike their victims
from the ground. They land near their prey and approach
it on all fours. The bats have few teeth because of
their liquid diet, but those they have are razor sharp.
Each bat has a heat sensor on its nose that points it
toward a spot where warm blood is flowing just beneath
its victim's skin. After putting the bite on an animal,
the vampire bat laps up the flowing blood with its
tongue. Its saliva prevents the blood from
clotting.

Young vampire bats feed not on blood
but on milk. They cling tightly to their mothers, even
in flight, and consume nothing but her milk for about
three months.

The common vampire bat is found in
the tropics of Mexico, Central America, and South
America.

Fast Facts

Type: Mammal

Diet: Carnivore

Average lifespan in the wild: About
9 years

Size: Body, 3.5 in (9 cm);
Wingspan, 7 in (18 cm)

Weight: 2 oz (57 g) (Varies; can
double in one feeding.)

Group name: Colony

Size relative to a tea
cup:

Multimedia

Common Vampire Bat Printable Factsheet

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