| |
|
| |
| Vampire
Bat |
| |
| Common
Name: |
vampire
bat |
| |
|
| Class:
|
Mammalia |
| |
|
| Order: |
Chiroptera
(hand wing) |
| |
|
| Family:
|
Desmodontidae
(a bundle) |
| |
|
| Genus
species: |
Desmodus
(bundle tooth) rotundus (round) |
|
|
 |
| |
| Fast
Facts |
| Description:
|
|
| |
|
| Size:
|
Wingspan:
32 to 35 cm (12-13 in.) |
| |
|
| Weight:
|
30 to
35 g (1-1.2 oz.) |
| |
|
| Diet:
|
blood
of vertebrates ( i.e. - cows, pigs, and horses) |
| |
|
| Gestation: |
200
days |
| |
|
| Sexual
maturity: |
9 months |
| |
|
| Life
span: |
9 years
in the wild, up to 20 years in captivity |
| |
|
| Range:
|
northern
Mexico to northern Argentina |
| |
|
| Habitat:
|
deserts
to rain forests |
| |
|
| Population: |
|
| |
|
| Status:
|
not
listed by USFWS or CITES |
| |
|
| RETURN
TO TOP |
|
| |
| Fun
Facts |
| 1. |
Vampire
bats have fewer teeth than any other bat because they do not have
to chew their food.
|
| |
|
| 2. |
Along
with flying, vampire bats can run, jump, and hop with great speed,
using their chest muscles to fling themselves skyward. |
| |
|
| 3. |
Vampire
bats in the same colony support their roostmates by regurgitating
blood to bats that are unable to find food. |
| |
|
| 4. |
Vampire
bats don't suck blood. They make a small incision and lap up the blood
of their hosts. |
| |
|
| RETURN
TO TOP |
|
| |
| Ecology
and Conservation |
| |
Scientists
recently discovered that the anticoagulant in vampire bat saliva
is twenty times stronger than any other known anti-clotting agent.
With more research we may find this substance can help with serious
human disorders like heart attacks and strokes. They are also food
for night time predators like owls. Vampire bats are considered
agricultural pests in Latin America where cattle raising is taking
precedence over the rain forests. Control programs have been initiated
in these areas. However, millions of beneficial fruit-and insect-eating
bats are also destroyed because people mistake them for vampire
bats.
|
| |
|
| RETURN
TO TOP |
|
| |
| Bibliography |
| |
Belwood,
Jaqueline J., and Patricia A Morton. "Vampires - The Real Story."
Bats. Vol. 9, No. 1. Spring 1991, pp. 11-16.
|
| |
|
| |
Fenton,
Brock. Bats. New York: Facts on File, 1992. |
| |
|
| |
Gotch,
A. F. Mammals - Their Latin Names Explained - A Guide To Animal
Classification. Poole, United Kingdom: Blanford Press, 1979. |
| |
|
| |
Hill,
John E., and James D. Smith. Bats- A Natural History. Austin,
Texas: University of Texas press, 1984. |
| |
|
| |
Parker,
Sybil P. Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals. Vol. II, New York:
McGraw-Hill, 1990. |
| |
|
| |
Rexford,
Lord. "A Taste for Blood." Wildlife Conservation.
Sep. - Oct. 1993, pp. 34-37. |
| |
|
| RETURN
TO TOP |
|
| |
| Return
to Animal Bytes |
| |
| |