Vampire Bats - The Bat in Nature

Indigenous to Central and South America, vampire bats live in a very strong social culture. The develop bonds with other bats in the colony, and learn to recognise each other through sound and scent. Vampire bats tend to live in caves, trees, or buildings. Their colonies can reach numbers of up to 2,000 bats, but most colonies tend to house approximately 100 bats.

Mating season lasts all year for the vampire bat. Like most mammals, their gestation period is similar to that of humans... about 6 to 8 months, and the typical number of offspring is one. Their lifespan is quite long – vampire bats may reach twenty years of age or older.

 

 

There are three main species of vampire bats: Desmodus rotundus, Diaemus youngi, and Diphylla ecaudata. The latter two species feed mainly on vertebrates (birds), but the Desmodus feeds entirely on other mammals.

A vampire bat usually drinks two tablespoons of blood per day, on average. They typically hunt very close to the ground, using heat sensors on the nose to help them locate a vein close to the skin. They use their incisors to bite into the skin, and it may take up to twenty minutes to finish the "meal". Vampire bat saliva has an ingredient that prevents the blood from clotting, as well as an anasthetic to prevent its victim from being irritated by the bite.

 

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