Three species of bats from Central and South America, the only mammals that feed only on blood. They find warm spots on sleeping animals with heat sensors on the nose, cut the skin with razor-sharp teeth and lap up the blood. Unlike most bats, they can walk, jump and run.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?Yes
Dangerous?Can be
The common vampire bat sometimes feeds on sleeping people, and it carries rabies.
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Night
It approaches sleeping animals at night to feed on their blood.
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inSouth America, Central America
ColoursBrown, Grey
SizeTiny
LengthAbout 9 cm, with an 18 cm wingspan (common vampire bat)
Weight25–40 g (common vampire bat)
Legs2
Covered inFur
Lives incolonies
Lives for9–12 years
Can fly
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Central and South America.
- What it eats
- Blood, mostly from livestock for the common vampire bat; the hairy-legged vampire bat feeds on birds.
- Conservation
- Least Concern (IUCN Red List)
Did you know
Shares blood with colony members that failed to feed, and remembers who returned the favour.
A vampire bat can survive only about two days without feeding.
In the wild they live about nine years on average.
Often confused with
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