Welcome back to some spooky Halloween science content! I would argue that one of the most quintessentially Halloween animals out there is the vampire bat. A lot of people see bats as animals to be feared, but they're actually super important parts of our ecosystem and pretty darn adorable. So grab a nice warm beverage, maybe a little garlicky snack, and let's learn about vampire bats!
Vampire bats very well may be the most "metal" animal to ever exist. Not only are bats the only mammals that can fly, but vampire bats are the only mammals that live on a strict blood only diet. Vampire bats have an average wingspan of around 7 inches and weigh around 2 ounces (it can almost double when they feed!). They are nocturnal, which means they sleep during the day and are active during the night. They like to frequent dark caves, abandoned buildings, mines, and tree hollows to snooze in at night. They usually stay in groups of around 100, but have been observed in groups as large as 1,000. If you want to see a vampire bat in the wild, you can find them in Mexico, Central America, and South America. There are three different species of vampire bats; common, hairy legged, and white winged.
Ok, ok, I know you just want me to get to the eating blood thing. Here we go. Common vampire bats typically feed on the blood of other mammals, like cows, while hairy legged and white winged vampire bats tend to feed on the blood of birds. It is extremely rare, and I mean EXTREMELY RARE, but vampire bats have been known to mistake humans for a nice meal. They aren’t like vampires in horror movies sucking their victims’ blood. Instead, they use their teeth to cut the skin and lap up the blood from the cut with their tongues. They also don’t bleed their victims dry like those horror movie vampires. They never take enough blood to be damaging to their victims, only about a teaspoon at a time, but their bites do have the potential to cause some pretty nasty infections. Another little fun fact, vampire bat saliva contains a chemical that numbs the skin of their prey so they don’t wake up while the bat is feeding. Another chemical prevents the blood from clotting so that it flows easier for the bat to lap up! Vampire bats can’t go more than two days without feeding or they will die.
Sometimes, after the bat has had its fill of blood, they are too heavy to fly away! Because they can’t fly, they will crawl along the ground away from their victim and find a nice safe spot to digest their meal until they can fly away again. It’s kinda like humans after a big dinner. We go find a nice comfy spot to regret our decisions and digest our food. I like to picture them waddling away from their victim, rubbing their bellies, like I waddle away from the table at Thanksgiving.
So, what do you think about vampire bats? I must admit, I am a bit biased when it comes to vampire bats. I had to do a report on them in the 1st grade and they have been my favorite type of bat ever since. My favorite thing about them is their cool saliva. What surprised you the most? Let me know below!
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