21 September 2017 - COMMON VAMPIRE BATS

COMMON VAMPIRE BATS

G'day folks,

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

Quick Facts

• Type: Mammal
• Diet: Carnivore
• Lifespan: Around 9 years
• Size: Body 9cm, wingspan 18cm
• Habitat: Arid to humid, tropical and subtropical areas
• Range: Central to South America

 Amazing Facts About the Common Vampire Bat

• Vampire bats tend to live in colonies in almost completely dark places, such as caves, old wells, hollow trees, and buildings.
• These creatures are nocturnal and most active in the early night.
• Vampire bats roost alone, in small groups, or in colonies of thousands.
• The basic social structure of roosting bats is made of ‘harems’. These are composed of females and their offspring and a few adult males known as ‘resident males’ and a separate group of males, known as ‘nonresident males’.
• Female vampire bats form associations with one another that can last for many years.
• Vampire bats are believed to be the only species of bats in the world to ‘adopt’ another young bat if something happens to the bat’s mother.

   They are very clean animals that frequently groom themselves as well as other bats.

  Vampire bats generally fly about one metre off the ground.

  Like the legendary monster from which they get their name, these small mammals drink the blood of other animals for survival.

  They feed on blood from sleeping cows, pigs, horses, and birds. Though uncommon, vampire bats occasionally bite humans for blood.

  Vampire bats have such good eyesight that they may be able to see a cow from a distance of 130 metres.

• They don’t remove enough blood to harm the animal, but their bites can cause nasty infections and disease.
• Unlike some other species of bats, vampire bats can walk, run, and jump. They have very strong hind legs and a special thumb that helps them take off after feeding.
• Each night, vampire bats drink about half of their body weight in blood.
• If they can’t find blood for two nights in a row, they will die. Luckily, female bats can be generous; well-fed bats will often regurgitate blood to share with others in exchange for grooming.
• Vampire bats can actually be quite tame, and even friendly to humans.
• Owls, eagles and hawks are some of the vampire bat’s main predators.
• Rather than sucking blood, vampire bats make a small cut with their teeth and then lap up the flowing blood with their tongues.
• These bats are so light and agile that they are sometimes able to drink blood from an animal for more than 30 minutes without waking it up.

Clancy's comment: Some of these facts are very  interesting, especially the last item.

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