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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
common
vampire bat, vampire bat |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Chiroptera
(hand wing) |
| FAMILY: |
Phyllostomidae |
| SUBFAMILY: |
Desmodontidae
(a bundle) |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Desmodus
(bundle tooth) rotundus (round) |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Pointed
ears; longer thumb (in comparison to other true
vampire bats); 20 teeth, with largest being 2 upper
canines and 2 upper incisors |
|
| SIZE: |
Wingspan
= 32-35 cm (12-13 in.) |
|
| WEIGHT: |
30-35
g (1-1.2 oz.) |
|
| DIET: |
Blood
of vertebrates ( i.e. - cows, pigs, and horses) |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
9
months |
|
| LIFE
SPAN: |
9
years in the wild, up to 20 years in captivity |
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| RANGE: |
Northern
Mexico to northern Argentina |
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| HABITAT: |
Deserts
to rain forests |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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|
| 1. |
Vampire
bats have fewer teeth than any other bat because
they do not have to chew their food. |
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| 2. |
Along
with flying, vampire bats can run, jump, and hop
with great speed, using their chest muscles to fling
themselves skyward. |
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| 3. |
Vampire
bats in the same colony support their roostmates
by regurgitating blood to bats that are unable to
find food. |
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| 4. |
Vampire
bats don't suck blood. They make a small incision
and lap up the blood of their hosts. |
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| 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. |
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| |
|
|
| 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. |
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