An amazing world of Vampire bat facts: Bats are firmly rooted in Western vampire lore, but only three species, out of some 1100 in the order Chiroptera, actually have a taste for blood.
- 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’. That might be one of the most awesome random facts ever. 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.
- 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.
- They don’t remove enough blood to harm the animal, but their bites can cause nasty infections and disease. That might be one of the most awesome animal facts you had no idea before.
- 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. Learn more about interesting science facts via our wide range of articles.
- Vampire bats can actually be quite tame, and even friendly to humans.
- Owls, eagles and hawks are some of the vampire bat’s main preadators.
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