As the world lulls itself to sleep, there is one creature that emerges from mines, dark caves and tree hollows. They even do this in the abandoned buildings found in Mexico. These are vampire bats. They are seen around South and Central America too. Most of the time, they will glide stealthily. They happily do this while the night air is breezing. This is one of the ways in order for them to stumble upon food. A ton of vampire bat facts would agree to this indeed. Their name is associated to a legendary monster, right? Well, that must have been derived from there considering that such drinks blood coming from other mammals. They may feed themselves on the blood of pigs, birds, cows and even horses. Even if they are not so typical, these vampires would sometimes bite humans too in search for the said fluid.
Zooming in – Vampire bats
Instead of sucking blood, these vampire bats would always make a small cut using their teeth. This is the time when they would lap up the blood flowing in their tongues alone. The said bats can be so light. They may also be agile. There are instances when they are capable of drinking blood coming from an animal. They can perform this without the said victim having to wake up. This is how they undergo such. The animal will not be hurt then.
What is commendable about the said vampire bats is that they have these special adaptations which may be of great help in feeding their needs. As compared to other species there are, these can jump, walk and even run. Their strong hind legs are used whenever they have to take off. They also do this with the presence of this special thumb they come along with. They are also equipped with these heat sensors which are always on their nose. This is a way for them to locate food. This may be on the good spot.
Now the big question is – what is going to happen to the vampire once it is not able to get the food it wants and needs? For instance, they are not able to find blood after nights of searching, they will then die. Good thing, there are female bats which are generous enough. These well-fed bats have the ability to regurgitate blood in order for it to be shared with others. This is carried out in exchange for proper grooming. These female bats which are held in captivity may look friendly initially. This is true as far as new mothers are concerned. However, once a baby is born, there will be other bats which will be observed by the mother being fed. This will occur after two weeks.
It is not surprising that there are those scared of vampire bats. They can really be creepy sometimes. Even if bats have the tendency to bite themselves, they are not as harmful as they appear to be. This is the assurance here. However, rabies may be spread through their bite. This is dangerous.