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We have all heard scary stories about these animals. We have heard that they fly through the night and look for humans to bite and suck out their blood. We have also heard that they can turn into Dracula when there is a full moon.

We are talking about vampire bats of course…and you’ll be relieved to know that they do not attack humans and they do not turn into Dracula. These myths, however, have been around for hundreds of years and they continue to generate fear and anxiety in humans when we see these flying creatures. Well read on and learn the facts about these flying mammals so you no longer have to fear these creatures of the night.

There are actually over 900 species of bat with only three species that feed on blood. Did you know that bats are the only mammal that can fly? That’s right-bats are mammals and are not birds like so may people think. Many people also think that bats are rats with wings, however, bats are not related to rodents at all. Bats are actually very intelligent and clean mammals that live in large social groups.

Vampire bats (classified as Desmodus rotundus) are one of the smallest species of bat. They have a wingspan of about eight inches and their bodies are about the size of an adult human’s thumb. Vampire bats do feed on blood, but they do not feed on human blood. Instead they look for pigs, horses, birds, pigs and other animals that live near their habitat. Vampire bats fly about one meter above the ground while they are searching for food. They find food using their excellent sense of smell and by using echolocation which is the process of using ultra-high frequency sounds to help with navigation.

Once they locate a sleeping animal, they use special heat sensors in their noses to find veins that are close to the skin. Then, using their sharp teeth, the vampire bat makes a tiny cut in the skin of a sleeping animal. There is an ingredient in the bat’s saliva that prevents the blood from clotting. Scientists have discovered that this ingredient in the bat’s saliva is better at keeping blood from clotting than any other known substance. This ingredient in the saliva of vampire bats may help prevent heart attacks and strokes in the future.

There is also a chemical anesthetic in their saliva that causes numbness in the animal’s skin and prevents it from waking up from the bite. It generally takes about 10-20 minutes for a vampire bat to complete its meal. Each vampire bat requires about two tablespoons of blood every day.

Vampire bats live in very structured social groups. They form very close bonds with many of the other bats in their colony. They often care for each other and groom each other and learn to recognize the members of the colony that often help them. This is important because there are often nights when a bat is unsuccessful at finding prey and blood for the night. If this happens, they can usually get some blood from another bat that was successful…as long as they have a good relationship with that other bat. The bat simply regurgitates blood to the bats that are unable to find food.

These Vampire bats are found throughout Central and South America. So now that you know that these bats do not feed on the blood of humans and they do not turn into Dracula when there is a full moon…there is no need to fear these small creatures of the night. There are over 900 species of bat…take some time and learn more about these fascinating flying animals!