Not to be confused with the Spectral Vampire Bat.
After the sun sets, the deadly vampire bat crawls from its daytime dwelling and takes to the skies. Old World legends fuel fear of this creature, but one thing is certain-it needs to feed constantly on fresh blood in order to survive.
All About the Teeth: The bat's sharp front teeth cut like scissors while the longer fangs poke into soft flesh.
Suck it Up: The vampire bat's lower lip is split so blood can flow through it into the mouth while the tongue laps it up.
Repeat Offender[]
Vampire bats share their roosts.
Night after night, vampire bats will regularly return to the same victim, and even let other bats feed off of the wounds it inflicts on prey. Over time, the prey animal grows weak from loss of blood and becomes more susceptible to disease, especially those transmitted by the bats, including rabies. More than 100,000 cows are killed by vampire bats every year.
Roomy Interior: Daytime roosts can house up to 2,000 vampire bats. They prefer caves, but will take shelter in houses, barns and abandoned buildings as well.
Big Ears: Big ears pick up the high frequency sounds the bat emits while in flight. The sounds bounce off of obstacles and allow the creature to maneuver through the darkness.
Bite It[]
- The bat uses its sense of smell to find prey. It carefully climbs onto the cow, which doesn't realize the tiny bat is even there.
- It cuts away the hair from the feeding spot, clearing a space for its self-sharpening teeth to cut through.
- After biting in, the bat's saliva prevents the victim's blood from clotting, keeping it flowing, even long after the bat is finished feeding.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- The scientific name listed on the card is Desmodus rotundus, making the species featured the Common Vampire Bat.
- The main image on the back of the card is the same one used on the front of the Wildlife Explorer card, albeit flipped and with the background cropped out.
- Numerically in said series, it comes right after the Greater Horseshoe Bat, who also shares this similarity.
- The Stoat's knowledge card compares their habit of biting their victim's neck to the vampire bat.
- The vampire bat is featured on several Monster Mania cards:
- The vampire bat's trading card is featured on Monster Mania 4.
- The vampire bat is one of the example animals used for Create-A-Monster on Monster Mania 5.
- It is then featured in Know Your Noses on Monster Mania 16.
- It is later featured in Legend Has It... on Monster Mania 53.