Way before Christopher Columbus and Spanish Conquistadors spread the tales of blood-sipping bats across Europe after returning from their voyage, stories about undead monsters or vampires were already doing the rounds. However, the vampire bat is far from being the agent of evil, as folklore about their association with Dracula suggests.
Not all bats are vampire bats. Out of over 1300 bat species, the Desmodus rotundus or the common bat, Diaemus young or the white-winged bat, and Diphylla ecaudata or the hairy-legged bats. These three species of bats reside in Central and South America and are known to consume only blood. The intake of a high protein diet leads to a pungent ammonia-like smell emitting from their feces. Below are some amazing facts about vampire bats.
The Bats Got Their Name from Vampires
Before the bats were named vampire bats, experts traveling to the legendary Transylvania region of Romania found out that people were not afraid of Dracula as much as they were of the haunted places. If they suspected that some corpses were up to some trouble, they would dig out the graves and would either cover their faces or push a pole into their hearts.
However, before Darwin documented vampire bats in 1839, the first official description of these bats in scientific literature dates back to 1810. But the connection between vampires and bats was solidified in 1897, owing to the release of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Vampire Bats Tend to Feed on Any Animal
Contrary to popular perception, humans are never their first choice for a meal. They can feed on any animal when they need food. The researchers studied vampire bats biting snakes, porcupines, penguins, sea lions, and armadillos. But generally, the vampire bats feed on birds and livestock. The common vampire bat feeds off horses, cows, and pigs. The hairy-legged and the white-winged bats prefer sleeping chickens for their meal.
If the vampire bats have the option of feeding off humans, they will. However, there are not many instances of that. If you sleep outdoors in a territory infested with vampire bats, it’s natural that you will have a bloody mark on your foot. The vampire bats consume not more than a tablespoon of blood. Therefore, an adult human can survive their bites. However, you must get a rabies shot if you get bitten by a vampire bat.
Vampire Bats Don’t Suck Blood
It’s a common belief that vampire bats suck blood. Bats use their sharp teeth to make an incision near an artery. As a result, the blood trickles out, which the bats lick up. The whole process is painless. It would almost be like your big toe getting bitten by Dracula while you are sound asleep. It will be somewhat like a foot fetish, frankly speaking.
The Spit of Vampire Bats Prevents Blood from Clotting
A protein present in the saliva of the vampire bats serves as an anticoagulant, thus keeping the blood of the prey flowing. Leeches and mosquitos have similar substances too. The protein in vampire spit is Draculin, which is a potential treatment for patients battling a stroke.
Vampire Bats Have Special Skills
Vampire bats have certain physical abilities that help them while they are hunting for food. They can find blood vessels near the surface of the prey’s skin with the aid of the infrared perception in their nose that acts like a heat-seeking sensor. They also perceive everything around them through sound.
Through echolocation, the bats can emit a sonar to navigate obstacles in the dark. It’s a known fact that bats are the only mammals that can fly. However, while other bats move over flat surfaces pretty awkwardly, the common vampire bat can move towards its prey fast at a pace of three feet per second.
Aside from these, vampire bats have complex social relationships, just like primates, dolphins, and humans. Their food-sharing relationships are quite fascinating. They are indeed sanguivorous, meaning they feed on other animals’ blood, but so do mosquitoes, isn’t it? Do we also relate mosquitoes with vampires? No right! We just fear the ones that could cause us infections. In the same way, not all bats are scary, and the vampire bats are not after your blood and soul!