Vampire Bat

• Vampire Bat Classification and Evolution

The Vampire Bat is a small species of Bat, native to the tropics of Central and South America. There are three recognised sub-species of Vampire Bat, all of which are in a genus of their own despite their obvious similarities. The Common Vampire Bat, the Hairy-Legged Vampire Bat and the White-Winged Vampire Bat are all closely related and share the same unique feeding habits, as they are the only known mammals that feed entirely on blood. Over time, Vampire Bats have perfectly adapted to the consumption of their only food source, with a leaf-like heat sensor on the end of their nose which detects where the warm blood is flowing closest to the skin.

• Vampire Bat Anatomy and Appearance

The Vampire Bat is quite a small animal, with it's body rarely growing larger than the size of a human thumb. It's wings are long, finger-like bones that are covered in a thin layer of skin, with a thumb claw that pokes out of the front and is used for grip when clambering about on their host. Vampire Bats have dark brown to grey furry bodies with a lighter underside, and strong limbs which enable them to crawl about on the ground with ease. As with other Bats, Vampire Bats use echolocation in order to determine their surroundings. When flying, they produce high-pitched sounds that bounce of the objects in the area, and it is this bounced-back sound that allows the Bat to figure out where things are around them (it is so high-pitched that it cannot be heard by people).