Hobbies And Interests
Types of Vampire Bat
There are three subspecies of vampire bat, and they all feed in slightly different ways. The common vampire bat is the most well known and feeds exclusively on the blood of mammals. The other two species, white winged vampire bats and hairy legged vampire bats, both prefer the blood of birds. Regardless of prey, all three types attack their prey the same way, by either walking up to their prey and jumping onto them or landing on them from flight.
Clearing Fur
The first task a vampire bat is faced with is clearing the fur surrounding the area they wish to feed from. The bat does this by using its front teeth, which are extremely sharp, to trim the fur or feathers surrounding the feed site. Once this is done, the bat is able to reach the skin and make the incision it will feed from.
Incision and Feeding
Once the area of attack is cleaned, the bat then uses its long, sharp upper and lower middle incisors. The bat uses these teeth to cut two neat, elliptical patches from the skin of its victim and then feeds through these incision, using its tongue to lap blood out of its victim. The bat's saliva contains an anticoagulant that ensures that the blood doesn't clot while the bat is feeding.
Evolutionary Traits
Vampire bats have evolved to exist on the blood of their victims. Their upper incisors have no enamel on them, ensuring they remain razor sharp, while their kidneys have evolved to process the water from the blood they drink to make sure they can consume more blood without becoming overwhelmed by the amount of water they are consuming. They also process blood tremendously quickly, feeding until their bodies swell and then waiting for the blood to be processed before flying off.