They have razor sharp teeth that … Five Facts About… Bats in Florida. Unlike vampire bats of lore, they didn’t bite us. The common vampire bat is a small, leaf-nosed bat native to the Americas. No species has contributed more to the misunderstanding and fear of bats than the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus ). First of all, there are no vampire bats in Florida! In vampire bat. Amazing Facts About Bats. Social Structure – Solitary hunters but roost together in colonies containing around 100 heads; colonies are made of groups containing alpha males and their harems of about 6 females and their young Not all bats are vampire bats. Bat, any member of the only group of mammals capable of flight. A few species, specifically the common, white-winged, and hairy-legged vampire bats, only feed on animal blood (hematophagy). Help Save Bats Learn what The Nature Conservancy is … Special Features – Can drink their victim’s blood for about 30 minutes. In the United States, there are about 45 kinds of bats; the three most common are the Eptiesicus fuscus (big brown bat), Myotis lucifugus (little brown bat), and Tadarida brasilienis (Mexican free-tailed bat). Today is Halloween, so I am writing about a very scary sounding animal, the common vampire bat. The common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus), together with the white-winged vampire bat (Diaemus, or Desmodus, youngi) and the hairy-legged vampire bat (Diphylla ecaudata) are the only sanguivorous (blood-eating) bats.The common vampire bat thrives in agricultural areas and feeds on livestock such as cattle, pigs, and… Read More Unlike other bat species, Desmodus rotundus can walk, run, and hop quadrupedally along the ground. Vampire bat facts include the unique characteristic of a bat’s diet. Much of the behavior exhibited by common vampire bats revolves around their methods of obtaining food. This is a dietary trait known as hematophagy. Common Vampire Bats reach sexual maturity at 9 - 10 months old. In captivity, vampire bats are fed beef blood. Public perception and movie portrayal of them as huge, creepy, blood-sucking killers is sensationalist and incorrect. [3] In 2009, a sixteenth-century female skull with a rock wedged in its mouth was found near the remains of plague victims. Predators Predators of Common Vampire Bats are humans and birds of prey. Let’s see common vampire bat facts to know all about vampire bats. Owls, eagles and hawks are some of the vampire bat’s main preadators. More than 1,200 species are … And bats are not rodents. 41 Interesting Vampire Facts. Vampire bats can actually be quite tame, and even friendly to humans. One major injustice perpetrated by humans is to blame all bats for the behavior of just three blood-sucking species: the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus), the hairy-legged vampire bat (Diphylla ecaudata), and the white-winged vampire bat (Diaemus youngi). Similar Animals Hairy-Legged Vampire Bat White-Winged Vampire Bat There are only three bat species that feed on blood, including the vampire bat. Bats were treated with a common bacterium that seems to stop the growth of the white nose fungus, and were then successfully released back into the wild. Three species of vampire bats are recognized: Common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus), Hairy-legged vampire bat, and White-winged vampire bat. Here are five interesting facts about them: These strange looking guys grow to about 9 cm long and have a wingspan of about 40 cm. Rather than sucking blood, vampire bats make a small cut with their teeth and then lap up the flowing blood with their tongues. Only three of the more than 1,300 bat species in the world are vampire bats: the common (Desmodus rotundus), … Vampire Bat Facts for Kids There are over 1,100 bat species in the world—only rodents have a greater number of species. Vampire bats … Gestation Period – 7 months. He suspects that the source is the Chinese horseshoe bat, a common species named for the … Terrestrial movement is a critical part of stalking and attacking prey. Their sole food source is blood. The common vampire bat typically feeds on large mammals such as cattle; the hairy-legged and white-winged vampires feed on birds. ... A vampire supposedly has control over the animal world and can turn into a bat, rat, owl, moth, fox, or wolf. Mating Season – Monsoon. Interesting Facts The Common Vampire Bat is a carrier of the rabies disease. This ability, coupled with the ability to navigate at night by using a system of acoustic orientation (echolocation), has made the bats a highly diverse and populous order. They are in their own order, Chiroptera, which translates to “hand-wing,” and most people are surprised to learn that the bone structure of a bat wing is nearly identical to a human hand. Life Expectancy – Typically 9 years; up to 12 in captivity. The family of vampire bats got separated from its ancestors around 26 million years ago.