Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Vampire Bats Feeding

The common Vampire bat(Desmodus rotundus) is a small species weighing between 15 and 50 grams. The vampire bat is native from northern Mexico southward to Chile and central Argentina and Uruguay as well as the island of Trinidad. Vampire bats can live up to 12 years and usually roost in caves. Although they have actually got twenty teeth, of these only the very front incisors are used to obtain their sole source of food. They usually feed from the fresh blood of mammals, like horses, burros, cattle, pigs, and tapir.  

Vampire bats are totally unable to utilize any other source of food than blood. Their throats are too narrow to permit the passage of any kind of solid food. Blood makes an ideal food in all ways but one, it is very high in water, so in order to obtain enough nourishment from it, a Vampire bat has the most efficient kidneys in the entire animal kingdom. 

By djhinrich on Flickr

By David A McKilip on Flickr

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By sambot on Flickr

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By clair_voyant on Flickr


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