Spanish Name: Murciélago Vampiro

Size: body  length of 2.5-3.5 inches
and a wingspan of 8 inches. 
 

Life span: In the wild, vampire bats live about 9 years but have lived up to 27 years in captivity 

For more information see:
 

• Report written by Igor
• Revised by: Chiara
  

Predators: The predators of the Vampire Bat are humans because the Vampire Bats transmit rabbis, so humans give the cows a substance to their skin so that when Vampire Bats bite them, they get infected.  (This doesn't harm/affect the cow).
 
Adaptations: 

• Vampire bats are active only during the darkest periods of the night. Most likely to avoid being caught by such nocturnal predators as owls. 
• Also, the domestic animals on which the bats feed are often sleeping, and so are easier to approach undetected.  
• During the day, vampire bats rest in colonies ranging from about 50-100 but can sometimes we found 5,000, hanging upside down in caves and hollow trees that are moderately lighted.   
• A vampire bat finds its prey with echolocation, smell, and sound. They fly about one meter above the ground. Then they use special heat sensors in their noses to find veins that are close to the skin. 
• The common vampire bat is limited to warm climates. It can be found in arid and humid areas  of the tropics and subtropics. You can NOT find them 2,300 m above sea level. 

Interesting facts: 

• The anticoagulant in the saliva of vampire bats is estimated to be 20 times more potent than any other anticoagulant currently known. 
• A long with flying, vampire bats can run, jump, and hop with great speed,  using their chest muscles to fling themselves skyward. 
• The vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) have a wingspan of about eight inches and a body about the size of an adult's thumb.
  

Bibliography:  (go to MLA site)
Cavendish, Marshall. International Wildlife Encyclopedia. 
                           Jerusalem: Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 1994. 

                         "Vampire Bat" http://www.angelfire.com/va/vampirebats/ 26 Mar. 2003 

Picture:  http://pro.corbis.com/search/searchFrame.asp?lcd=en-US&ccd=us 

Researchers: Blanca Benavides, Tommy Savage 

http://ladywildlife.com/animal/vampirebat.jpg

Revised by: Nicole Bergman

Revised by: Chiara

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Desmodus_rotundus.htm