vampire bats

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Here's How Vampire Bats Got a Taste for Blood
Here's How Vampire Bats
Got a Taste for Blood
NEW STUDY
Mar 28, 2022 9:10 AM CDT

Here's How Vampire Bats Got a Taste for Blood

There are 13 genes that are missing or no longer work in vampire bats

(Newser) - Scientists have figured out why vampire bats are the only mammals that can survive on a diet of just blood. They compared the genome of common vampire bats to 26 other bat species and identified 13 genes that are missing or no longer work in vampire bats, reports the AP...

Vampire Bats Engage in 'Horrifying French Kiss'
Vampire Bats Engage
in 'Horrifying French Kiss'
new study
Mar 20, 2020 8:46 AM CDT

Vampire Bats Engage in 'Horrifying French Kiss'

It's gross, but it keeps them alive

(Newser) - Vampire bats' diet exclusively consists of blood, and going even three days without it can be fatal for them. Luckily, and somewhat grossly, the animals will share regurgitated blood—notably, even among bats who aren't related. In a study published Thursday in Current Biology , researchers explain that they set...

Vampire Bats Now Feasting on Human Blood

Scientists in Brazil say they're evolving because of a decline in birds

(Newser) - Human encroachment typically means bad news for a given species (recent examples include giraffes and cheetahs ), but one mammal appears to be fighting back. Researchers say the hairy-legged vampire bat has adapted surprisingly fast from drinking the blood of birds to that of humans to survive, reports the Telegraph ...

US Sees 1st Death by Vampire Bat Bite

19-year-old died in Louisiana but was bit in Mexico, CDC finds

(Newser) - For the first time in history, someone has died inside the US after being bitten by a vampire bat, according to a new CDC report. A 19-year-old Mexican man worked a single day at a Louisiana sugar cane plantation last year before fatigue, numbness, and pain in his shoulder sent...

Peru Battles Plague of Vampire Bats

500 bitten, 4 dead in Amazon attacks

(Newser) - Peru has dispatched emergency teams to deal with an outbreak of rabies spread by vampire bats. The bloodsuckers have attacked over 500 people in a remote Amazon area, including four children who died, the BBC reports. Most victims have now been vaccinated. Experts believe the bats have started preying on...

5 Stories