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Do vampire bats drink blood?

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Like fruit-eating bats, and unlike insectivorous and fish-eating bats, they emit only low-energy sound pulses. The common vampire bat feeds primarily on the blood of mammals (occasionally including humans), whereas both the hairy-legged vampire bat and white-winged vampire bat feed primarily on the blood of birds. read more

Vampire bats are in a diverse family of bats with many food sources, including nectar, pollen, insects, fruit, fish, and meat. The three species of vampire bats are the only mammals that have evolved to feed exclusively on blood (hematophagy) as micropredators, a strategy within parasitism. read more

During the darkest part of the night, common vampire bats emerge to hunt. Sleeping cattle and horses are their usual victims, but they have been known to feed on people as well. The bats drink their victim's blood for about 30 minutes. They don't remove enough blood to harm their host, but their bites can cause nasty infections and disease. read more

The hairy-legged vampire, meanwhile, lives almost exclusively on bird blood, while the white-winged vampire is more versatile and drinks from both birds and mammals. 2. Other bats with less grisly diets got a bad rap from European explorers in the Americas. read more

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