Blood is low in calories yet rich in iron. Vampire bats must drink up to 1.4 times their own weight during each feed, and, in doing so, ingest a potentially harmful amount of iron.

Vampire bats are small, neotropical bats. They weigh about 30 grams, and they drink nothing but blood. The legend of the vampire actually came first before the bat was discovered by Europeans.

Hairy-legged vampire bats victimise only birds, while its cousin, white-winged vampire bats, prey on birds and mammals. Just one species, the common vampire bat, feeds exclusively on mammals.

These suckers are fast. Vampire bats hit the treadmills in a unique study in which scientists tested how the creatures metabolized the blood they feed on, according to a newly published study. The … ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — 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 ...

Vampire bats evolved their ability in a similar way, but they have tweaked a different protein called TRPV1 that was already sensitive to heat. Like TRPA1, TRPV1 also alerts animals to harmful ...

Vampire bats in Peru sometimes prey on penguin chicks, but the adult penguins are ready to fight back—with a little help from dirt and even poop. ANIMALS; The real-life rivalry of bats and penguins.

After the vampire bats ate, they were each placed on a miniature treadmill. According to Dr. Welch, the dexterous bats initially used their thumbs to hook into crevices to avoid the moving belt.

Vampire bats, a highly social species, will continue interacting with each other even when they're feeling sick. Josh More. Infections don’t just wreak havoc on the body: They put a serious ...