How Vampire Bats Keep From Starving

In a sanguineous TED-Ed Lesson written by Imran Razik and directed by Sharon Colman, narrator Adrian Dannatt explains how common vampire bats subsist by retrieving a small amount, just over a tablespoon, of blood from living animals when they can. If a bat can't feed, the other vampire bats in their network will provide the necessary nutrients to them to keep them from starving.

Vampire bats are the only mammals to subsist on blood alone. Their ancient ancestors might have eaten parasites and insects off larger animals until vampire bats began feeding directly from those animals themselves. So, how do these nocturnal creatures find their sustenance? And what animals do they most commonly target?

While the vampire bat targets land animals as their prey, they sometimes will try to feed on humans. The danger lies not in blood loss, but tin he extreme risk of rabies.

They've also been known to prey on humans, which carries dangers beyond just their bite. Bats are highly effective at dodging infections themselves, but they still carry pathogens. Vampire bats can transmit the rabies virus, making it all the more important that people living around them are protected, with measures like bat-proof sleeping shelters and vaccines.

Why Bats Don't Get Sick

subscribe to the Laughing Squid Newsletter

The post How Vampire Bats Keep From Starving was originally published on Laughing Squid.