THE ANIMAL FILES

Common vampire bat

Desmodus rotundus

A blood-feeding bat can also be a careful food-sharing neighbour.

Common vampire bats feed primarily on mammalian blood, lapping it with a grooved tongue. They can move on the ground using powerful forelimbs, and some share regurgitated meals with familiar companions.[1]

Follow the evidence ↓
Common vampire bat
Image: Uwe Schmidt · Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Food
Primarily mammalian blood[1]
Ground movement
Can move using powerful forelimbs[1]
Social behaviour
Food sharing and mutual grooming occur[1]

Wings can work on the ground too

Well-developed clawed thumbs help the bat climb and support movement on surfaces. Its bounding terrestrial gait uses powerful forelimbs rather than relying only on the hind legs.[1]

Lapping, not a drinking straw

The bat makes a small opening in skin with its teeth and laps blood using a grooved tongue. Nasal heat sensing helps locate suitable feeding sites. The feeding mechanism therefore differs from the fictional image of long hollow fangs drawing liquid directly through the teeth into the mouth.[1]

Sharing is associated with lasting relationships

Studies describe regurgitated food sharing influenced by kinship, repeated association and reciprocal help. Mothers feeding young account for many observations, but sharing also occurs outside that relationship. Mutual grooming is linked with social bonds, so one donated meal is best interpreted within a history of interactions rather than as an isolated gesture.[1]

A COMMON MIX-UP

Does a vampire bat drink through hollow fang-like straws?

No. It makes a small skin opening and laps blood with the tongue. A dramatic common name should not replace the actual mechanics of feeding, which involve teeth and tongue doing different jobs.[1]

TRY A LITTLE REASONING

Why follow the same bats over time when studying food sharing?

Reveal the explanation

A single interaction cannot reveal the history of kinship, familiarity or previous help. Repeated observations allow researchers to compare lasting associations with food transfers, rather than assuming every share has the same social context.[1]

Sources & editorial notes

Adapted and translated from the cited Wikipedia revisions, with source-linked reasoning. Image credit and licence are listed separately above.

Adapted and translated from Wikipedia contributors; exact revisions are linked below. CC BY-SA 4.0

  1. Wikipedia contributors — Common vampire bat (fixed revision; adapted and translated)
  2. NCBI Taxonomy — Desmodus rotundus (identity and classification)

Last fact check:

One discovery leads to another

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