Vampire Bats

Vampire bats are a type of bat who are defined by a dietary habit known as hematophagy. In other words, a vampire bat's sole source of food is blood. With a diet of only blood, vampire bats are the only mammals of their kind.¹

Normally in numbers under 100, vampire bats live in colonies. Vampire bats tend to develop at a slower pace than most other types of bats.²

Fast Facts

1. There are 3 different species
2. Native to the Americas
3. Animal type: Mammal¹
4. Diet: Carnivore¹
5. Body size: 3.5 in¹
6. Wingspan: 7 in¹

Scientific Classification

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Mammalia
• Order: Chiroptera
• Family: Phyllostomidae
• Subfamily: Desmodontinae

Venezuela Deaths

In Venezuela, over 38 people have been killed by vampire bat attacks. While the precise reason why the vampire bats have killed so many people is unknown, researchers believe they spread rabies, which consequently caused the deaths.³

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