A vampire bat at the Cincinnati Zoo laps up blood. For most creatures, this diet would be deadly. ... They are also vital to ecosystems because they eat insects and pollinate fruit.

The researchers compared the genome of the common vampire bat, scientific name Desmodus rotundus, to genomes of bat species that eat nectar, fruit, insects and meat. They also examined microbial ...

Bats have long been associated with Halloween, a connection fed by the discovery of the vampire bat in the 17th century and the origination of vampire folklore in southeastern Europe during the ...

Only three vampire species of the 1,400 kinds of bats can do that — the others eat mostly insects, fruit, nectar, pollen or meat, such as small frogs and fish.

Ratcliffe and his colleagues tested an insect-eating species, the big brown bat; the Antillean fruit-eating bat; the Jamaican fruit bat; and the common vampire bat of the New World.

Many people would not describe bats as cute. This is likely because of bats’ associations with viruses, darkness, and evil. Granted, bats are somewhat weird animals, being the only mammals that can ...

Vampire bats are missing something that other bat species have, explaining their ability to live on blood. Most mammals couldn’t survive on a low-calorie liquid diet of blood.

Vampire bat taste receptors react to "bitter salts" like magnesium sulphate ... Unlike fruit bats, for example, they don’t eat sweet-tasting foods.

Scientists have figured out why vampire bats are the only mammals that can survive ... Only three vampire species of the 1,400 kinds of bats can do that—the others eat mostly insects, fruit, ...

Scientists have figured out why vampire bats are the only mammals that can survive on a diet of just blood. Skip to content. All Sections. Subscribe Now. 55°F. Thursday, April 17th 2025 ...

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 ...

Only three vampire species of the 1,400 kinds of bats can do that — the others eat mostly insects, fruit, nectar, pollen or meat, such as small frogs and fish. “Blood is a terrible food source,” said ...