Do Bats Drink Blood?: Fascinating Answers to Questions about Bats

Images

Trachops cirrhosus: the fringed-lipped bat feasts on a Tungara frog. (Photo by A. T. Baugh, University of Texas, Austin.) Vampyrum spectrum: Linnaeus’s false vampire bat eats prey such as small birds and rodents. (Photo by M. D. Tuttle, Bat Conservation International, www.batcon.org.) Megaderma lyra: the Asian false vampire bat includes lizards in its diet. (Photo by M. D. Tuttle, Bat Conservation International, www .batcon.org.) A B Ectophylla alba: white Honduran tent-making bats chew along the midrib of a heliconia leaf, causing the sides to droop down and form a tent to protect them from the sun and rain and keep them hidden from predators. (Photo by M. D. Tuttle, Bat Conservation International, www.batcon.org.) Thyroptera tricolor: Spix’s disk-winged bats have suction cups on their feet and the base of their thumbs. Unlike most bats, they roost in a heads-up position. (Photo by M. D. Tuttle, Bat Conservation International, www.batcon .org.) C Rousettus aegyptiacus: an Egyptian fruit bat enjoys a mango. (Photo by M. D. Tuttle, Bat Conservation International, www.batcon.org) D Leptonycteris yerbabuenae: a lesser long-nosed bat drinks nectar from a cardon cactus flower. (Photo by M. D. Tuttle, Bat Conservation International, www .batcon.org.) Leptonycteris yerbabuenae: a lesser long-nosed bat pollinates a saguaro cactus (cross section). (Photo by M. D. Tuttle, Bat Conservation International, www .batcon.org.) E Dyphylla ecaudata: a hairylegged vampire bat feeds on the blood of a chicken. (Photo by G. G. Carter, Cornell University.) Desmodus rotundus: two young vampire bats cuddle together in a cave. (Photo by G. G. Carter, Cornell University.) F Vampyrum spectrum: Linnaeus’s false vampire bat lives in parts of Mexico and Central and South America. (Photo by M. D. Tuttle, Bat Conservation International, www.batcon .org.) Myotis mystacinus: water droplets form on the fur of a Eurasian whiskered bat during hibernation. (Photo by M. D. Tuttle, Bat Conservation International, www.batcon.org.) G Mormoops megalophylla: the ghost-faced bat has fleshy flaps and folds on its face that may help to direct its echolocation calls. (Photo by G. G. Carter, Cornell University.) Centurio senex: this bat pulls wrinkled skin from its face and chin over its eyes when it sleeps. (Photo by M. D. Tuttle, Bat Conservation International, www.batcon .org.) H Artibeus jamacensis: a Jamaican fruit bat is carrying its baby as it flies to another roost. (Photo by M. D. Tuttle, Bat Conservation International, www.batcon .org.) Tadarida brasiliensis: an extremely rare albino Brazilian free-tailed bat roosts in the Bat World Sanctuary in Mineral Wells, Texas. (Photo courtesy of Bat World Sanctuary, www.batworld.org.) ...