A small flying mammal (bat) of South America which uses its teeth to nick larger animals while they are asleep, allowing it to surreptitiously lap a blood meal
A vampire bat is a bat from South America which feeds by sucking the blood of other animals. a South American bat that sucks the blood of other animals. Any of three species (family Desmodontidae) of tailless, brown, blood-eating bats native to the New World tropics. They grow to 2-3.5 in. (6-9 cm) long and weigh 0.5-2 oz (15-50 g). They run swiftly and leap with agility. They live in colonies in caves, hollow trees, and culverts, leaving after dark to forage low on the ground. They feed on quietly resting birds and mammals, including the occasional human, making a small cut with their sharp incisor teeth, often without disturbing the prey, and lapping the blood. The wounds are not serious but may transmit rabies or other diseases