Fact 24: How did the vampire bat get its name?

Fact 24: How did you vampire bat get its name?

The bats was named after vampires, not the other way around. Vampire myth exist in different cultures all around the world way before vampire bats got their name.

 The word vampire comes  from the German word vampir of the same meaning however there translation is dead person who preys on the living.

Scientists figure out how vampire bats got there taste for blood from. 

They compared the genomes of common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) to 26 other bat species and identified 13 genes that are missing or no longer work in vampire bats. Over the years, those gene changes have helped them adapt to a blood diet.

 This means vampire bats can survive on a diet of just blood.

Scientists think the vampire bats lose of genes was a gradual process over millions of years.

Scientists have observed that if vampire bats (Desmodus Rotundus)can't find blood for two nights in a row, they’ll die. But some vampire bats seem to be generous. Well-fed bats will often share blood like Mother birds do to there young to in exchange for grooming and will even sometimes give blood later by returning the favour.

Here is a list of possible reasons how vampire bats evolved to eat /drink blood.

1They could have evolved from frugivorous bats with sharp teeth specialized for piercing fruit.

 2 They initially fed on the parasites of large mammals, and then progressed to feeding on the mammals themselves.

3 They initially fed on insects that were attracted to the wounds of animals, and then progressed to feeding on the wounds.

4 They were hungry and began ingesting blood and flesh from wound sites of small animals and moved onto larger animals!!!

5 They were specialized nectar-feeders that evolved to feed on blood (this is to do with there tongues being designed to get pollen and then being used to suck blood).