Author: Sebastian Stockmaier, Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee

You can probably picture a vampire: Pale, sharply fanged undead sucker of blood, deterred only by sunlight, religious paraphernalia and garlic. They’re gnarly creatures, often favorite subjects for movies or books. Luckily, they’re only imaginary … or are they? There are real vampires in the world of bats. Out of over 1,400 currently described bat species, three are known to feed on blood exclusively. The common vampire bat, Desmodus rotundus, is the most abundant. At home in the tropical forests of Central and South America, these bats feed on various animals, including tapirs, mountain lions, penguins and, most often nowadays,…