FEMALE OF THE SPECIES

Vampire bats make for blood-spewing besties

- Lucy Cooke

FEW SPECIES HAVE BEEN more misunderstood than the vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus). Slanderous falsities started with 16th-century New World explorers, who returned to Europe with lurid tales of bloodthirsty beasts that drained their troops as they slept. For a start, vampire bats don't suck blood, they lap it from an open wound. And being the size of a mouse means their liquid diet amounts to little more than a spoonful. They also rarely attack people - they tend to feed on domesticated cattle or chickens.

Vampire bats approach their victims by stalking them from the ground. They use their exaggerated, winged hands to drag themselves forward while bouncing on stunted rear legs. This sounds awkward, but they move surprisingly fast. One inspired scientist placed bats on a treadmill and they clocked a top speed of more than am per second. Vampire bats can also launch themselves vertically, like a Harrier jump jet.