Many species feed primarily on fruit, while several types feed on nectar and pollen. Fruit bats perform an extremely important function in dispersing seeds. Although bats may occasionally fly very close to someone s face while catching insects, they do not get stuck in people s hair. By far the most famous bats are the vampire bats. These amazing creatures are found in Mexico, Central America and South America.
Vampires feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals such as birds, horses and cattle.
Vampire bats do not suck blood. The bats obtain blood by making a small cut in the skin of a sleeping animal with their razor-sharp teeth and then lapping up the blood as it flows from the wound. There is an anticoagulant in the bat s saliva that helps to prevent the animal s blood from clotting until the bat has finished its meal. The bat s saliva also contains an anesthetic that reduces the likelihood of the animal feeling the prick. Each bat requires only about two tablespoons of blood every day, so the loss of blood to a prey animal is small and rarely causes any harm.