Cuban vampire bat (SciiFii)

thumbThe Cuban vampire bat (Desmodus puntajudensis or Desmodus rotundus puntajudensis) is a species of vampire bat that originally lived in Cuba during the Early Holocene and was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and reintroduced to Cuba to help boost biodiversity. When SciiFii announced the recreation of this species, many people were concerned that this species could spread diseases and viruses, including rabies, however, thanks to SciiFii using genetic engineering, the Cuban vampire bats are completely immune to diseases and viruses, so they do not carry any known disease or viruses, making the Cuban vampire bats completely harmless unlike their South American relatives. It is controversial wether or not the Cuban vampire bat is a separate species from the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus), due to being very much related to the similarly-looking common vampire bat, and had often been treated as a separated species from common vampire bats, but new studies suggests that Cuban vampire bats may be the same species as the common vampire bat, only being a different subspecies. The Cuban vampire bat is a rather average-sized bat, growing on average to be about 9 cm (3.5 in) long with a wingspan of 18 cm (7 in). It commonly weighs about 25–40 grams (2 oz), but its weight can drastically increase after a single feeding. Like its relatives, the Cuban vampire bat is hematophageal, feeding on blood from living specimens of larger mammals, which it bites at night, while the larger mammal is sleeping. The species is highly polygynous, and dominant adult males defend groups of females. It is one of the most social of bat species with a number of cooperative behaviors such as social grooming and food sharing. The conservation status of the Cuban vampire bat is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the Cuban vampire bat's wide natural range and its tolerance to most of the human activities.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii