Vampire Bats

(Vampyrum), a genus of mammals of the family Phyllostomatidae, order Chiroptera. Widespread in tropical America and the Greater Antilles. There is one species, the great vampire bat (Vampyrum spectrum). Length, approximately 13 cm; wingspread, approximately 70 cm. The bat’s ears are very large. It has a characteristic cutaneous appendage on the nose that sharpens toward the top. It is nocturnal and feeds on insects and fruits. The vampire bat lives in dense forests, sometimes settling in human habitations. It does not belong to the group of bloodsucking bats; bats that feed on blood are representatives of the family Desmodontidae.