FAMILY
DESMODONTIDAE
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Desmodontid bats
are better known as vampire bats. Their
long canines are used to make wounds in prey from which blood can be licked.
The stomach has a modified slender shape due to its modified diet.
Although the bats may drink so much blood that they find it hard
to fly afterwards, the actual amount of blood lost from the victim is typically
not great. The greatest danger to the victim is the potential
transmission of a number of diseases which vampire bats may carry, such
as rabies. Colonies of vampire bats
can contain 100 members. Many experts
classify vampire bats as a subfamily of the bat family Phyllostomidae. |
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FAMILY
PHYLLOSTOMIDAE The members of family Phyllostomidae
vary in size and include Vampyrum spectrum the largest American bat (whose
forearm measures 11 cm). The premaxillary bones are complete and the postorbital process
is absent. Species vary in the
possession of a tail, a nose leaf, and interfemoral
membrane. The number of teeth in
these species varies from 26 to 34. Bats
of this family can eat a variety of foods including insects, fruit, nectar,
and vertebrates (including birds, lizards, rodents, and other bats). |
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