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PARAGUAYAN WILDLIFE HOME		REPTILES HOME
	FAMILY DESMODONTIDAE
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.
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).