Vampire Bats

The vampire bat is one of the ugliest and most feared animals in the Western Hemisphere. This repulsive-looking creature has huge ears and a wrinkled-up nose that sits atop large fang-like teeth. And if its looks weren't bad enough, this animal also has the nasty penchant for mammal blood. At night these bats emerge from their caves to search for unsuspecting cows, horses, birds, pigs or even humans. Then, often without waking their victim, the bat uses its sharp teeth to shave away pieces of flesh and then lap up the oozing blood with their tongues. On the plus side, these "attacks" often go unnoticed and rarely hurt the victim.

The vampire bat is of course impeccably adapted to drinking blood. He will fly in absolute darkness to slurp on mammals, while its two closest relatives prefer birds. He first detects its prey through the snuffling and snoring that we animals do when we sleep, and indeed the bit of its brain that deals with this information is rather pronounced - much like the bit in the Pilkington-Smythe’s bonce that locates booze.

Ugly Animals - Vampire Bat