Vampire bat is a blood -eating bat of Mexico , Central America , and South America . Vampire bats feed on such warm-blooded animals as cattle, chickens, and horses. The best-known species is the common vampire bat, a small reddish-brown animal about 3 inches (8 centimeters) long. It has keen triangular-shaped front teeth, which cut like a razor. A vampire bat does not suck blood. Rather, it laps blood from the bite with its tongue. The bat has strong hind legs and can quickly hop out of the way of large animals.
Vampire bats sometimes feed on people who are sleeping. The bite itself is harmless and soon heals, but vampire bats may transmit the disease rabies . Vampire bats have spread disease to livestock and human beings in some areas.
Many people believe superstitious stories about the mostly harmless vampire bat. The bat’s name comes from legends of the vampire , an imaginary being that sucks people’s blood.
