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Article: vampire bat
- Article from:
- The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
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Copyright informationThe Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information)
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vampire bat name for the blood-drinking
bats
of the family Desmodontidae, found in the New World tropics. Vampire bats feed exclusively on the blood of living animals and are thus the only true parasites among mammals. There are three species ranging from Argentina to N Mexico. They are small (about 3 in./7.5 cm long), round-bodied bats with large, pointed ears and naked snouts. Unlike most bats, vampire bats can walk on all fours with the body lifted off the ground; it is in this manner that they approach their sleeping prey. The bat uses its razor-sharp incisors to make a neat incision, usually without waking the victim, then laps the blood with its tongue. Its saliva contains an ...
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Article: Identification of new rabies virus variant in Mexican immigrant.(DISPATCHES)
Emerging Infectious Diseases;
December 1, 2008 ;
700+ words
......derived from major extant rabies enzootics in both dogs and vampire bats in Mexico, as well as sequences associated with RVs maintained...reconstructions and sequence analyses (11,12). Rabid dogs and vampire bats are the most common sources of exposure for humans in Mexico...
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