Hairy-legged Vampire Bat

About the Hairy-legged Vampire Bat

The hairy-legged vampire bat (Diphylla ecaudata) is one of three extant species of vampire bats. It mainly feeds on the blood of wild birds, but can also feed both on domestic birds and humans. This vampire bat lives mainly in tropical and subtropical forestlands of South America, Central America, and southern Mexico. It is the sole member of the genus Diphylla.

It was described by German biologist Johann Baptist von Spix in 1823. Spix first encountered the species in Brazil. Spix coined the genus name Diphylla (from Latin dis 'double' and phyllon 'leaf') and the species name ecaudata (from Latin e 'without' and caudatus 'tail').

The two recognized subspecies are: Diphylla ecaudata centralis is found from western Panama to Mexico. A single specimen was taken in an abandoned railroad tunnel near Comstock, Val Verde County, Texas, in 1967, well outside the taxon's recognized range.

Diphylla ecaudata ecaudata is found from Brazil and eastern Peru to eastern Panama. It is similar in appearance to the common vampire bat. It differs, however, in its broad, short ears; padless, short thumb; and large, shiny eyes.

It also has more teeth than... Wikipedia →