Desmodus rotundus (E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1810)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2019, Phyllostomidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 9 Bats, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 444-583 : 495-496

15.

Common Vampire Bat

Desmodus rotundus

French: Vampire commun / German: Gewohnlicher Vampir / Spanish: Vampiro comun

Taxonomy. Phyllostoma rotundum E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1810 ,

“ Paraguay.” Restricted by A. Cabrera in 1958 to Asuncion, Paraguay.

Two subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

D.r.rotundusE.GeoffroySaint-Hilaire,1810—Colombia,Venezuela,theGuianas,Ecuador,Peru,Brazil,Bolivia,Paraguay,NChile,Argentina,andUruguay;alsoonMargaritaandTrinidadIs.

D. r. murinus Wagner, 1840 — from Sonora and Tamaulipas in N Mexico S through Central America to N & W Colombia and W Andean slopes in Ecuador and Peru.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 68-93 mm (tailless), ear 16-21 mm, hindfoot 13-22 mm, forearm 52-64 mm; weight 25-40 g. Females are larger than males in most measurements. Subspecies are indistinguishable and separated by only distribution. Dorsum is generally darker than venter, which is silvery gray, but fur can vary from gray to red, gold, and orange. The Common Vampire Bat has short face, with reduced nasal leaf forming simple fold over nostrils. Upper incisors are highly developed in the form of a blade. Braincase is large, narrow frontally, and very broad posteriorly. Despite its efficiency in biting, bite force is much less than expected by its size. Forearms are covered by abundant fur, and first digit is highly developed allowing efficient quadrupedal locomotion supported by strong rotary muscles of forearm and muscles of hindlimbs. Uropatagium is almost absent, remaining simply as a fold. Dental formulais11/2,C1/1,P 1/2, M 1/1 (x2) = 20. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 28 and FN = 52.

Habitat. All types of habitats, particularly lowland and mid-elevation habitats in South America, including open pastures, savannas, tropical and subtropical forests and dry forests, from sea level to elevations of 3600 m. Common Vampire Bats usually roost in small groups of 20-100 individuals but sometimes up to 5000 individuals, and they use variety of roosts including abandoned houses, caves, crevices, hollow trunks, and culverts, usually away from human settlements. Roosts can be shared with other species of bats including other species of vampire bats.

Food and Feeding. Common Vampire Bats feed on blood (sanguivorous) of large mammals (including humans) and birds. They have particular techniques and adaptations to obtain blood, including terrestrial locomotory skills on the ground such as deliberate walking, running, and hopping, sometimes interrupted by short flights. After a Common Vampire Bat bits its victim, blood flows into the bat’s mouth along grooves on undersurface of tongue. Flow results from suction created in pharynx by lingual movements. Presence of anticoagulant factor, named Draculin, prevents blood from clotting by inhibiting the activated Factor X (FXa), the key enzyme in the coagulation cascade.

Breeding. The Common Vampire Bat is monoestrous and gives birth to only one offspring after seven months of gestation. It breeds throughout year. Young complete development after ¢.7 months. Common Vampire Bats are known to live 18 years in the wild and up to 19-5 years in captivity.

Activity patterns. Common Vampire Bats are nocturnal. Similar to other vampire bats (e.g. Hairy-legged Vampire Bat, Diphylla ecaudata ), its activity is restrained to the darkest period of the night, and it is influenced by environmental factors, mostly moonlight, rain, and strong winds.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Common Vampire Bats move 5-8 km from diurnal roosts, and some individuals have returned to their roosts after being released 120 km away, apparently by recognizing landscape patterns. It is common to find stable groups over long periods of time, representing aggregation of different sexes and ages, with males and females occasionally segregated in the same roost. Young Common Vampire Bats can feed on regurgitated blood from their mothers; females will even be altruistic and feed orphaned young of the colony.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The [UCN Red List.

Bibliography. Aguirre et al. (2002), Baker et al. (1988), Barquez et al. (2015a), Cabrera (1958), Fernandez et al. (1999), Greenhall et al. (1983), Kwon & Gardner (2008), Teran & Aguirre (2007b), Tirira (2017), Uieda (1987).

Figures

1. Californian Leat-nosed Bat (Macrotus californicus), 2. Waterhouse’s Leaf-nosed Bat (Macrotus waterhousu), 3. Orange-throated Bat (Lampronycteris brachyotis), 4. Tiny Big-eared Bat (Micronycteris minuta), 5. Sanborn’s Big-eared Bat (Micronycteris sanborni), 6. Schmidts’ Big-eared Bat (Mucronycteris schmidtorum), 7. Yates’s Big-eared Bat (Micronycleris yaltest), 8. Hairy Big-eared Bat (Muicronycteris hirsuta), 9. Brosset’s Big-eared Bat (Micronycteris brosseti), 10. Giovanni's Big-eared Bat (Micronycteris giovanniae), 11. Matses Big-eared Bat (Micronycteris matses), 12. Litde Big-eared Bat (Micronycteris megalotis), 13. Common Big-eared Bat (Micronycteris microtis), 14. Saint Vincent Big-eared Bat (Micronycteris buriri), 15. Common Vampire Bat (Desmodus rotundus), 16. White-winged Vampire Bat (Diaemus youngii), 17. Hairy-legged Vampire Bat (Diphylla ecaudata), 18. Common Sword-nosed Bat (Lonchorhina aurita), 19. Fernandez’s Sword-nosed Bat (Lonchorhina fernandez), 20. Uncommon Sword-nosed Bat (Lonchorhina inusitata), 21. Orinoco Sword-nosed Bat (Lonchorhina orinocensis), 22. Chiribiquete Sword-nosed Bat (Lonchorhina mankomara), 23. Marinkelle’s Sword-nosed Bat (Lonchorhina marinkellei)

Subspecies and Distribution. D.r.rotundusE.GeoffroySaint-Hilaire,1810—Colombia,Venezuela,theGuianas,Ecuador,Peru,Brazil,Bolivia,Paraguay,NChile,Argentina,andUruguay;alsoonMargaritaandTrinidadIs. D. r. murinus Wagner, 1840 — from Sonora and Tamaulipas in N Mexico S through Central America to N & W Colombia and W Andean slopes in Ecuador and Peru .