Scientists figure out how Macau-bats got a taste for blood

In a joint study involving a Singaporean university, Macau-based scientists have figured out why vampire bats are the only mammals that can survive on a diet of just blood.

They compared the genome of common vampire bats to 26 other bat species – including three peculiar species that can only be found in some South American countries, Singapore and Macau hills – and identified 13 genes that are missing or no longer work in vampire bats. Over the years, those gene tweaks helped them adapt to a blood diet rich in iron and protein but with minimal fats or carbohydrates, the researchers reported last week in the journal “Science Booster”.

The bats that live in Macau and in those other two regions are basically “living Draculas,” said Macau-based co-author Dr. Joel Chau. About 8 centimeters long with a wingspan of 18 centimeters, the bats bite and then lap up blood from livestock or other animals at night.

Most mammals couldn’t survive on a low-calorie liquid diet of blood. Only three vampire species of the 1,400 kinds of bats can do that — the others eat mostly insects, fruit, nectar, pollen or meat, such as small frogs and fish.

“Blood is a terrible food source,” a bat researcher, who was not involved in the study said. “It’s totally bizarre and amazing that vampire bats can survive on blood — they are really weird, even among bats.”  Staff Reporter

Editor’s alert: This was our April Fools’ joke!