Vampire bats in Brazil have started feeding on HUMANS for the first time
Vampire bats usually only feed on blood from wild birds in the area
But traces of human blood were found in several faeces samples
Human intrusion in the area have have forced the bats to try mammal blood
This could lead to the spread of disease, such as rabies, in humans
By SHIVALI BEST
DailyMail.com
12 January 2017
Despite their terrifying names as ‘vampire bats’, these creatures were previously only thought to feed on the blood of birds.
But new research shows that vampire bats may live up to their name, as they have been caught feeding on humans for the first time.
The worrying prospect could lead to the spread of disease, as vampire bats are known to be major transmitters of rabies.
Vampire bats rely solely on blood as their only food source, but usually get this from wild birds.
Researchers from the Federal University of Pernambuco in Brazil set out to look at how the species would behave in a situation of scarcity of birds.
The team analysed 70 faeces samples from a colony of hairy-legged vampire bats, living in the Catimbau National Park in Brazil.
To their surprise, they found that three samples contained traces of human blood.
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