South American vampire bats, who previously drank the blood of birds, began to deliberately attack people and drink their blood, to which, as zoologists previously believed, were completely unfit, according to an article published in the journal Acta Chiropterologica.
“We were very surprised by this discovery. This species of bats is not adapted to feeding on the blood of mammals. They appear to be adapting to changes in their habitat and exploiting new food resources. Now we are interviewing local people and trying to find out how often they are bitten by vampires and where it usually happens,”said Enrico Bernard of the Federal University of Pernambuco in Recife (Brazil).
Bernard and his colleagues made this discovery by investigating rumors of vampires spreading among Brazilians living in the vicinity of the Katimbau National Park in northeastern Brazil. Having gone to the local forests, scientists began to search for traces of bats and their places of spending the night.
According to the scientist, one large species of vampire bats lives in this region of Brazil - the upholstered vampires (Diphylla ecaudata) weighing about 33 grams and about 8 centimeters long. These bats feed exclusively on the blood of birds, occasionally attack livestock and are not afraid of people, allowing them to take hold of themselves.
As expected, Bernard and his colleagues managed to find many traces of these silent vampires in the forests, including seven dozen samples of their excrement. They, according to the biologist, often contain scraps of DNA from the animal whose blood the fur-legged vampire drank, making it possible to understand which birds or mammals he attacked in the last days and weeks.
Scientists were able to find traces of DNA in 15 samples of bats feces, most of which contained fragments of chicken genes. On the other hand, in three of them, they discovered traces of human genetic material, which confirmed rumors - vampires really began to drink human blood.
Earlier, as Bernard says, bats avoided contact with people and never tried to attack them, however, apparently, the situation today has deteriorated so much that they have to do it in order to survive. According to scientists, the population of wild birds could have declined in Katimbau National Park so much that vampires are now forced to seek their fortune beyond its borders, attacking people, poultry and livestock.
Such a discovery, according to scientists, speaks not only of environmental, but also potential medical problems. Bats are often carriers of extremely dangerous and contagious diseases, such as dengue or Ebola, and their transition to a "human" diet significantly increases their chances of spreading epidemics. So far, scientists recommend that the inhabitants of this region of Brazil do not sleep in hammocks on the street and close the vents with a net.
Promotional video: