1	Vampire Bats
2	Project Information Grade Category – 4-6 Team Size – 3 – 6 Subject Area – Biology Project Type – Descriptive Language – English Hardware Tools – Digital Photography Software tools - Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel, Summary: Our project is based on how Vampire Bats live in the wild. The subjects include, habitat, food, preys and predators, behavior, facts, references, glossary, and a quick quiz to test your knowledge. Source of Project: We wanted to research Vampire Bats to learn more information based the species. The most interesting fact that we discovered from this project was that bats may be re-classified as primates. There were lots of mesmerizing facts that we had researched.
3	Food Echolocation is used to help Vampire Bats find their food. Vampire Bats come out to feed when it is fully dark. Also, bats are not the only animals that use echolocation. Porpoises, shrews, and some types of whales and marine animals and birds and insects echolocate to. A Vampire Bat sends out a steady stream of high-pitched calls as it flies. It sends out these calls from it’s mouth or its nose. When these high-pitched calls hit an object, they bounce off the object; the article they are trying to reach returns to the bat’s ears in the form of echoes. The echoes are then “Read” by the bats brain, and translated into images. The Vampire Bats drink the blood from birds and mammals including cows, horses, pigs, and chickens. How they drink the blood from the animal is they land beside the animals and creep up to them. Then they stick their teeth into their necks and other places to suck up the blood. Vampire Bats tries to drink half its body weight of blood in one day. Also, it has sharp and pointy teeth called incisors. Special saliva which goes down the grooves of its tongue, and then it keeps blood from clotting. It has a special anticoagulant called Draculin, it keeps blood flowing for two to three minutes.
4	Habitat Vampire Bats like to live in warm climates. They’re often found on coasts. Their most popular spot to live is in South and Central America. So basically, tropical and subtropical regions, including Northern Mexico to Argentina, Uruguay, Central Chile, Trinidad to Margarita, and last but not least, off the coast of Venezuela. Vampire Bats (Desmodus rotundus) usually live in colonies of about 6 – 2000 bats, in humid tropical forests, to arid deserts. Usually, the highest elevation that they can live at is 7,500 feet (2,888 meters), and roost mainly in remote areas that are nearly dark such as, caves with fissures, tree hollows, abandoned wells, buildings, and deep mine shafts. A bats home is called its roost. Vampire Bats have three main types of roosts. They have day roosts where they take shelter in the daylight hours, during the warm parts of the year. For females, the day roosts is also a nursery roost where they raise babies. Bats also have hibernation roosts where they spend their winters. They also have temporary night roosts where they take rests from hunting. Vampire Bats can have several night roosts, that they can go to on a regular basis.
5	Habitat 2 The day roost is the home that most people picture when they think of bats. Each evening, a bat leaves its day roost, to find food that they can eat. Every morning, the bat comes back to the same roost. In its will spend most of the day hanging upside down, and resting or nearing its young saving its energy for another very busy night of hunting. No matter where Vampire Bats roost, most bats have on thing in common. They all have roosts for their own safety. There are many daytime predators including birds, insects, snakes, or even dogs, cats that would love to snack on sleeping, juicy bats.
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7	Behavior Torpor is when a bat is in a cold place, and makes the bats sluggish. If a Vampire Bat does not get its share of blood like usual, they rapidly deteriorate. Vampire Bats set up a buddy system with other pairs of bats, who form tight blood-sharing relations. Also, bats have been quite successful in diversifying to colonize many different environments. To thrive in their varied habitats, bats display a wide range of specialized behaviours, including echolocation, diverse diets, and hibernation. Much of the behavior shown by common Vampire Bats revolves around their methods of finding food. Terrestrial movement is a critical part of stalking and detecting prey. Unlike other bat species (desmondus rotundus) can walk, run or hop quadrupedally along the ground. The weight of the bat is supported by strong hind limbs and modified thumbs. When faster accelerations are necessary, hopping and jumping are preferred. This species is agile and stealthy. Usually when a bat approaches its prey, it does not land close beside it. Instead, it lands near by, and walks or hops to the unsuspecting victim. It is light on its feet.
8	Predators and Preys Vampire Bats have predators such as hawks, eagles, birds, snakes, cats, insects, and dogs. Also, they hunt for animals such as cows, horses, pigs, and sometimes wild animals; but rarely humans. They prey on mainly domestic animals, biting them on mainly necks, shoulders, rumps, or ankles. In a year, a colony of 100 bats, consume a quantity of as much of 25 cows worth of blood. Vampire Bats drink the blood of more calves than cows, most likely because, calves sleep longer than cows, so it is easier to drink. Some farmers prevent a Vampire Bat from coming to the farm again by injecting an anticoagulants, substances that do not harm the cow, but cause internal bleeding in the bat.
9	Mesmerizing Facts People in Central and South America tell folk tales about Vampire Bats. They say that they can change from man to bat. Draculin is a blood thinning drug made from Vampire Bats saliva, which can be used for medication for the human hearts, prevents strokes, and keeps the bats blood flowing for two to three minutes. Did you know that bats are not related to rodents? They are mammals, but are almost like a bird. Vampire bats carry rabies, like some dogs, or mammals. Sometimes, Vampire Bat’s bones are held in a small bag for good luck. Did you know that only three species exist in Central, and South America. People used to say that Vampire Bats were blood sucking demons.
10	Mesmerizing Facts 2 Vampire Bats can live alone or can live in colonies of up to 6000. Vampire Bats find the their prey, by smell, sound, echolocation, and possibly the heat of the animal. The common Vampire Bat is the only bat that can take off vertically. Common Vampire Bats avoid attacking dogs, because canines can detect a bats high – frequency sounds as they approach. Vampire Bats have fewer teeth than any other bat, because they don’t have to chew their food.
11	How Long Bats Can Live In Certain Places…
12	Lifespan of Bats
13	Length Of Bats
14	Vampire Bats Quiz What is the saliva from Vampire Bats’ mouth? a.) Saliva b.) Spit c.) Draculin d.) Venom Where are the two places that Vampire Bats live? a.) Alaska and Russia b.) China and Japan c.) Margarita and Trinidad d.) South Pole, Antarctica, and the North Pole 3) What three animals are the main preys for Vampire Bats? a.) Cows, pigs, King Kong b.) Horses, cows and Pigs c.) Zebras, lions, tigers d.) Pooh Bear, Tigger, Eyeore
15	Vampire Bats Quiz 2 What are Vampire Bats called? a.) Desmondus Rotundus b.) King of The Jungle c.) Destongus Rohundus d.) Demons True or False Vampire Bats will become Primates… a.) True b.) False Vampire Bats turn into Dracula at night…. a.) True b.) False Vampire Bats actually live in Temples in China… a.) True b.) False Vampire Bats suck half their body weight of blood… a.) True b.) False
16	Try Again
17	Correct
18	Glossary Echolocation : A bat’s way of finding its food and navigating based on echoes. Habitat: Where a particular animal lives. Hibernation: When a particular animal finds a place to live during cold climates. Mammal: An animal that is not born by an egg, and have fur. Climate: The weather, or temperature over a long period of time. Draculin: A blood thinning saliva that a bat hold in their mouths, for its preys blood to continue to flow for 2-3 minutes. Desmondus Rotundus: A scientific name for a Vampire Bat. Colonies: A group of particular animals living in amounts from 2 – as many as possible.
19	Bat Funnies How does a girl Vampire Bat flirt? Why did Dracula consider himself a good artist? What is a Vampire Bats favorite candy? What song does Dracula hate the most? How can you tell a Vampire Bat likes baseball? What is it like to be kissed by a Vampire Bat? Why do Vampire Bats scare people? Why does Dracula take cold medicine? What kind of dogs do Vampire Bats like most? Who do Vampire Bats get their mail from?
20	Answers She bats her eyes. Because he likes to draw blood. A sucker. You are my sunshine. Every night he turns into a bat. It’s a pain in the neck. Their bored to death. To stop his coffin. Bloodhounds. His fang club.
21	Credits Websites: www.batsworld.org/myths_facts/myths_facts.html http://www.zoo.org/educate/fact_sheets/night/vmp_bat.html http://www.batcon.org/home/index.asp?idPage=91 http://www.enchantedlearing.com/subjects/mammals/bat/Batcoloring.shtml http://bss.sfsu.edu/geog/bholzman/courses/fall99projects/vampire.htm www.blueplanetbiomes.org/vampire_bat.htm www.angelfire.com/realm/shades/demons/bats/bats4.htm www.lasterefuge.co.uk www.zettesworld.com/hdz04b/mammals1.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/eallywild/features/night_bats.shtml http://www.exn.ca/Stories//998/03/27/56.asp http://www.google.ca http://www.gotouring.com/.../091-Mex-batroost-01.jpg http://www2.acc.af.mil/gallery/images/eagles/eagle4.jpg http://www.cmzoo.org/bats.html Books: Zipping, Zapping, Zooming Bats – By Ann Earle, and Henry Cole Animal Families BATS - John Jackson The Magic School Bus: The Truth About Bats – Hanna Cole and Eve Moore