Bats might be known as the only flying mammals, but now researchers are putting their other modes of locomotion to the test. The diets of vampire bats have long baffled scientists, until now.
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00:00Bats might be known as the only flying mammals, but now researchers are putting their other
00:07modes of locomotion to the test.
00:10These are the famed vampire bats, creatures known for their blood-only diets.
00:14This diet has long baffled scientists, as while blood-sucking insects fuel themselves
00:18by metabolizing amino acids in blood, mammals tend to get most of their energy from carbs.
00:23So to test this, they had the flying creatures fuel up on the red stuff and then go for a
00:27run.
00:28They're not over-flying, as the bats are actually pretty good at moving around on the
00:31ground.
00:32And they are also far easier to track that way, to measure their movement with more accuracy,
00:36with the researchers finding that vampires share a common trait with other biologically
00:40distant blood-suckers.
00:41Writing in their study, we found vampire bats can fuel most of their running with amino
00:45acids in a blood meal eaten only minutes before, just like some insects.
00:50They added that it seems metabolic evolution can be shaped by a specialized diet, with
00:54creatures adapting to what's available in their habitats.