Vampire bats, often feared, are social creatures built for survival, not horror. They gently lap blood from animals, a ...

Vampire bats in Peru sometimes prey on penguin chicks, but the adult penguins are ready to fight back—with a little help from dirt and even poop. ANIMALS; The real-life rivalry of bats and penguins.

Vampire bats use their thumbs, wrists, and legs to run more than three feet per second to sneak up on prey such as horses, pigs, goats, capybaras, cows, and other mammals.

After the vampire bats ate, they were each placed on a miniature treadmill. According to Dr. Welch, the dexterous bats initially used their thumbs to hook into crevices to avoid the moving belt.

Vampire bats are missing something that other bat species have, explaining their ability to live on blood. Most mammals couldn’t survive on a low-calorie liquid diet of blood.

Vaccinating vampire bats against rabies can help prevent the spread of the disease to livestock and humans. NPR's Scott Simon talks with epidemiologist Tonie Rocke about a new way to vaccinate bats.

But every good rule deserves an exception. Vampire bats, for example, feed only on blood: an energy drink low in lipids and carbohydrates, and rich in protein.