With Halloween almost here many people have turned their attention to terrifying ghouls and vampires, but new research suggests the real vampires of the animal world have a bum rap.
A recent study of vampire bats allowed researchers to look at their softer side, the Public Library of Science reported. The team observed social grooming behaviors among vampire bats, and their findings suggest the animals are generally misunderstood.
The team looked at 127 captive bats from six different species that had no traces of parasites or mites. They recorded any social grooming, self-grooming, feeding, or aggression every 10 seconds for 10 minute periods. They found vampire bats spent 14 times longer grooming each other than other bat species. Past findings have suggested that the presence of parasitic mites does not necessarily predict an increase in social grooming. The researchers believe the high level of social grooming among vampire bats is likely unique to their species.
Vampire bats' enthusiasm over social grooming could be linked to their feeding habits. These bats are the only to practice regurgitated food sharing, which is believed to be a mechanism to boost the chances of group survival. The blood from a bird or mammal is usually enough to share between individuals, but 20 percent of bats do not find a meal every night. Vampire bats can only go about three days without eating, so their ability to share food allows them to save each other's lives. Social grooming likely helps form social bonds that make vampire bats more likely to share with each other. It could also be a form of greeting or a method for indicating that they would like to share a meal.
"In light of these findings, it may be time for us to change our perceptions of these so-called "monsters." While it's true that vampire bats have fangs and suck blood, they may also be more likely than other bats to snuggle up to a friend and share a meal," the researchers concluded.
The findings were published in a recent edition of the journal PLOS ONE.
