Vampire bats are the only mammals that live solely on blood. Their eating habits may be the stuff of horror stories, but they have an interesting form of metabolism that sets them apart from other vertebrates. Most vertebrates, including humans, use carbohydrates and fats as energy sources. However, these nutrients, which are the only nutrients that vampire bats eat, are missing in the blood.
Researchers Ken Welch of the University of Toronto and Julia Rossi, now at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, wondered how vampire bats actually get the energy they need to survive on such a simple diet.
Eating habits of a night stalker
Vampire bats can fly from place to place like other bats, but they also move around a lot. They are known to quietly sneak up on a sleeping animal, such as a cow, especially in the dark of the night. To do this, they walk on the ground on all four limbs.
They have razor-sharp teeth that can cut through a sleeping host without causing pain. The cut causes blood to leak, along with the bat’s anticoagulant saliva. It is rubbed with a stick. Rossi and Welch wondered how vampire bats could survive on such a simple diet, apparently lacking in carbohydrates and fat. To investigate, they captured 24 vampire bats in Belize, Central America.
An innovative approach to metabolic studies
Understanding how vampire bats manage their metabolism is fraught with great difficulty, as traditional equipment for monitoring metabolism in flying animals is bulky and laborious. This can inhibit natural movements and distort the results. To overcome this, Rossi and Welch took advantage of the fact that vampire bats pursue their prey by walking or running on the ground. The researchers placed the bats on a specially designed bat treadmill housed inside a small enclosure.
The speed of the treadmill was gradually increased until the bats began to run at approximately 30 meters per minute. With this method, the researchers were able to accurately measure metabolism without affecting the bats’ behavior.
Energy source for vampire bats
Sensors monitored oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide released during bat respiration, and the energy source required for respiration was determined using isotope-labeled cow blood. The results showed that vampire bats use amino acids for energy rather than metabolizing carbohydrates or fats. Amino acids are formed as a result of protein digestion and are a normal component of the blood.
This discovery shows that bats obtain energy by sucking new blood, just like tsetse flies or blood-feeding mosquitoes do.
The metabolic wonders of vampire bats
Most mammals can use amino acids as an energy source in the absence of carbohydrates and fats, so the basic chemistry of bats is not that unusual.
“Most mammals have some biochemical pathways that can break down amino acids for fuel or other uses, but these are designed to work slowly in the background,” explained Ken Welch.
Unlike fats, which can be stored and used as needed, amino acids cannot be stored as energy reserves. Therefore, these bats must eat every day to avoid starving; This is a trait that has earned them a reputation as greedy bloodsuckers. However, they manage to cope with this ordeal by surviving with precision and perseverance, shedding a drop of blood every night.
Bats’ adaptations beyond metabolism
While this unique metabolic activity of vampire bats is impressive, their survival depends on more than physiology. These creatures have developed impressive adaptations to ensure their nocturnal success. One of the most important adaptations is their highly developed sensory systems.
Vampire bats have special heat sensors in their noses that allow them to detect the blood vessels of their prey with high precision. This allows them to make precise cuts, minimal disturbance to the host, and a stable food supply.
In addition, their sharp teeth and anticoagulant saliva play a very important role in the feeding process. Bats’ teeth are so thin and sharp that their bites are virtually painless, and their saliva contains a compound called bat. draculinIt prevents blood clotting and ensures a constant flow during feeding.
These adaptations highlight that vampire bats are highly specialized creatures that rely on a range of traits beyond their metabolic abilities to master their environments and thrive in the face of challenges. The study was published in the journal Biology Letters.
Source: Port Altele
