Recent Folklore abounds about the humble Vampire bat who is said to have supernatural powers, being able to change shape from bat to man[phpbay] In many of our Vampire horror movies the Vampire bat is used in just this way[phpbay]
In South America stories have been told of large bats who kill and eat people and bats have been linked to ceremonial knives and artifacts of sacrifice[phpbay] These sacrificial items were used in decapitation to supply blood to appease the gods[phpbay]
Almost no country is free from the folklore of blood sucking creatures[phpbay] Gypsy groups coming from India tell of Bhuta, Brahmaparusha, and Rakshara roaming the night killing and sucking the blood of humans[phpbay] Indian folklore also believed Vampires could change into not only bats but chickens, horses, dogs, cats, snakes, fleas and even fruits such as pumpkins,watermelons and household tools[phpbay]
When all is said and done the Vampire bat is really very nondescript[phpbay] He is tiny and at full growth is only as big as an adults thumb[phpbay] He mainly feeds off livestock and birds by using his sharp teeth to leave a gash and then lapping the blood and feeding on the red cells[phpbay] This little bat has special anatomy adapted to its liquid diet allowing it to separate the red cells which it needs to survive[phpbay]
Now some positives to this little fellow
The unique properties of the vampire bats' saliva has been used in the study of Stroke patients[phpbay] This study which appeared in the January 10, 2003 issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, tested a genetically engineered drug called desmoteplase, which uses the anticoagulant properties of the saliva of Desmodus rotundus, and was shown to increase blood flow in stroke patients[phpbay]
In my opinion,although Vampire bats have been known to feed on people I would be more worried about catching rabies than suffering blood loss which is minimal[phpbay] Studies have found that 0[phpbay]5% of bats carry rabies and most rabie reports in the united states are caused by bat bites[phpbay] In Trinidad at least 8 varieties of bats have been found to have rabies[phpbay]
That old saying there is good and bad in all things I think it appropriate to the Vampire bat and it would be a sad loss without him both to folklore and as a member of our earth[phpbay]
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009 at 11:17 pm and is filed under Uncategorized.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
