Do All Bats Eat Insects?
All bat species found in Europe are insectivorous. They forage at dusk and at night and can be seen easily where lights attract fluttering insects such as moths. They also commonly swoop low over water to catch the many insects attracted to lakes, rivers and streams. Tropical bats which inhabit parts of the world such as Northern Australia and Latin America are more diverse in their eating habits. There are fruit eating bats and blossom eaters that feed on nectar. This makes a major contribution to the pollination of plants. Central and South America is home to the real vampire bat. Desmodus rotundus is the best known of this species. They usually feed on the blood of domestic animals such as cattle but they can feed on human blood. Their sharp teeth make an incision and they lap rather than suck small amounts of blood from the wound. They pose a risk to health from rabies and other blood borne diseases but attacks on humans are very rare.
