Vampire Bats Can Donate Blood To Others Of Its Kind

Vampire Bats Can Donate Blood To Others Of Its Kind

A recent study has shown that female vampire bats can share blood with their friends. Bats are amazingly altruistic creatures. Bats are known for being socially sophisticated mammals, but they are probably even more generous to those in need than you are. Vampire bats have a particularly bad reputation because people think that these bats would love to drink their blood. However, vampire bats don’t consume human blood, and the blood they do take from other animal-hosts is in such small amounts that the animal hosts don’t even realized that they are being robbed of their blood. Female vampire bats form a tight community. During the colder months, female vampire bats will keep other bats warm with their body heat. Female vampire bats will also help other females care for their young. But only recently have experts learned that they share blood.

If a female vampire bat should be hungry, and/or does not have enough food, then other female vampire bats will regurgitate blood into the mouths of other starving females. I guess if it is hungry enough, then it will eat anything. Some females are more altruistic or more selfish than other females. Some females are ready to share their resources, but others are stingy with their resources. If a female bat within a community is known for being selfish, then other female bats will avoid sharing any of their food with her. Experts believe that this behavior reinforces altruistic behavior. Helping other female vampire bats in need is more important than letting other female vampire bats die. Eventually, after being denied help when they need it, selfish female bats will learn to be more giving, or else run the risk of being ignored by the group. Within the community female vampire bats, they can only survive if they help others.

Have you ever witnessed animals demonstrating altruistic behavior?