---
title: "Common Vampire Bat"
description: "Desmodus rotundus — Mammals. The common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) is a small, leaf-nosed bat native to the Americas."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/common-vampire-bat
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Common Vampire Bat

> Desmodus rotundus — Mammals. The common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) is a small, leaf-nosed bat native to the Americas.

- Scientific name: *Desmodus rotundus*
- Category: `mammals` (Mammals)
- Habitats: `farm` (Farm)
- iNaturalist observations: 1438
- Wikidata: [Q300981](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q300981)
- iNaturalist taxon: [41168](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/41168)

## Names

- en: Common Vampire Bat
- de: Gemeiner Vampir
- es: Murciélago vampiro
- fr: Vampire commun
- nl: Gewone vampier
- pl: Wampir zwyczajny

## Countries with the most observations

MX (549), BR (170), CR (91), CO (75), AR (52), EC (49), PE (45), HN (37), BZ (36), PA (34), CL (31), NI (27)

## Summary

The common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) is a small, leaf-nosed bat native to the Americas. It is one of three extant species of vampire bats, the other two being the hairy-legged and the white-winged vampire bats. 
The common vampire bat practices hematophagy, mainly feeding on the blood of livestock. The bat usually approaches its prey at night while they are sleeping. It then uses its razor-sharp teeth to cut open the skin of its hosts and lap up their blood with its long tongue. The species is highly polygynous, and dominant adult males defend groups of females. It is one of the most social of bat species with…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_vampire_bat

## Photo

![Common Vampire Bat](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/common-vampire-bat/medium.jpg)

Photo: Hugo Hulsberg · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/61422999

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/common-vampire-bat?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).