Vampire Bats Bite Lowland Tapirs in Yasuni National Park, Ecuador

In the rainforest, vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) have large mammals such as tapirs, deer, peccaries, cattle, monkeys, birds, and sometimes humans, among their victims (Albuja et al., 2012; Tirira, 2007). Vampire bats have been listed as carriers and reservoir host of rabies (Streicker et al., 2012; Corrêa et al., 2014). Here, we report photographic evidence obtained from camera- traps of vampire bats feeding on lowland tapirs (Tapirus terrestris).