The common vampire bat lives in Mexico and Central and South America, but with warming temperatures from climate change, scientists think it might move north into Arizona within the next decade or two.
True to their name, vampire bats drink blood, mostly from big herbivores like cows. Unlike storybook vampires, they’re highly social creatures that share with their friends. In fact, a bat that doesn’t share its meal is essentially ostracized from its community: other bats refuse to share in turn.
What worries cattle ranchers and public health professionals is some vampire bats carry rabies and can pass it to cows, people, or other bats. Researchers at Northern Arizona University are working to develop a surveillance technique to track the movement of rabies in bat colonies.
They spread out a tarp in a cave, mine shaft, or under a bridge where bats roost and, after a day or two, collect samples of the guano. DNA analysis can find out what species of bats are roosting there and whether any of them carry rabies. It’s a brand-new technique that eliminates the need to capture and kill a bat to test for the disease, and it could be vital if vampire bats do move north.
If all that sounds like a spooky campfire tale, keep in mind that some bats recover from rabies. Scientists are also studying their amazing immune systems in the hope of discovering the key to curing the virus someday.
This Earth Note was written by Melissa Sevigny and produced by KNAU and the Sustainable Communities Program at Northern Arizona University.
