With padded thumbs and quiet movements, the vampire bat lands on its prey without being detected. This type of bat feeds on blood, but it doesn't suck. Instead, it lands on a mammal's skin and uses its razor-sharp teeth to gouge a section large enough to draw blood, which it proceeds to lap up. The mammal's blood will not clot due to the coagulants in the bat's saliva. Though these animals feed on any large mammal, they usually choose horses, cattle, pigs and tapirs. Vampire bats can live up to 12 years and often make homes in caves. They have also been known to live in the hollows of trees.
The fisherman bat gets its name from its hunting method. It skims the surface of water and catches fish in its claws, often eating its prey as it flies away. Though the fisherman bat can catch between 20 and 30 fish in one night, they also feed on insects. Like their vampire bat counterparts, these animals live in dark caves or hollowed trees. They can live to 20 years, which is a longer lifespan than many other types of bats.
Short-tailed, leaf-nosed bats are not choosy about their roosting sites. Though they prefer dark caves like other bats, they have also been known to make homes in the open along trees and shrubs. Their diet consists of flying insects, tropical fruit and foliage. The average lifespan of a short-tailed, leaf-nosed bat is 2 1/2 years. However, they can live up to 10 years.
The tent-making bat gets its name from the fact that it "tents" itself with a leaf when it sleeps during the day. These leaves serve as their habitats, though when the right one is not available, they make roosts in caves or trees. Tent-making bats eat insects, fruit and nectar. So far, scientists have been unable to determine their lifespan.
