Exploring a cave near the capital, Buenos Aires, paleontologists in Argentina have discovered a fossilized jaw from what is thought to be the largest bat in Earth’s history, Science Alert said.
The ancient species is known as Desmodus draculae. Its representatives disappeared relatively recently – in the 19th century, BTA reports. In the Pleistocene, more than 100 million years ago, giant bats inhabited vast areas of Central and South America. Traces of them have been found in Argentina, Mexico, Ecuador, Brazil, Venezuela, Belize and Bolivia.
Vampire bats of this species, named after the famous Count Dracula, weighed 60 grams. Their wingspan reached 50 centimeters. The ancient creatures were the size of a computer keyboard – significantly larger than all the species of bats that inhabit the planet today, explains Santiago Brisuela from the research team of the National University of Plata del Mar.
Like other vampire bats, Desmodus draculae ate blood.
Scientists recall that, in general, the bites of these bats are not dangerous to humans and animals, unless the “bloodsuckers” are infected. Bats are known to carry rabies. In recent years, flying mammals have been the subject of much research because of their ability to carry other dangerous viruses.
The fossilized jaw was found in a cave 1.2 meters in diameter. Scientists believe that a giant sloth lived in it (also an extinct species).
Until now, it has remained a mystery to experts what the diet of prehistoric vampire bats was. Some scientists believe that they ate rodents and other small animals. Others suggest that the species Desmodus draculae attacked large mammals. The remains of a giant sloth found in the cave rather confirm the second hypothesis.
Desmodus draculae is the last of the giant flying mammals. The species became extinct during the colonial period, around 1820, during the Little Ice Age.
Nowadays, out of about 1,400 known species of bats, only three are hematophagous – parasites that feed exclusively on the blood of other animals. All three species inhabit South America.
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