Common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) feeding on the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) and giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus): possible epidemiological implications.

Authors

  • Mario H. Alves Instituto de Conservação de Animais Silvestres (ICAS), Campo Grande, Brazil.
  • Gabriel F. Massocato Instituto de Conservação de Animais Silvestres (ICAS), Campo Grande, Brazil. Houston Zoo, Houston, USA.
  • Lucas M. Barreto Instituto de Conservação de Animais Silvestres (ICAS), Campo Grande, Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3317-7702
  • Danilo Kluyber Instituto de Conservação de Animais Silvestres (ICAS), Campo Grande, Brazil. Naples Zoo at the Caribbean Gardens, Naples, USA. Research and Development Institute IRD Montpellier University / Instituto de Medicina Tropical/Faculdade de Medicina, USP, São Paulo, Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8964-566X
  • Arnaud L. J. Desbiez Instituto de Conservação de Animais Silvestres (ICAS), Campo Grande, Brazil. RZSS – The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5968-6025

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31687/SaremNMS24.08.2

Keywords:

camera-trap, Chiroptera, disease, hematophagy, Xenarthra

Abstract

There has been an increase in the number of studies on the diet of common vampire bats following the widespread use of modern camera traps by field researchers. In this study, we report evidence of common vampire bats feeding on two species of xenarthrans: a juvenile giant anteater being carried on its mother’s back in the southern Pantanal, and a giant armadillo in the Atlantic rainforest of Minas Gerais state. The variety of species that D. rotundus feeds on may favor the transmission of diseases in populations of wild and domestic mammals.

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A common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) feeding on a giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) in the Rio Doce State Park, Minas Gerais state, Brazil.

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Published

09/10/2024

How to Cite

Alves, M. H., F. Massocato, G., M. Barreto, L., Kluyber, D., & J. Desbiez, A. L. (2024). Common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) feeding on the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) and giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus): possible epidemiological implications. Notas Sobre Mamíferos Sudamericanos, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.31687/SaremNMS24.08.2