Mammals · La Saladita, Guerrero

Common Vampire Bat

Desmodus rotundus

Spanish: Vampiro común

Common Vampire Bat (Desmodus rotundus)
Photographed by gustavo_zaro on iNaturalist · CC-BY

The common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) is a small, leaf-nosed bat native to the Americas. It is one of three extant species of vampire bat, the other two being the hairy-legged and the white-winged vampire bats. The common vampire bat mainly feeds on the blood of livestock, approaching its prey at night while they are sleeping. It uses its razor-sharp teeth to cut open the skin of its hosts and laps up their blood with its... Most often recorded in May.

TaxonomyMammalia › Chiroptera › Phyllostomidae
Local records1 research-grade observation within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)
Global records1,438 on iNaturalist
Recorded here2017 – 2017
Months recorded near La Saladita
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Recent local sightings

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Mammals guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “Common Vampire Bat (Desmodus rotundus) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/desmodus-rotundus/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.