Main Entry: vampire bat

Function: noun

: any of several Central and South American bats (Desmodus rotundus, Diaemus youngi, and Diphylla ecaudata) that feed on the blood of birds and mammals and especially domestic animals and that are sometimes vectors of disease and especially of rabies

[vampire bat illustration]

; also : any of several other bats that do not feed on blood but are sometimes reputed to do so