Daily Dose of Prehistory Revival 13: Desmodus draculae

Desmodus draculae, named after Count Dracula, was an extinct species of leaf-nosed bat that lived in Central and South America during the Pleistocene and likely into the Holocene epochs, going extinct about 3000 years ago. It was a larger cousin of the modern vampire bat, being about 30% larger than its living relative, and was the largest vampire bat that ever lived. It likely preyed upon similar animals to its relative though some have theorized it also hunted small animals like the Greater False Vampire Bat. Some believe it still lives following reports of large bats attacking cattle and horses in Brazil but these are likely exaggerated reports of normal vampire bats. Desmodus draculae likely inspired both the Mayan god of death and night Camazotz and the Caoera, a vulture-sized vampire bat from the mythology of the Mura people in the Amazon rainforest.