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Oct 18, 2017 · Learn about the challenges and adaptations of animals that feed on blood, from insects and mollusks to bats and birds. Discover how blood can be toxic, nutrient-poor and hard to find, and how bloodsuckers have evolved to cope with these difficulties.
- Vampire Bats. The name is a bit of a giveaway: Vampire bats are perhaps the most famous bloodsuckers of them all. They also hold the distinction of being the only mammal that subsists solely on blood.
- Mosquitoes. As delicate, finely tuned, bloodsucking machines, mosquitoes are the classic example of animals out for blood. To their hosts, mosquitoes are mostly an annoyance, but in areas where they can carry diseases like malaria or dengue fever, the insects are a serious threat.
- Vampire Finch. Bird-watchers, beware. A small bird native to the Galápagos Islands, the vampire finch earns its name with a diet that includes the blood of its fellow avian species, with blue-footed boobies being a particular favorite.
- Leeches. The scourge of many a summer swim, leeches are so famous for sucking blood that their name is synonymous with taking something that’s not yours.
Learn about the diversity, evolution and ecology of bloodsucking creatures, from leeches to vampire bats, at the Royal Ontario Museum. See live and preserved specimens, and explore the cultural and scientific aspects of blood-feeding behavior.
Sep 21, 2018 · As for the dreadful creatures that were rumored to haunt Germany, they fed on fear as much as on blood. These vampires from around the world still frighten as much as they fascinate. Discover their stories, and maybe consider investing in some garlic.
- Lyra Radford
Learn the meaning of bloodsucker as an animal that sucks blood or a person who sponges or preys on another. See synonyms, examples, word history, and related entries for bloodsucker.
Learn about the bloodsucking habits of mosquitoes, fleas, bedbugs, oxpeckers, vampire finches, leeches, lampreys, and vampire bats. Find out how they feed, transmit diseases, and interact with their hosts.
- DictionaryBlood·suck·er/ˈblədˌsəkər/
noun
- 1. an insect or other animal that sucks blood, especially a leech or a mosquito.
- 2. a long-tailed arboreal Asian lizard that carries its head in a raised position. Its ability to change color is most marked in the male, whose head and shoulders become bright red when excited.
Explore the real and mythical bloodsuckers in this interactive exhibition at the Field Museum. Learn about their biology, culture, and history, and see live leeches and lamprey, fossils, models, and movies.
