Hematophagy facts for kids

A mosquito drawing a blood meal from a human host. A droplet of blood is expelled from the abdomen after feeding. This mosquito is also known because it can spread Malaria

A vampire bat feeding on a pig (taxidermy specimens)

Hematophagy is the habit of certain animals to feed on blood.

Since blood is a fluid tissue rich in nutritious proteins and lipids that can be taken without great effort, hematophagy has evolved as a preferred form of feeding for many small animals, such as worms and arthropods. Some intestinal nematodes, such as Ancylostomids, feed on blood extracted from the capillaries of the gut, and about 75 percent of all species of leeches (e.g., Hirudo medicinalis), a free-living worm, are hematophagous. Some fish, such as lampreys and candirus, and mammals, especially the vampire bats, and birds, such as the vampire finches, hood mockingbirds, the Tristan thrush, and oxpeckers also practise hematophagy.

Images for kids

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  A bedbug

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  Two butterflies of the genus Erebia sucking fresh blood from a sock

See also

In Spanish: Hematofagia para niños