A vampire bat running on a treadmill...What is the surprising secret of the vampire bat?

[Movie]
Vampire bats are the only mammals that feed on the blood of other animals.

In addition to its unusual habits, it is said that it obtains the energy needed for activities in a different way than other animals.

Reporter Lee Sung-kyu reports the amazing secret of the vampire bat.

[Reporter]
Twilight, a sensational movie about the romance between an ordinary schoolgirl and a vampire young man.

Vampire bats, which are often used as the subject of movies, actually feed only on blood.

Humans and other mammals mainly use carbohydrates and fat as energy sources when running or running, and protein as a last resort.

However, the scientific community was interested in how blood-eating vampire bats, which have no other nutrients than protein, get energy sources.

Canadian researchers fed the blood of cows to unlock the secrets of vampire bats and made them run on a specially designed treadmill.

The researchers attached isotopes to amino acids, which are components of blood proteins, so that bats can track them as they run and exhale.

This is because you can see how much protein a bat uses to run.

As a result of the experiment, it was found that vampire bats immediately use protein as an energy source unlike other animals when running.

[Gulia Rossi / Former University of Toronto, Canada (first author): We think the vampire bat has evolved to feed only on blood, from the intestines to the entire body.]

The researchers expected the study to broaden the understanding of the nutrient decomposition process and food adaptation of animals other than humans.

I'm Lee Sung Kyu of YTN Science.


Video editing: Kim Young-hwan