00:00Bats might be known as the only flying mammals, but now researchers are putting their other
00:07modes of locomotion to the test.
00:10These are the famed vampire bats, creatures known for their blood-only diets.
00:14This diet has long baffled scientists, as while blood-sucking insects fuel themselves
00:18by metabolizing amino acids in blood, mammals tend to get most of their energy from carbs.
00:23So to test this, they had the flying creatures fuel up on the red stuff and then go for a
00:27run.
00:28They're not over-flying, as the bats are actually pretty good at moving around on the
00:31ground.
00:32And they are also far easier to track that way, to measure their movement with more accuracy,
00:36with the researchers finding that vampires share a common trait with other biologically
00:40distant blood-suckers.
00:41Writing in their study, we found vampire bats can fuel most of their running with amino
00:45acids in a blood meal eaten only minutes before, just like some insects.
00:50They added that it seems metabolic evolution can be shaped by a specialized diet, with
00:54creatures adapting to what's available in their habitats.
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