Vampire Bats Turn Off Part of their Genome to Eat Blood
Michael Hiller and colleagues from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics found out the interesting phenomena by comparing the genome of the common vampire bat against the DNA of 26 other species.
We’ve heard of picky eaters, but vampire bats take it to the extreme. They’re the only mammals who have adapted to live entirely on the blood of others. If you’re going to pick a single food to survive on, blood is actually one of the worst. It’s incredibly high in protein and iron while being low in fat or sugar. In order to survive, vampire bats have had to acquire a slate of unique adaptations and now we have a look at the genetic changes they’ve undergone to make it work.
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