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What kinds of animals do carnivorous bats eat?
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bat
Livingstone's fruit bat (Pteropus livingstonii) in flight.
Carnivorous bats, which include several genera within the families Phyllostomidae and Megadermatidae, consume a variety of small vertebrates. Their diet typically consists of:
- Small rodents
- Shrews
- Other bats
- Sleeping birds
- Tree frogs
- Lizards1
While these bats are strictly carnivorous, it is important to distinguish them from vampire bats. Vampire bats are a specialized group that feeds exclusively on the blood of large mammals or birds rather than consuming the flesh of their prey.1