Facts about the Greater False Vampire Bat

Megaderma lyra
  • The false vampire bat, or lyre-bat (Megaderma lyra), is a small bat of the family Nycteridce, common in India and Ceylon, where it is known as the «Vampire» bat.
  • The false vampire bat haunts old buildings, ruins and cave-temples. 
  • The name vampire is given to it from its blood-sucking habits, for it first sucks the blood of its prey before consuming the body. 
  • The false vampire bat has a relatively large body size 65–95 mm and its weight ranges between 40-60 g.
  • It eats insects, smaller bats and fish. Enormous ears are characteristic of the lyre-bat.
  • False vampire males reach sexual maturity by 15 months, females by 19 months.