A bat (family Desmodontidae) that has incisors adapted for piercing skin and a digestive system adapted to a diet exclusively of blood. It has strong limbs and can run and jump with agility. There are three genera with three species: common (Desmodus rotundus), hairy-legged (Diphylla ecaudata), and white-winged (Diaemus youngi) vampire bats, found throughout tropical and subtropical Central and South America.