Case reports on defensive behaviour in equine and bovine subjects in response to vocalization of the common vampire bat ( Desmodus rotundus)

Field observations showed that bovine and equine subjects reacted defensively on hearing the vocalization of the common vampire bat ( Desmodus rotundus) in their locality. The animals generally moved away from the place where the bats were heard, breaking up the group and dispersing to open areas of the prairie. This behaviour may enable livestock to reduce predation risk because vampire bats generally attack animals which are still or lying down and rarely venture far into places which have no environmental protection.