Real-Life Vampires: 5 Creatures That Drink Blood Instead of Water

• Vampire Bats in Central and South America feed on animal blood, using anticoagulant saliva to prevent clotting and can spread diseases.
• Female Mosquitoes worldwide suck blood for egg production, spreading deadly diseases like malaria, dengue, and Zika.
• Leeches, found in damp places, attach to prey and suck blood, using hirudin to prevent clotting; some are used medically.
• Ticks, tiny spider-like parasites, attach to hosts and can drink up to 600 times their weight in blood, transmitting diseases like Lyme disease.
• Rare Vampire Snails are marine creatures that feed on the blood of electric rays and other fish, primarily attacking at night.

Why It Matters: Five creatures, from bats to snails, are real-life vampires, surviving by drinking blood and often spreading diseases.