For the vampire bat, super-powered ears are also its eyes.
And they work in astonishing ways.
At dusk, when the day ends for many creatures, the vampire bat's day begins.
They leave their roost in search of food.
To navigate, they rely on a special trick of hearing, called echolocation.
To understand what's around them...bats produce a high-pitched noise.
The noise registers beyond the range of human hearing.
But it travels outward...from the bat's mouth...hits the objects around it...and bounces back.
These sounds then tell the bat what's around it.
Fast enough to let it fly through jungles without hitting trees...and fast enough to find prey...like the peccary.
This bat sizes up its prey...and decides to wait for the 40-pound beast to go to sleep.
Once the peccaries turn in, the bat cozies up to a likely spot where the feast can begin.
Along with super-powered ears, these vampires have heat sensors in their noses.
This guides them to where warm blood flows just beneath the victim's skin.
With her scalpel-sharp teeth, she makes an incision to draw blood.
They only get a taste before the peccary wakes up.
