Vampire Bat Skull, 8:1 Scale

TSBC-333 $216.00

The majority of Bone Clones® are created by making molds of original bone material. In limited instances to change scale from smaller or larger, we employ 3D scanning of the original and printing technology, hand detail the printed version to match the original specimen, and then use it to make our product mold.

The vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) is a small bat, 2.5 to 3.5 inches in length with a wingspan of about 8 inches. The minute size of the vampire bat skull makes it a challenge to study its delicate cranial structures. Here, we increased the size of the scan 8 times then printed the enlarged skull, allowing for detailed study of the teeth and unique ear morphology that make bat echolocation (sonar) possible. To retain detail, the bullae (ear bones) were separately scanned, printed and assembled in the skull.

Weighing between 1 to 2 ounces, the vampire bat can consume 60% of their body weight in blood. Vampire bats have strong, well-developed hind legs, which affords them speed and agility on the ground. Their canine teeth are adapted for cutting hair and their large triangular incisors are highly modified to serve as sharp lancets to get the blood meal flowing freely. Animals that eat blood are called sanguivores, and the act of eating blood is called hemophagy. Their grooved and hairless nose contains infrared heat sensors to help them locate areas of rich blood flow closest to the skin surface of their victims. They have anticoagulant-rich saliva and a long, grooved tongue to aid their efforts. They only range in tropical rainforests from Mexico to Argentina and Chile and are also found on the islands of Trinidad and Margarita off the Venezuelan coast.

2-part skull (separate cranium & jaw).

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