Vampire Bats

Re “Woman Goes to Bat for Misunderstood Mammal,” Sept. 21.

As an admirer of bats, I must thank you for this positive article. The “misunderstood” part has been around for centuries as people have tried to justify their loathing of a creature whose appearance is slightly off from the usual cute and cuddly.

However, the article states that “there is only one blood-sucking species--the vampire bat--which drinks about a teaspoon of blood a day, usually from livestock, and is found only in South America.” There are at least three species of vampire bats. They do not suck blood but lap it up from a small incision made by their sharp incisors and canine teeth. Vampires are found in Mexico, Central America and South America.

LIZ MANIPELLA, Granada Hills