#Kirk could go on FOREVER talking about their feeding habits but he'll spare her the torture

[chiropterx]

why do the bats make blood bubbles ?

Her question takes him by surprise but Kirk quickly breaks out into a smile, genuinely delighted by Dewey's inquisitive response. Not everybody had the grace to actually ask questions instead of grimacing in disgust upon seeing a simple act of nature, her thoughtful query immediately becoming something he found endearing in the younger woman. "Well you see, it's not intentional that vampire bats blow those bubbles after feeding? Each night these little creatures drink approximately two tablespoons of blood and given their size, that's half their body weight in a single meal. Imagine how bloated you might feel after drinking half your weight in water!" He couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. Dewey looked like she barely weighed a thing, her appearance slender and frail-looking. Nonetheless she had nerves of steel, not looking at all afraid or put out by the footage of vampire bats gorging themselves on a horse's neck. "It may seem greedy of them to drink so much in one sitting but blood is nutritionally scarce so the bats have to drink a lot comparative to their body size in order to survive another night. Blood is high in iron and water but little else, therefore bats drink so much because they can't go longer than two days without sustenance. Fortunately as a species, vampire bats are very social creatures so a bat whose hunt was unsuccessful can ask her friends for blood to which they'll share, so long as they know their efforts will be recipriocated in the future." The urge to delve into scientific detail was tempting but Kirk tries to keep it on the straight and narrow. Dewey had asked about blood bubbles, not a deluge about their feeding habits or the complexity of their social structure and hierachy, altruism and ways of social bonding. Best not tell her that bats urinate while feeding to lighten the load!