In the world around us there live a huge number of living creatures with frightening and strange features of which we may not even be aware. In continuation of the article, you will find educational information about vampire animals. Don't rush to conclusions, because we won't tell you about bats, mosquitoes and leeches, we will talk about seemingly harmless animals that do not even pretend that they are actually bloodthirsty vampires who are not averse to feasting on the blood of others.
Lamprey
This is a vile creature with a huge number of sharp teeth, with which it bites into its victim, sucks and bloodthirstyly drinks blood. Mainly feeds on fish.
Danger to humans: will only attack if she is too hungry
Vampire finch
These birds only look harmless, but in fact they are real bloodthirsty vampires who, having noticed a wounded bird of another species, fly up to it and begin to peck at its wound to drink fresh blood. Often the victims of finches are seagulls, which, surprisingly, do not resist.
Danger to humans: If you are not a bird living in the Galapagos Islands, then you are safe.
Kandiru
Danger to humans: One day, in 1997, this fish entered the urethra of a local resident and fed on his flesh and blood, but soon died. Doctors had to remove her remains surgically.
Kissing bugs
The triatomine bug, also called the kissing bug because it bites a person's face while they sleep.
Danger to humans: High if you live in Arizona or Texas. These bugs also carry Chagas disease, and their bites can cause an allergic reaction, including swollen eyes, blisters and even seizures.
Mockingbird
These birds feed on scavengers, but they are more aggressive than finches and are not afraid of people.
Danger to humans: To be honest, a finch is more likely to be attracted to your water bottle than your blood.
Vampire butterfly
Using their proboscis, these butterflies drink blood from warm-blooded animals.
Danger to humans: they will 100% attack you. And now the good news: their habitat is expanding more and more and perhaps soon they will be near us!
Voloklyui
Look into the eyes of this demon! Just like its bloodthirsty comrades, the dragnet feasts on the fresh wounds of large animals such as buffalo and other cattle.
Danger to humans: Humans are too small prey for this demon.
Nutmeg snail
What? And harmless snails too? The main prey of these snails are electric stingrays, on whose body the bloodthirsty snail makes cuts and drinks blood.
Danger to humans: Everything is fine until you become an electric stingray
Butterfly Madrilenial
It's a butterfly from hell! She drinks the blood of dead animals.
Danger to humans: It does not pose a danger to a living person, but it will definitely fly to you in a nightmare!
In front of you is the proboscis (the part that is closer to the tip) of the night moth Calyptra cornflower ( Calyptra thalictri), taken at tenfold magnification. The butterfly was caught on Far East Russia in the summer of 2014 by entomologist Jennifer Zaspel from Purdue University (USA). The photo won eighth place in the 2014 Olympus BioScapes microphotography competition.
The proboscis of butterflies consists of two elongated galea (see Galea) - parts of the lower jaws (maxilla). They are connected by overlapping dorsal (dorsal) and ventral (ventral) outgrowths of the cuticle - legulae, forming the food canal. The dorsal legules are visible in the photo in the center of the frame (green). At the end of the proboscis of the calyptra there are also teeth sticking out to the sides (red in the photo) and sharp hooks (visible in the photo as dark dots surrounded by a light halo). The teeth and hooks help pierce the skin of fruits to drink juice, as well as... the skin of mammals to suck blood.
This butterfly, like many other representatives of the genus Calyptra, called vampire moth - vampire butterfly, because their males periodically suck the blood of mammals. These are the only bloodsucking butterflies, although they are not obligate, but facultative. Of the 18 species of the genus, 10 drink blood; These are mainly species found in South and Southeast Asia. They choose as victims ungulates (for example, tapirs and zebu), sometimes Asian elephants, as well as people.
To determine whether butterflies drink human blood, entomologist Hans Bänziger of Chiang Mai University selflessly offered his fingers and even lips to insects caught in Thailand in the late 1980s - without knowing for sure whether the butterflies carried pathogens from prey to prey. . Thanks to this, it was possible to observe in detail how the insect pierces the skin. The hooks cling to skin irregularities (hair, folds, pores, cracks) into which the proboscis pushes, the teeth pierce the skin, and the tip of the proboscis enters the wound and then “drills” deeper. This does not cause the most pleasant sensations.
Calyptra cornflower lives in a large area of the Palaearctic, feeding on the juice of fruits and berries. But in 2006, scientists studying butterflies in Primorye offered their fingers to the caught insects. Some males willingly began to drink blood; this process took from 3 to 20 minutes.
The researchers decided to compare whether blood-sucking males were morphologically different from males drinking fruit juice. Differences were found in the number of olfactory sensilla on the antennae: blood-sucking animals had fewer sensilla that perceive the odors of vertebrate animals. Scientists suggest that reducing sensitivity to such odors makes them less repulsive to butterflies and creates the preconditions for feeding on blood.
But, in fact, why do butterflies need blood, especially males? Butterflies do not digest blood proteins; they are excreted, but butterflies absorb up to 95% of sodium chloride (NaCl). It is assumed that the male may transfer NaCl to the female with the spermatophore during mating, as it may be necessary for the development of the offspring. But there is very little of this substance in plants.
Are there vampire butterflies? and got the best answer
Answer from Irina Petrotsi[guru]
Finnish scientists have discovered that the vampire butterfly, which has recently spread to Estonia, can drink the blood of humans and animals.
How the calyptra thalictri (lat. Calyptra thalictri) drinks human blood was first discovered in Russia, in the Far East. Lepidopterologist (butterfly specialist) Vladimir Kononenko, observing the behavior of the butterfly, noticed that the calyptra, if no one bothers it, can suck blood for several minutes.
These butterflies usually drink liquid from the eyes of animals, but it is possible that they can also fly to the smell of blood if, for example, a person is injured.
Like most butterflies, the bloodthirsty moth flies to the light and the smell of red wine, to which sugar has been added. Calyptra can be a carrier of diseases.
The proboscis of the calyptra has suction cups to attach to the skin. As a rule, the proboscis of butterflies is intended for drinking water and plant juice.
In tropical regions, cutworms are found that more or less regularly suck the secretions of the lacrimal glands of large mammals, consuming the amino acids contained in the tears. 
This butterfly bites very painfully, and drinks blood at a time from five to thirty minutes. An experiment was carried out, and it turned out that males could drink human blood - they pierced the experimenter’s finger, the sensation was like being pricked by a hot needle. Blood drinking for these butterflies became possible due to the fact that their ancestors switched to feeding on dense fruits and developed a hard proboscis. 
Some tropical butterflies are bloodsuckers. Their rough proboscis is capable of piercing the skin of mammals. It is believed that at first the butterflies pierced the skin of the fruit to drink the juice, and then they became accustomed to drinking blood. In the tropics there are butterflies that feed on the tear secretions of animals, mainly ungulates, such as buffalos. These butterflies launch their long proboscis into the tear ducts and suck out the tear secretions.
Source: link
Reply from Paleev Paleev[guru]
There are butterflies that feed on blood... Vampire butterflies!
Reply from ACCESSOR[guru]
Aare Lindt, a butterfly specialist at the Estonian Nature Museum, told Postimees Online that in Estonia, calyptra is found mainly in Võru County, in the Nightingale Valley in Rõuga and in Piusa. “A representative of this species was also found in the vicinity of Paide,” he said. “These butterflies usually drink liquid from the eyes of animals, but I do not rule out that they can also fly to the smell of blood if, for example, a person is injured.” Loves wine While talking about methods of catching butterflies, Aare Lindt noted that blood is not necessarily needed to catch a calyptra. Like most butterflies, the bloodthirsty night butterfly flies to the light and the smell of red wine, to which sugar has been added. Calyptra basilistnikov was first discovered in Finland in 2000. In seven years, this species has been spotted more than a hundred times. According to Lindt, this butterfly was first discovered in Estonia two years later, in 2002. Finnish professor Kauri Mikkola does not believe that the calyptra can be a carrier of diseases. Since the climatic conditions in Finland and Estonia are similar, we shouldn’t be afraid of this either. As an entomologist, I don’t believe this nonsense, this scoop is in the Red Book of the Moscow Region! !In accordance with the Law Russian Federation"On the Protection of the Natural Environment", the Federal Law "On Animal World", Resolution of the Head of the Moscow Region Administration dated 06/11/96 N 257-PG "On the Red Book of the Moscow Region" and Decree of the Moscow Region Government dated 02/13/97 N 11/4 " On the establishment of the Red Book of the Moscow Region" to approve the list of animal objects and flora, listed in the Red Book of the Moscow Region (Appendix) .383. Basilfoil calyptra - Calyрtra thаliсtri (Workkhausen)
Reply from ~ AquaMarinka ~[guru]
Some tropical butterflies are bloodsuckers. Their rough proboscis is capable of piercing the skin of mammals. It is believed that at first the butterflies pierced the skin of the fruit to drink the juice, and then they became accustomed to drinking blood. In the tropics there are butterflies that feed on the tear secretions of animals, mainly ungulates, such as buffalos. These butterflies launch their long proboscis into the tear ducts and suck out the tear secretions. This is perhaps the only case when butterflies are carriers of diseases, in this case eye diseases.
Cutworms (“little owls”) belong to the family Noctuidae, the largest among butterflies: more than 30,000 species. Some cutworms also suck up droplets of blood from wounds (Lobocraspis griseifusca), but are not capable of piercing intact skin.
True blood feeding has been recorded in noctuid moths of the genus Calyptra, which live in Southeast Asia. Calyptra eustrigata is a medium-sized butterfly in which the females pierce various fruits and suck out their contents.
Males have the same rigid proboscis as females, but do not feed on fruits. At night, they attack elephants, tapirs, rhinoceroses, buffaloes and pierce the skin, rapidly vibrating with their hard, sharp proboscis with teeth at the end - like a jackhammer. This butterfly bites very painfully, and drinks blood at a time from five to thirty minutes. An experiment was carried out, and it turned out that males could drink human blood - they pierced the experimenter’s finger, the sensation was like being pricked by a hot needle. Blood drinking for these butterflies became possible due to the fact that their ancestors switched to feeding on dense fruits and developed a hard proboscis.
Not all butterflies are beautiful. Among them there are also real vampires who feed on blood, including human blood. Bloodsucking butterflies were discovered in Siberia. They turned out to be cutworms or night moths. Yes, yes, those same big night moths that flock to the light in the evenings and at night are not averse to tasting human blood.
The proboscis prick is quite painful. The bite site does not itch, but a small wound may bleed for a long time. If the butterflies are not driven away from the bite site, they can suck blood for 5 to 20 minutes. Only males drink blood. Females feed on the juice of plants and fruits. Externally, vampires differ from their vegetarian counterparts and females of their species - they have a certain pattern on their wings.
The question arises - why do they still need blood? It’s not just that they switched to such an exotic cuisine. There is the following assumption, which, however, has not yet been precisely established. The blood of animals contains salt, which the males transfer to the female during mating. This “unusual sexual gift” provides salt to the butterfly larvae. Salt, or rather sodium, is necessary for their normal development.
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These beautiful, defenseless butterflies can be much more dangerous than you think. Recent research shows that some species contain deadly poison that can harm your health. This is because some species of butterflies are poisonous (toxic, we have already explained the difference in concepts in the article about). But we also want to draw your attention to the fact that we will talk about poisonous butterflies, and not about the ones we have already written about earlier. There is undoubtedly a connection, but if you write about butterflies, then you need to write about them, and not about caterpillars.
The transformation (metamorphism) of a caterpillar into a butterfly is one of the most beautiful miracles in nature. The intricate beauty, design and colors of the butterfly are a joy that is hard to put down. However, did you know that some of these fascinating butterflies are now considered by scientists to be extremely dangerous to your health? The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), with its large black and orange-brown wings, and the viceroy (Limenitis archippus), which looks almost identical to the monarch, are the two most common butterflies you are likely to encounter. These are just two of the approximately 15,000 species of butterflies.
Photo. Mimicry among butterflies. On the left is the monarch butterfly, on the right is the viceroy
They go through four stages of development before turning into the winged beauties that we see in our gardens. During its larval or caterpillar stage, the monarch caterpillar feeds on toxic cottonmouth (Asclepias), making it poisonous and therefore a deadly nuisance to any bird that decides to eat it. This poison is called cardenolide and it is even dangerous to humans. The Viceroy is distinguished from the Monarch by a black inner line on the lower wings. Evolutionists have long thought that the Viceroy evolved wing shapes and colors similar to the Monarch's to avoid attack due to its resemblance to the venomous Monarch. They believed that the Viceroy, if caught, would become a tasty treat for the birds. However, recent studies have shown that the viceroy is just as harmful as his fellow monarch. The problem here is not that her larvae eat toxic plants, but rather that the Viceroy is able to manufacture his own toxic chemical defense system. This highlights how little we truly know about the natural world around us.
In fact, according to a recent book about the monarch butterfly, “the more we learn about the monarch, the less confident we are.” However, we don't need to know everything about nature to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us. However, some knowledge can help us avoid becoming another victim of the beautiful but potentially deadly monarch and viceroy.
The most poisonous butterfly in the world
Its scientific name is Papilio Antimachus and this butterfly (antimachus swallowtail) has a wingspan of 8 to 9 inches and is native to Uganda. It is the lightest butterfly in Africa and has no natural enemies as it is highly toxic. It can also spray a cloud of harmful chemicals into the air if disturbed.
Photo. Sailboat Antimachus (lat. Papilio Antimachus)
Males are larger than females, which have a less elongated front and tend to appear smaller.
They have long brown and orange wings with black markings. Like other members of the genus Papilionidae, the swallowtail or African giant swallowtail has well-developed legs.
The most aggressive butterfly
We are talking about the green emperor butterfly (lat. Charaxes candiope), found in Uganda, which attacks and drops “bombs” on people and animals invading its territory. This achievement is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records for Africa.