Thomas Hinton, age 13, of Hattiesburg, Miss., for his question:

IS THERE REALLY A VAMPIRE BAT?

Vampire bat is the name given to several different kinds of bats. The name is given particularly to certain bats in Central America and tropical America, which attack men, fowl and other warm blooded animals and drink their blood.

The best known is the common vampire bat, a small reddish brown animal about three inches long. It has very sharp triangular shaped front teeth, which cut like razors. Its esophagus is short and narrow and will permit nothing but fluids to pass.

Vampire bats sometimes attack persons who are sleeping. The bite itself is harmless and soon heals, but the real problem is that many vampire bats carry rabies.

People in the United States and Canada don't have to worry about vampire bats.

The vampire bat's name comes from the superstitious legends about the vampire, an imaginary being that sucked the blood from humans.

Lots of weird stories have been told about the viciousness of vampire bats. But most of the stories are not based on fact.