hematophagous
/ˌhiməˈtɑfəɡəs/
adjective
- Feeding on blood, used especially to describe certain animals such as mosquitoes, leeches, and vampire bats.
- Mosquitoes are hematophagous insects that can transmit diseases like malaria.
- Vampire bats are the only mammals that are truly hematophagous.
- The hematophagous leech was once commonly used in medical bloodletting.
Synonyms