13 Creepiest Vampire Animals

13. VAMPIRE SQUID

The Vampire Squid looks spookier than some of the animals on this list, with its Count Dracula-like cloak, but the species is missing one important quality: these sea creatures are not blood eaters. Instead, vampire squid feast on the feces and waste of other underwater animals. Still an unappetizing diet, but one that is not as harmful as the animal's name would imply. (Discovery)

12. TORPEDO SNAILS

Unless you're an electric ray known as a Torpediform, you don't need to worry about these blood-drinkers. Torpedo snails find their underwater host through scent and then send out a long tube from several feet away to slyly and painlessly siphon off blood. (Top Tenz)

11. MOSQUITOES 

These bloodsuckers aren't too terrifying, they're just more of a consistent summer woe. It is only the lady mosquitoes that deserve your scorn, though. Females are gifted with a proboscis that can pierce through skin to reach our nutrient-filled blood, while males can only feast on plant nectar. (University of Florida)

10. FLEAS

Fleas are a serious pests, sucking blood from pets and giving humans a few bites as well. The parasites usually leave a series of three bite marks, known as breakfast, lunch and dinner. Human fleas are rare in North America; most flea bites found on humans result from the parasites infesting their pets. (Bohart Museum)

9. LEECHES

Probably the only vampire animal used for medicine on this list, leeches don't have quite the same following anymore. The creature once believed to have blood-cleansing properties latches on to its host using its 2-3 jaws and then makes a v-shaped piercing in the skin. Not all leeches depend on blood to live, many species survive by eating bugs. (Invertebrate.us)

8. TICKS

Often called an insect, ticks are actually part of the arachnid family. The parasite gets its meals by crawling onto a host and attaching itself onto the animal through a carved hole. Ticks are especially worrisome, because they can pass on several serious diseases that can harm people and pets. (IDPH)

7. LAMPREY

This eel-like sea creature often gets unfairly labeled as a bloodsucker. A majority of Lamprey species do not feed off other animals, but the ones who do aren't nice about it. A parasitic lamprey feasts on its host but using its circular, teeth-filled jaw to carve a hole into the flesh and reach the blood. (BBC)

6. BEDBUGS

These creepy crawlies have gone from a fabled annoyance to a full on plague in the past few years. Bedbugs have built-up a resistance to pesticides which have allowed them to pop up in a growing number of homes. Additionally, while bed bugs live off blood, the insects can go without a meal for weeks at a time, increasing their longevity. (EPA)

5. VAMPIRE MOTH

Male vampire moths are the first of  the moth species to be able to survive on a diet of blood. The bite left by these bugs can swell and become uncomfortable for several hours. While this vampire moth has been observed feasting on humans, they can easily be shooed away before they cause harm. Most vampire moths prefer to fill up on fruits and the tears of other animals. What a depressing diet. (Tree Hugger)

4. KISSING BUG

A bigger and meaner parasite than the mosquito, the kissing bug isn't too affectionate. This insect got its name due to its tendency to bite a person's face and lips. Kissing bug bites have become an increasing problem in South America, because the bug has been passing on the deadly disease Chagas during its blood-sucking sessions. (Forbes)

3. CANDIRU

The nearly transparent Candiru may not stack up in size to the other underwater predators, but the fish has some pretty fearsome feasting techniques. The catfish's small and skinny size allows it to creep into the orifices of its host and feast on their blood from the inside. Other species of the Candiru are able to bite through flesh and feed on the organs. (Animal Planet)

2 . VAMPIRE FINCH

Vampire finches usually eat seeds to stay healthy, but a few of the birds have ditched this diet. A subspecies of the bird stays on an arid island year round, instead of migrating. To survive during the harsher seasons, these birds will pick at the wounds of larger sea birds until they bleed. Vampire finches live off this blood, being careful to only pick at the sea birds to the point where they are bleeding, but won't fly away. (Mother Nature Network)