How to Identify a Vampire - The Characteristics of a Creature of The Undead

Vampires are mythological creatures, the existence of which science has not yet been able to prove. But there is a large amount of untested evidence directed towards the fact that vampire tendencies are a possibility among humans. And with the recent increase in awareness through books and movies, vampires like Count Dracula, Nosferatu, Count Yorga, Spike, Edward Cullens and others have amassed an impressive fan following. There are certain features that put vampires into a class of their own, one which is quite different from any human being with cannibalistic tendencies. To understand these better here are a few of them explained in detail:

1. Blood, either human or animal, is a major part of a vampire's diet. Since drinking human blood would be partially cannibalistic and make it difficult for them to function normally in human society, a number of them prefer animal blood. They eat little or nothing else, which is what, makes them easy to identify.
2. Sunlight has an adverse effect on vampires making their skin burn. This is one of the main reasons most of them prefer to be indoors during the day and become more active at night. They also cannot tolerate high temperatures and tropical climates, and are therefore more likely to populate the cooler parts of the world. However, this is believed to be a largely psychological condition that can be controlled with great willpower. That is why some of the older and more experienced vampires, by mastering their thoughts, are able to roam around safely in the sunlight without feeling its effects. In some instances sunlight, instead of burning up vampire flesh, makes it shimmer, giving it a bewitching radiance. While this does not happen in all cases, it still makes the vampire stand out in a crowd of humans, making it necessary for him to avoid sunlight.
3. All vampires have fangs or large canines, whether you can see them or not. These are very similar to the ones animals have, though much sharper. Their main purpose is to dig deep into human flesh and make precise puncture wounds needed to start the blood flow. In some cases the fangs are retractable like claws and are only displayed when the vampire is in attack mode. Usually this is accompanied by a change in their facial composition making them more animalistic and savage. But this varies across vampires.
4. Breathtaking beauty is also another characteristic that is associated with vampires. They have the power to maximize their charm and good looks making them extremely attractive, especially to humans they want to prey on. They are also very well dressed and manage to keep up with the latest fashion even though some of them have lived for over hundreds of years.
5. Immortality is something we associate with all vampires but this is not necessarily true. What vampires are vulnerable to is being stabbed in the heart with a stake? If you do this and then cut off their heads before burning their bodies, then you can be sure that you have killed the vampire for good. Unless this is done, the vampire remains immortal, feels no pain and cannot be injured. But there is some amount of evidence which shows that prolonged contact and attachment to humans does make vampires vulnerable to mortal pain and harm.

While these pointers work well to help you identify a vampire, they do not comprise a full proof technique. With evolution there have been significant changes in the characteristics of the newer generation of vampires. It is therefore important to play it by ear and be very careful when identifying an individual as belonging to the undead. The repercussions of being wrong are almost as dangerous as those of being right.

Amber Mundane is hot on the trail of a real female Vampire. She has devoted her website to the undead. To learn more visit: www.purevampire.com