Learned a new word…

Hematophagy

Hematophagy is the practice by certain animals of feeding on blood. Since blood is a fluid tissue rich in nutritious proteins and lipids that can be taken without great effort, hematophagy is a preferred form of feeding for many small animals, such as worms and arthropods.

Atypical Nourishment – Hematophagy, Cannibalism and Necrophagy

The character Renfield from Bram Stoker's “Dracula" admitted the importance of blood, saying that “The blood is the life." This idea is not new, for example, Maya kings attempted to obtain the good will of the gods by giving blood offerings. Throughout history, there have existed enough tribes which practiced ritual hematophagy (blood consumption as a food source) and cannibalism (eating other humans), traditions which have given shape to the images of certain mythological entities such as the werewolf, the wendigo or the vampire.