Did you know that there are human-sized bats?
Our world is a crazy place and is inhabited by some pretty incredible creatures. One such creature came into the limelight a few years ago, when social media was flooded with pictures of a bat in the Philippines that was allegedly ‘human-sized.’ Yes, it is hard to believe that there could be such an animal, but this is a real deal! The horrifying image of this animal depicted a bat that was ‘human-sized’ hanging upside down, Batman style, from a wire outside a building. Although the actual species of the creature is unknown, the internet agreed that the image depicted a massive golden-crowned flying fox, also known as a golden-capped fruit bat. These are a terrifying megabat species native to Philippines. Some of the largest bat species in the world, the majority of which are known as megabats, can be found in this country.
Did you know that all bats are put into 2 categories: Microbats and megabats? Microbats are small animals (regular bats) with prominent ears. Most are between 3 and 16 inches long. Micros mostly eat insects, while some bigger species also consume small fish, rodents, birds, and amphibians. Some of the species ingest animal blood, but don’t be alarmed—they do not consume human blood! Microbats use echolocation (biosonar), the method that uses sound waves to create echoes which, in turn, let bats locate and recognise their prey.
Let’s learn more about these creepy creatures!
Human-sized megabats are for real
Megabats can be distinguished from the other bats because of their large size and weight. They are fruit-and-nectar-eating bats that use their senses of sight and smell to find food. They belong to the family of Pteropodidae, and are also known as fruit bats or flying foxes. Although they don't have the same size, some of them may weigh about 3.2 lb (1.5 kg) and have a wingspan of 66.9 inches (169.9 cm), that’s about the size of a five- and half-foot human! Incredible, isn't it!
How do megabats look like?
Megabats are the flying foxes, also known as fruit bats or old-world fruit bats. They are known as flying foxes because of their furry body and fox-like snout. These bats feed on fruits and nectar. They can eat through hard fruit skins because of their strong, cutting teeth. Unlike microbats, they do not use echolocation but have a magnified sense of sight smell, which helps them locate their food.
Just like us humans, megabats are social creatures that reside in enormous colonies called ‘camps,’ and congregate on trees during the day, hanging upside-down from their feet.
John Edward Gray first described megabat subfamilies in 1821. Would you believe there are more than 150 species of these fruit-eating bats! Megabats love tropical climates. There are flying foxes (Pteropus spp.) found in Australia as well as the tropical and subtropical parts of Asia (South Asia, South-east Asia), East Africa, the Pacific and Indian oceans, and Australia.
Are they a threat to human beings?
Whenever we think about bats, scenes from Dracula movies flash in our minds, where the Dracula is surrounded by his army of bats. But do they really pose a threat to the safety of human beings? It is extremely disturbing to imagine something the size of a human flying around, but thankfully, nobody has to be concerned about being this animal's next dinner. These bats are vegetarian. However, these bats are carriers of various diseases such as the Ebola virus and the Marburg virus. In addition, the flying fox Pteropus also carries several other viruses that can kill both humans and animals, e.g., the Nipah and Hendra viruses. If not treated, some of these viruses can indeed be fatal to mankind.