A video of human sized bat is going viral on social media and people are eager to know the facts and also to watch the real video of the bat. In this article, below, we are going to explain everything with a real video of Human size bat, embedded below.
The Human-Sized Bat of the Philippines: Fact or Fiction?
If you are afraid of bats, you might want to skip this article. But if you are curious about one of the most fascinating creatures of the night, read on. You may have seen a viral photo on social media that shows a huge bat hanging from a wire outside a building in the Philippines. The bat looks so big that it seems to be the size of a human. Is this photo real or fake? And what kind of bat is it?
The photo that has been circulating online for years was posted on Twitter by @AlexJoestar622 in June 2020 with the caption: “Remember when I told y’all about the Philippines having human-sized bats?
Yeah, this was what I was talking about”. The tweet has received over 260,000 likes and hundreds of comments, some expressing disbelief and others confirming the existence of such bats.
The Bat
The photo is not fake, but it is also not entirely accurate. The bat in the photo is a giant golden-crowned flying fox (Acerodon jubatus), also known as a golden-capped fruit bat.
This species of megabat is endemic to the Philippines and is one of the largest bats in the world. It can weigh up to 1.4 kilograms and have a wingspan of up to 1.7 meters.
However, its body length is only about 28 centimeters, which is much smaller than a human.
The photo makes the bat appear larger than it really is because of a photography technique called forced perspective. This technique uses optical illusion to make objects appear closer or farther away, or bigger or smaller, than they actually are. For example, you may have seen photos of tourists holding the Taj Mahal or the Leaning Tower of Pisa in their hands. The same principle applies here: the bat is closer to the camera than the building, creating the impression that it is human-sized.
The Facts
The giant golden-crowned flying fox is a fruit-eating bat that mainly feeds on figs and leaves. It is nocturnal and roosts in large colonies during the day. It can live up to 30 years in the wild. It is also an important pollinator and seed disperser for many plants in its habitat.
Unfortunately, this bat is also an endangered species. It has been listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) since 2016 due to its declining population numbers.
The main threats to its survival are hunting for bushmeat, deforestation, habitat loss, and human disturbance. It is estimated that there are only 10,000 to 20,000 individuals left in the wild as of 2012.
One of its subspecies, A. jubatus lucifer, is already extinct.
The Conclusion
The giant golden-crowned flying fox is a remarkable animal that deserves our respect and protection. It is not a human-sized monster, but a gentle giant that plays a vital role in its ecosystem. The viral photo may have scared some people, but it also raised awareness about this rare and beautiful bat. Hopefully, more people will learn about this bat and support its conservation efforts.
Below is the Real Video of that Bat: