‘Human-Sized’ Bat terrifies Social Media Users: ‘So Scared’

Social media is going batty for a “human-sized” bat.

User @AlexJoestar622 posted a photo that seemingly showed an extremely large, black-winged mammal just hanging out. The snap was taken in the Philippines and showed the bat suspended upside down in a building.

“Remember when I told y’all about the Philippines having human-sized bats? Yeah, this was what I was talking about,’ the person tweeted alongside photos of the animal.

However, some Twitter users doubted the apparent dimensions of the beastie.

One believed that the bat’s position is actually a neat photography trick, making objects appear larger than they are by using forced perspective.

Others thought it was photoshopped, with one person claiming that the “shadow [is] not casted” and the “string it’s attached [to] is not even bending over the weight.”

“The light source is a small square hole in the roof but on the left side of wood, it’s well illuminated,” they alleged.

But there was some clarification in replies to the tweet, with claims that the beast was actually a giant golden-crowned flying fox, also known as a fox bat.

Fox bats are large, fruit-eating animals that are found on tropical islands around Asia and Australia. Their wingspan can reach five feet and their bodies can be as long as 16 inches.

One Twitter user noted that the creature is indeed real.

“Heya, from the Philippines here. I can confirm this, they have a huuuuuge wingspan but the bodies are not really that big, more or less like the same body as a medium (bit smaller) sized dog,” they commented.

“And yeah they only eat fruits, guavas most particularly. They’re really gentle too,” the user continued.

Others took comfort in the fact that the creatures are herbivores. Still, some found them frightening.

“That’s horrifying,” said one commenter. “If I saw one in real life I would give it all the money in my wallet and then pass away. Secondly, why is it taller than me?”