The Philippines is renowned for its breathtaking nature and unique wildlife. It’s also where you’ll find the world’s biggest bat species, often dubbed the “human-sized bat” by many.
With a wingspan stretching over five and a half feet (approximately 1.7 meters) and weighing more than three pounds (about 1.4 kilograms), the giant golden-crowned flying fox is truly massive, although it’s not exactly the size of a human.
Because of their connection to vampires and nighttime, bats often get a bad reputation as bloodsuckers, even though only a few out of the more than 1,300 known bat species actually feed on blood.
Actually, this frightening creature is a committed vegan, surviving on a diet of different fruits and leaves when it emerges to feed at dusk.
This is actually really good for the environment because the flying fox helps spread seeds from the fruits it eats across a large area. By doing this, it plays an important part in the life cycle of the broader ecological system where it lives.
What makes it different from other bats – and why it’s nicknamed the “flying wiener dog” – is that it doesn’t use echolocation. Instead, it depends on its sharp eyesight and sense of smell to fly around. These creatures are also very clever: studies have demonstrated that they can operate levers to obtain food, and they can remember how to do it for as long as 3.5 years.
They’re usually pretty fine with humans, and you can often find them in forests near villages or small towns. That’s why there are lots of pictures of them peacefully sleeping on the sides of roads or in barns.
A large golden-crowned flying fox with its young. Source:
Sadly, because of hunting for profit or fun and the destruction of their habitats by industry, the giant golden-crowned flying fox is now at risk of extinction. Nearly half of their population vanished in less than 30 years by 2016.
The endangered species gained widespread attention when a Twitter user shared photos of one of them positioned next to a motorcycle in a misleading way, giving the impression of a more intimidating creature.
More folks should realize that there’s often more to a situation than meets the eye. While something might appear scary at first glance, it’s actually humans who pose a threat to these fragile animals through our careless actions.
