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Terrifying 'Fake' Pic Of 'Human-Sized Bat' Turns Out To Be Real

Simon Catling

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| Last updated 

Terrifying 'Fake' Pic Of 'Human-Sized Bat' Turns Out To Be Real

We've heard enough wildly speculative rumours about bats causing the downfall of mankind over the past 18 months, without this guy popping up all over the internet.

Debate has raged about whether the picture of this gigantic bat - that originated in The Philippines - is real or not.

I know what you're thinking here: I hope not.

Credit: Twitter/@AlexJoestar622
Credit: Twitter/@AlexJoestar622
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Well, here's a distressing update for you - it's been proven NOT to be a fake.

Of course, bats are well known for hanging upside down. It's what they do, after all. However, this absolute beast isn't exactly inconspicuous, given that from the naked eye it seems human-sized.

Thankfully for those of you with chiroptophobia (fear of bats), this giant golden crowned flying fox is vegetarian.

That's not likely to make it less terrifying, I know. But they are completely herbivorous, eating mostly figs and occasionally chowing down on some leaves.

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The image was shared on Twitter by user @AlexJoestar622, who said: "Remember when I told y'all about the Philippines having human-sized bats?

"Yeah, this was what I was talking about."

This type of bat is certainly one of the world's largest, although to call it 'human-sized' is thankfully a bit of a stretch.

It does actually have a wing-span that could be thought of as human-sized, however, because their wings can be up to five and a half feet wide.

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Credit: Twitter/@AlexJoestar622
Credit: Twitter/@AlexJoestar622

However, the actual body of the flying fox, which looks massive, is probably only around one foot tall.

What you're actually seeing here is actually just a clever example of something called forced perspective.

This is where you take a picture in such a way that makes something seem massive, or really small, when it is actually just normal sized and in a slightly different perspective.

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Among its most famous usages, the species featured heavily in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to make the hobbits seem tiny, when they are actually probably the same size as the actors they're standing close to.

However, to further push the sympathy campaign on these massive creatures, the giant golden crowned flying fox is actually in a bit of trouble.

They're currently classed as an endangered species as a result of deforestation and poaching for food.

They are exclusively found in The Philippines, and were initially discovered in three subspecies, but one has since gone extinct.

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Additional copy: Tom Wood

Featured Image Credit: Twitter/@AlexJoestar622

Topics: World News, Weird, Animals

Simon Catling
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