If you’ve ever been to the Philippines , you’ve probably been warned not to go out at night , especially if you were in rural areas. The warning is based on the dangers that nature offers and those almost mystical beliefs that are taken as true.
The “ aswangs ” or demon sorcerers of Philippine mythology , can attack you at night and lead to a painful death.
And one of these creatures is the kikik , a creature that is described as a giant bat and that “prowls the night looking for pregnant women.” This giant monster attacks them to devour the fetus inside the womb using its long trunk.
This is the Philippine giant bat.
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This mythological figure may have been created based on an animal that does exist and lives in the Philippines: the giant bat , also called the “giant golden-crowned flying fox.”
The animal is so large that with its wings spread it reaches 1.80 meters and can wrap them around its body like a cape, just like in vampire movies.
This type of bat can fly throughout the night and travel distances of up to 40 kilometers in search of food . It lives in caves and in the rain forest of the Sarangani region , in the Philippines.
Is in danger of extinction.
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Among some of its particularities, its nose is similar to that of a dog and its pointed ears , not rounded like most bats.
It is precisely because of these characteristics that they call it “fox bat” .
This bat, which is very important for the forest ecosystem because its droppings are fertilizers, is in serious danger of extinction, due to its intensive hunting for its meat, but also because of the fear it generates in the local inhabitants.
There are few people who dare to approach these animals.
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Its scientific name is Acerodon jubatus , and it is the largest bat species in the world.
These giant bats are also called the ” Silent Planters” because these species are known to disperse the seeds of the fruits they eat in their droppings throughout their territories. This act makes the giant golden-crowned flying foxes very vital to the ecosystem.
They are known to live in colonies to avoid predators , but due to their stigma as fetus-eating creatures, they are hunted to near extinction.
Added to this, the destruction of their habitat greatly reduced the number of these fascinating animals. The giant bat species is on the endangered species list and there is now a conscious effort to protect, preserve and breed these fascinating creatures.
This is one of the last images to go viral about a giant bat.
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What would you have done if you found it? Share so more people know about this mythical animal!