A rather creepy picture of what looks to be a "human-sized bat" is dividing people online, as nobody can agree whether it's real or not.

Some people like bats, and some don't... take Batman for example who is definitely real and nobody can tell me otherwise.

But what happens if the small flying mammals suddenly become human size? Suddenly they aren't as cute and are a genuinely terrifying sight.

Photos of the flying beast were circulated on Twitter back in 2020 by user @AlexJoestar622, who tweeted: "Remember when I told y'all about the Philippines having human-sized bats? Yeah, this was what I was talking about."

The post went viral purely because nobody could quite believe what they were seeing - it definitely looks like something straight from a nightmare.

People immediately began debating whether the image was real or not, because let's be real, it could easily be some sort of Halloween decoration.

"AT FIRST GLANCE I THOUGHT THAT WAS SOMEONE IN A BAT COSTUME!! I can't believe human sized bats are real, i'd cry if I saw one [in real life]," one person tweeted.

Others delved into an argument online about whether it is actually that big, with one person stating: "It’s an illusion; it looks big cause of the camera angle. So yes, it is real, just not man-sized."

Another person explained: "This picture is a matter of perspective though, it's not really an almost 5 foot tall bat. The bat is closer to the camera than the bike in the background and that makes the bat appear taller than the bike, but it's actually closer in size to the basket next to it. Still not something I'd want to have over for dinner, but not human sized. No thanks."

To clarify, the beast is very much a real thing. It's a giant golden-crowned flying fox, which somehow makes it sound less scary.

The New York Post reports that the flying foxes are found in tropical locations around Asia and Australia, and their wingspan can reach five feet and their bodies can be 16 inches long.

So no, not the size of an adult human, but still terrifyingly big! Fear not, however. Their diet consists of fruit so there's no chance of one crawling through your window and devouring you.

Perhaps it was the angle of the image that made the flying fox seem bigger than it was - but it's completely reasonable to be terrified of it.

Featured image credit: 945ontwerp/Getty

A photograph of a "human-sized" bat is once again doing the rounds on social media - and people can't actually believe the image is genuine.

Yes, the Internet may be great for staying in touch with friends and watching videos of dogs, but sometimes it can teach you some amazing facts you didn't know yesterday. And the weirder the facts, the more interested I am.

And today we're looking at a creature that literally looks like it has been pulled straight from the Marvel Cinematic Universe: The giant golden-crowned flying fox.

Photos of the flying beast were circulated on X (formerly Twitter) back in 2020 by user @AlexJoestar622, who tweeted: "Remember when I told y'all about the Philippines having human-sized bats? Yeah, this was what I was talking about."

The post soon went viral, and to this day, has amassed more than 59,000 retweets and over 226,000 likes. And despite looking photoshopped, people have been surprised to learn that the pictures are 100% genuine.

Fact-checking experts Snopes investigated the image, and found that the photo "truly depicts an animal that exists in the real world" - although the publication adds that it was unable to "positively identify the species of bat shown".

That being said, netizens believe the creature is most likely a giant golden-crowned flying fox (Acerodon jubatus), which is sadly endangered because of habitat destruction and poaching, per Science Alert.

However, Snopes does mention that there's also a chance that it could be another species of megabat, known as the Large flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus).

Both species are known as "megabats" ... for obvious reasons.

Check out more about the biggest bat in the world:

Either way, this picture is real -- which means there really are bats out there that are bigger than my baby.

And yes, I say 'baby' because although the viral picture appears to show a bat the size of a fully grown human, the bodies of a giant golden-crowned flying fox only grow to be around one foot (12") in length, per ATI.

So there is some forced perspective to take into account (kinda like how Disney makes Cinderella Castle look bigger than it actually is.)

However, their wingspans are absolutely huge - measuring a whopping 5 feet 6 inches, per Bat Conservation International - which is certainly bigger than a lot of adults.

The golden-crowned flying fox is most commonly found in the Philippines and tends to avoid humans where possible. What's more, it can often be found in undisturbed native forests and tends to roost on very steep "hard-to-access" slopes.

Bat Conservation International adds that the golden-crowned flying fox also enjoys roosting with the other megabat I mentioned earlier, the large flying fox. (Which makes them the most terrifying neighbors you'll ever encounter.)

The large flying fox has an equally large body, growing to about 11-13 inches, per iNaturalist. However, it's average wingspan is slightly smaller, measuring around 4 feet 11 inches.

One commenter replied to the original tweet, writing, "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. And yeah they only eat fruits, guavas most particularly. They're really gentle too."

A second added: "This is normal in the Philippines, Australia, and several Asian countries. There is nothing to be afraid of. They are very innocent, and are related to deer and horses. They have a vegetarian diet. If it wasn't for them, there would be no seeds dispersed to plant fruit trees."

Another X user wrote, "The idea scared me at first, but now that I think about it I'd probably have a fruit basket ready for them just in case."

Featured image credit: David Gray / Getty

A "human-sized bat" has gone viral on Twitter and people can't quite believe that it's a genuine photograph.

Twitter user @AlexJoestar622 shared a picture of what he referred to as a "human-sized bat", writing: "Remember when I told y'all about the Philippines having human-sized bats? Yeah, this was what I was talking about."

The bat featured in the image is believed to be the giant golden-crowned flying fox, which is sadly endangered because of habitat destruction and poaching, per Science Alert.

According to Snopes, the photo "truly depicts an animal that exists in the real world" - although the publication adds that it was unable to "positively identify the species of bat shown".

While the creature in the widely-shared photo has been referred to as a giant golden-crowned flying fox online - it might well be another species of megabat such as the large flying fox, per Snopes.

The tweet, for obvious reasons, quickly went viral, and at the time of writing, it has received over 63.1K retweets, 43.6K quote tweets, and 253.5K likes.

Some people couldn't believe the bat was real and that the picture hadn't been photoshopped:

Another Twitter user suggested that the bat isn't as scary as its mammoth size suggests, writing: "Yes they're found in that area and a lot of places work on the preservation of their habitats they're very very good calm and sweet bois and grls [sic]."

A different user wrote: "Holy hell I would be terrified if I saw one of those irl. Don't get me wrong... I love bats, this is just so wild a concept that it's not registering in my brain and I'd be convinced I was seeing a demon or smthn [sic]."

Meanwhile, a final user said that the picture should be seen in context, writing: "the pic is a little bit of forced perspective. While their wingspan be up to 5’7”, they only grow to about 2 feet tall tops. its like a flying fruit eating racoon [sic]."

On the subject of forced perspective, another famous example is the Lord of the Rings trilogy, where, as Screenrant reports, the technique was cleverly used to make the hobbits seem significantly smaller than everyone else - like Gandalf!

As for the bats themselves, if you want to catch a glimpse of one, you will most likely have to travel to The Philippines, which is where they are almost exclusively found, Science Alert reports.

Featured image credit: Alamy / Rolf Nussbaumer Photography

Every now and then a picture goes viral on social media simply because it has utterly captured our collective imaginations in such a way that we as human beings immediately do two things: share it, and then demand to know if it's actually real.

I'm thinking of that absolutely massive cow that went viral a little while back, of those trick-of-the-light pictures that mean we all see different colors when we look at that cursed dress on Twitter, and those images where there's a predatory animal hidden and you have to try and spot them.

Watch this video all about the biggest bat in the world:

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Well, dear reader, allow me to throw another scarcely believable viral photograph atop the creaking mass of predecessors, because an image of a truly gigantic bat has been doing the rounds on Twitter, and frankly it's left everyone flabbergasted.

"Remember when I told y'all about the Philippines having human-sized bats? Yeah, this was what I was talking about,"the image is captioned, and while "human-sized" might be something of a stretch, there's no getting away from the fact that this is one utterly colossal bat.

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One commenter replied to the original tweet, writing, "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. And yeah they only eat fruits, guavas most particularly. They're really gentle too."

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Another Twitter user wrote, "The idea scared me at first, but now that I think about it I'd probably have a fruit basket ready for them just in case."

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While the images are indeed real, as confirmed by Snopes last year, they may still give a slightly unrealistic perspective on just how big these giant bats are, given that social media posts labelled them as "human-sized." Nevertheless, the flying fox bat species - one of the largest in the world - have a wingspan growing to nearly 5 1/2 feet.

Many news outlets have reported that the bat in question is a Giant Golden-Crowned Flying-Fox, a species that is hunted by poachers and sadly in danger of going extinct.

Nature is amazing... and seriously weird! Now, I wasn't exactly born with 'green fingers', but I can certainly appreciate the pleasures that come with having a garden. The older I get, the more I see why so many people insist of living somewhere that has a garden and why they put so much time and money into it looking its absolute best.

Well, after seeing these following pictures, anybody with a front or backyard will be flocking to their nearest garden center to try and grow some of these spectacular plants. Trust me, I am completely dense when it comes to plants - but these are frickin' adorable!

Orchids are pretty traditional flowers for any home to have, either inside or out. They are one of the largest plant families on the planet, with there being up to 30,000 species of orchid out there for us to admire. Now, with such diversity, it's no surprise that there are some varieties that are slightly bizarre-looking.

Introducing the Monkey Orchid - which got its name because the flower literally looks like an adorable little monkey face.

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Native to the forests of Southeastern Ecuador and Peru, the Dracula Simia (which translates to "little dragon monkey") or Monkey Orchid, is the cutest flower I've ever seen. Found in cloud forests between 1,000 and 2,000 meters above sea level, their "faces" are created by unique blooms formed by the flower's petals and stamens.

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The flower species was christened by botanist Carlyle A. Lueren in 1978, and despite looking like poop-flinging simians, they certainly do not smell like them. In fact, the Monkey Orchid produces a pleasant citrusy scent of ripe oranges when bloomed. (Cute and they smell great - who wouldn't want them!?)

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In their natural habitat, the Monkey Orchid can bloom at any time of the year; preferring almost 70%-100% humidity, cool temperatures, and low light - which can make attempting to grow them in captivity a nightmare for novice botanist.

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They can grow up to two feet tall, and if you do ever attempt to grow them at home, experts recommend potting them in sphagnum moss instead of soil.

The orchid genus 'Dracula' comprises of 118 individual species of the flower, all of which are native to Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Central America, and Colombia.