Retrieved 30 July 2018. 'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); Content copyright 2016 Planet Weird unless otherwise noted. An adult bat ranges from 7.7 to 11.2 in body length, with a wingspan of 27.0 to 38.2in. But the one up that the Crane has over the bat is that the Crane is native to New Jersey and the bat is native to Africa. Females visit the lek and select a male to mate with; the most successful 6% of males are involved in 79% of matings. Members of the same group show little interaction with each other: they do not "squabble", vocalize, or groom each other. The male then lets out a staccato buzz sound, mates with the female, and hangs on the branch again, honking for the next female. It is believed to be the only bat species with a classical lek mating system, wherein males gather on a "lek", which in this case is a long and thin stretch of land, such as along a river. Here's why! Occasionally, groups of up to twenty-five have been documented. To learn more about shark tagging and how sharks use New Jersey's coastal wetlands and back bays, TNC worked on a video with Keith Dunton, Associate Professor of Biology at Monmouth University. During the day, the bats roost in trees, relying on their coloration to camouflage them from predators. It's probably just a coincidence that the Jersey Devil story started going around at that exact time, and that it was originally known as the Leeds Devil. Some have suggested that the strange-looking, long-faced hammerhead bat(Hypsignathus monstrosus), which can have a wingspan of almost 40 inches, looks a lot like the traditional depiction of the cryptid. The roost of a hammer-headed bat typically consists of fewer than five creatures. Bat Magazine. Fun Fact: Great white sharks are the largest predatory fish in the world, reaching up to 21 feet long and 4,300 pounds! Description: Large sharks withrobust, muscular bodies of light brown or gray color. But once again, the sizes between the Hammerhead Bat and the Jersey Devil are way off. [10] Males have wingspans up to 90.1cm (2.96ft),[11] and all individuals have forearm lengths exceeding 112mm (4.4in). The hammer-headed bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus ), also known as hammer-headed fruit bat and big-lipped bat, is a megabat widely distributed in West and Central Africa. Fish living in coastal marshes are food sources for many species of migrating birds and sharks. The resource-rich wetlands also provide stable and abundant food like crustaceans, fish and rays, improving the shark pups odds for survival. They have patches of white fur at the base of the ears, though sometimes indistinct. Bernadette Giacomazzo is a NYC-based editor, writer, photographer, and publicist with a career spanning more than two decades in the entertainment industry. But despite its larger-than-life presence, the bat is nothing more than a fruit lover, subsisting solely on wild fruits indigenous to western and central Africa and serving no threat to humans or other animals. In some populations, breeding is thought to take place semi-annually during the dry seasons. In 2013 I had a sighting of this alien cryptid which I had named "Big Bat". Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0; additional terms may apply. These estuary habitats clean the water and act as a first-line defense against the force of incoming waves for coastal communities. If the grassy expanses continue to degrade unchecked, they will no longer provide the nurturing resources and conditions to sustain sharks and many other species. However, they are completely frugivores. With results showing promise, we are promoting expansion of the approach to other sites while advocating for additional policies that protect and restore coastal habitats in New Jersey for people and as a wildlife nursery. The hammer-headed bat is a type of megabat and the largest bat native to Africa. [10] Internally, it is known to be affected by the liver parasite Hepatocystis carpenteri. Instead, they have a harem system. These differences include several adaptations that help males produce and amplify vocalizations: the males' larynges (vocal cords) are about three times as large as those of females, and they have large resonating chambers on their faces. New Jersey has 200,000 acres of coastal salt marsh. Description: Very large sharks with gray, torpedo shaped bodies and white bellies, a pointy snout and sizeable mouths filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth. In Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, these bats are hunted and consumed as bushmeat. The Jersey Devil: Hammerhead Bat Theory (Axis Video) Abandoned, Roadside and Historic Urbex 2.16K subscribers Subscribe 35K views 8 years ago One of the many possible explanations that may. The hammer-headed bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus), also known as hammer-headed fruit bat and big-lipped bat, is a megabat widely distributed in West and Central Africa. Instead, at sunset, individuals groom themselves then set off independently to forage. "WHAT-IS-IT VISITS ALL SOUTH JERSEY" declared the front page of The Inquirer on Jan. 21, 1909 - above a photograph of "actual proof-prints of the strange creature." "Hooflike tracks" could be seen in the snow "in practically every block in Burlington city" - including rooftops - throwing . They thrive in the moist, tropical forests surrounding Equatorial Africas lowlands, swamps, and rivers. They are Africa's largest bat, with wingspans up to 38 inches (97 cm). [10] It relies on camouflage to hide from predators. Males range in weight from 8.0 to 15.9oz, while females weigh 7.7 to 13.3oz. [15][16], Hammer-headed bats are frugivores. The Wildlife Conservation Society is partnering with the U.S. National Institutes of Health because these same bats are suspected to be asymptomatic reservoirs for Ebola virus. It takes males a full year to develop their hammer-head faces and about 18 months before they reach maturity. It was discovered in Papua New Guinea in 2011, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1318093/Bat-resembling-Star-Wars-Yoda-discovered-Papua-New-Guinea-rainforest.html. Its also the most sexually dimorphic bat species in the world. [10] In the before-dawn peak in activity, copulation is less frequent, and males spend time jockeying with each other for the best display territory. But just going on looks I can see how if people saw this bat they could confuse it with some of the depictions of JD. Erika Nortemann / The Nature Conservancy, Cape May Wetlands: Males and females also greatly differ in appearance, making it the most sexually dimorphic bat species in the world. [1], As a frugivorous species, the hammer-headed bat is sometimes considered a pest of fruit crops. The little-collared fruit bat (Myonycteris torquata) and the Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus) are the other two species. [12] Most records of this species occur in rainforest habitat, including lowland rainforest, swamp forest, riverine forests, and mosaics of forest and grassland. [12] Leks consist of 20135 males in an area about 40m (130ft) wide and 4001,600m (1,3005,200ft) long. However it is interesting that I would have seen the creature in mental images, presumably before I had known about the Jersey Devil, especially considering how surprised I was to come across this picture of the Jersey Devil, and that my Big Bat and the Jersey Devil would look identical to each other. While it has been documented in savanna habitats, these records are rare, and it has been speculated that these individuals are vagrants. Hammerhead bats are native to Central Africa, and . Females reach reproductive maturity faster than males; they can reproduce at six months and reach adult size by nine months of age. To review your email preferences, please visit nature.org/emailpreferences. The juveniles spend about a year feeding and growing here, and then head out to the ocean. [24], The hammer-headed bat has been investigated as a potential reservoir of the Ebola virus. They favor humid habitats, including rivers, swamps, mangroves, and palm forests. Habitat: Inhabiting coastal and deep ocean waters alike, they are familiar fish in New York Harbor and along New Jerseys coast. Privacy Statement Ugly. According to Animalia, people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria kill hammer-headed bats in order to consume them as bushmeat. Females use trap-lining, in which they travel an established route with dependable and predictable food sources, even if the food is lower quality. Many previously unexplored topics will be covered concerning the Jersey Devil: Interviews with the locals, Hammerhead bat theory, Dinosaur theory, Jersey Devil spotted in Oklahoma?, The Legend Mother Leeds, The Speculative Diet of the Jersey Devil, Footprints of the Jersey Devil, Leeds VS Shrouds Family, The . Dunning notes that there's one particular animal in the New Jersey area that might be responsible forat least a few JerseyDevil stories: the sandhill crane. Please enter a valid email address (formatted as name@company.com). These differences include several adaptations that help males produce and amplify vocalizations: the males' larynges (vocal cords) are about three times as large as those of females, and they have large resonating chambers on their faces. The bat is categorized as "least concern." Get text updates from The Nature Conservancy: TNC staff survey plants and wildlife as part of a study to see how the ecosystem is re-colonizing low areas of the marsh post-restoration. Newborns weigh approximately 40 g (1.4 oz) at birth. Sign up for a new account in our community. (Chris Chaos is a long time resident of South Jersey who once again resides in and writes from Gloucester City, New Jersey. Only the males have large, elongated heads. Each male claims a territory of about 30 feet, then hangs from a branch and flaps his wings while repeatedly honking as many as 60 to 120 times per minute. Instead, they have a harem system. The drawing I have made here on this page, was made in 2013 when I had the sighting of the Big Bat. In addition to facing extermination at the hands of fed-up farmers, hammer-headed bats in certain countries must also remain on the lookout for hunters who want to eat them. Males gather together in groups to attract females and impress them with courtship rituals, which involves ' calling ' to entice females to mate. It is the only member of the genus Hypsignathus, which is part of the tribe Epomophorini along with four other genera. 2. Researchers Just Found A 500-Year-Old Mummified 'Goatelope' Inside A Melting Glacier, 44 Mind-Blowing Pictures Of Ordinary Creatures Under An Electron Microscope, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. I think it looks rather cute myself. Is there a possibility th. This bat however is only 9-10 inches tall and while that is large for a bat it's kind of hard to think if you saw it flying in the sky that you'd believe it was human sized. And, because they keep the food chain balanced, sharks also indirectly sustain marine environments like seagrass beds and reefs. While there are many stories detailing the origin of the Jersey Devil, sightings have been reported beginning in the 1700s and continuing on until the past decade. Here's Why. Their larynx and rostrum are enlarged, creating a resonating chamber that makes it easier for them to create the loud honking noises that attract the females. The common description is that of a kangaroo-like or wyvern-like creature with a goat- or horse-like head, leathery bat-like wings, horns, small arms with clawed hands, legs with cloven hooves, and a forked tail. But hey, who knows where these guys or their cousins hung out a few centuries ago? Upon finding suitable fruit, Hammer-headed bats may eat at the tree or pick the fruit and carry it away to another site for consumption. "In Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia folklore, the Jersey Devil (also known as the Leeds Devil) is a legendary creature said to inhabit the Pine Barrens of South Jersey. In 2013 I had a sighting of this alien cryptid which I had named "Big Bat". On average, they grow up to three feet long. Hammer-headed bats are frugivores, which means their diet consists entirely of fruit. [25] However, the natural reservoirs of ebolaviruses are still unknown as of 2019. They eat fruit mostly figs. Most members of this bat species reproduce via lek mating. Scientists have been tracking shark movements using technology for years. Ugly. Enter your email address to subscribe to Week in Weird and receive the latest weird news delivered directly to your inbox! Diamondback terrapins live in brackish. [20], During the day, the hammer-headed bat roosts in trees, typically 2030m (6698ft) above the ground in the forest canopy. | As far as the face of the Hammerhead Bat it appears to be a better explanation of what people of the Pine Barrens have been seeing as opposed to the Sandhill Crane. This illustration of a hammer-headed bat appeared in. Common Names: Hammer-headed bat, hammerhead bat, big-lipped bat Basic Animal Group: Mammal Size: Wingspan 27.0-38.2 inches; Body 7.7-11.2 inches Weight: 7.7-15.9 ounces Lifespan: 30 years Diet: Herbivore Habitat: Equatorial Africa Population: Unknown Conservation Status: Least Concern Description Smooth dogfish nurseries have been documented in New Jerseys estuaries and shallow tidal waters, particularly Great Bay and Little Egg Harbor. Ouch. I have to say, the hammerhead bat would probably seem a lot less cute if it came flying towards you with a one-metre wingspan, but when it's just an image on a screen, I can understand the obsession. Males, however, grow much larger and have faces that clearly set them apart. Female bats fly through the lek, select a male they wish to mate with, and land on the branch beside him. Although the animal is hunted as bush meat, it occupies a large geographic range and the overall population has not experienced a rapid decline. But the one up that the Crane has over the bat is that the Crane is native to New Jersey and the bat is native to Africa. The crane or stork ideas makes more sense imo. Below is what I wrote in 2020 from having encountered pictures of the real hammerhead bat which is an animal that lives in Africa, and then coming across mention of the cryptid known as the Jersey Devil which has a striking resemblance to my Big Bat from 2013: Update: This creature is real! Sometimes they take in too much air and have to release it. Please enter a valid email address (formatted as name@company.com). The polygynous males do not stick around to help raise their young. Young sandbar sharks form schools in shallow coastal nursery grounds, moving into deeper warmer waters in winter. 1.22K subscribers The hammerhead bat (or "hammer-headed bat") is a real animal that 100% looks like the classic visual of the Jersey Devil. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/hammer-headed-bat-facts-4177418. Hammer-headed bats occur across equatorial Africa at elevations below 1800 m (5900 ft). It has two mating seasons each year during the dry seasons. [10] The dental formula is 2.1.2.12.1.3.2 for a total of 28 teeth; very occasionally, individuals have been found with an additional upper premolar on each side of the mouth, for a total of 30 teeth. And, what is even more exciting and tingling, is that while browsing for pictures on the internet of the hammerhead bat, I came across yet another even more exciting picture, that of a Jersey Devil, which looks even more like the Big Bat I had encountered, in that the Jersey Devil has the hooved feet that my alien cryptid also had. The Hammer-headed bat is a large fruit bat found in Africa. AsCape Bay Magazineexplains, it may have its roots in a simple historical feud. Bushmeat is a catch-all term used to describe wild game in general, but it is often used specifically to denote game meat from Africa. Like many other mammals, baby bats are known as pups. In addition to its use as a food source in these Equatorial African countries, hammer-headed bats also occasionally turn up in wet markets in other parts of Africa and throughout the world. Because of their all-fruit diet, theyre considered a pest by many African farmers, who eliminate them when necessary to save their crops. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2020, August 28). Charitable Solicitation Disclosures They can fly. [8][9], The hammer-headed bat is the largest bat in mainland Africa. Did you mean to type They eat fruit mostly figs. It has been reported to move quickly and is often described as emitting a high-pitched "blood-curdling scream"." It is also known as an African fruit bat, along with two other varieties (Myonycteris torquata and Rousettus aegyptiacus). axisvideo, Hammer-headed bats are frugivores. Description: Sleek, medium-sized sharks that range in color from gray-brown to bronze with white bellies. Males display for around four hours before foraging, with peaks in lekking activity in the early evening and before dawn. Males and females also greatly differ in appearance, making it the most sexually dimorphic bat species in the world. He doubled down on their street cred by redesigning the Leeds family crest to include monsters that looked suspiciously like the future Jersey Devil. These chambers are pharyngeal air sacs connected to a large sinus in the humped snout. Females usually give birth to one offspring. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammer-headed_bat, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hammerhead-bat/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_Devil. Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. It has low fidelity to its roost and will move to a new roost after 59 days. Unlike many other bat species that segregate based on sex, males and females will roost together during the day. Males overall have boxy heads with enormous lips, while the females, with their narrower snouts, have more foxlike faces. Per Se/FlickrMale hammer-headed bats can have a wingspan of greater than three feet. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com, A photograph showing an odd-looking, large bat with an elongated face known as a "hammerhead bat. The fur is long and smooth, though somewhat woolly in texture on the mantle. A profile on the large fruit bat from Bat Magazine provides some more information about this unusual-looking animal: The hammer-headed bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus), widely distributed in equatorial Africa, is one of three species of African fruit bat thought to be asymptomatically infected with the Ebola virus; though scientists do not know if the species is an incidental host or a reservoir of Ebolavirus. The hammer-headed bat ( Hypsignathus monstrosus ), also known as hammer-headed fruit bat and big-lipped bat, is a megabat widely distributed in West and Central Africa. While this bird might not be a particularly horrifying sight, it does tick all the usual JerseyDevil boxes with its long head, thin, long legs and massive wings that could seem a bit bat-like when the bird spreads them and stands tall. There, they produce loud, honking vocalizations to attract females. Shutterstock. The two paragraphs below is my full original text about the sighting I had of the "Big Bat" in 2013 and remains here unaltered: 10 of the World's Scariest-Looking Animals, Sea Dragon Facts: Diet, Habitat, Reproduction, Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College. Newspaper accounts of the Jersey devil started circulating in the early years of the 20 th century, although it may have been an established folktale before then. In this mating ritual, large groups or leks of bats, from 20 to well over 120, gather to attract females. It is the largest bat in continental Africa, with wingspans approaching 1m (3.3ft), and males almost twice as heavy as females. Then, take a look at the giant golden-crowned flying fox, the largest bat in the world. It prefers. They can fly. Hammerhead's Habitat and Appearance . In captivity, hammer-headed bats, particularly males, are vulnerable to stress-related illness, especially when moved or placed in new enclosures.[31]. I think it looks rather cute m. I'd have named it moosehead bat. In November 2017 when I channeled the Zeta Reticulans, I had another sighting of this large bat, and so now I feel confident to list this as a species. Offspring are born five or six months later, typically a singleton, though twins have been documented. Being active at night helps keep the animals from overheating. Hammer-headed bats are nocturnal creatures and sleep during the day in tree roosts. This breed of bat (Hammerhead) might have been mistaken as the Jersey Devil. If you look at pictures for the hammerhead bat that is native to Africa, you will see that its face does resemble traditional depictions of the Jersey Devil. His name is Nate Rosenhaus and now his band, The Open Doors, will be playing . 2023 The Nature Conservancy 5. "Hypsignathus Monstrosus: Hammer-Headed Fruit Bat." The wing loading is considered exceptionally high, meaning that it has a large body weight relative to the wing area. He's cute! "In Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia folklore, the Jersey Devil (also known as the Leeds Devil) is a legendary creature said to inhabit the Pine Barrens of South Jersey. Their breeding season lasts 1-3 months and occurs from June to August and from December to February. "Hypsignathus Monstrosus: Hammerhead Bat." They are also a favorite food of sand tiger sharks. Hammer-headed bats are polygynous meaning that males mate with more than one female. With no solid proof to support the story, we can probably assume that it has been at least somewhat embellished over time. [22] It is eaten in Nigeria,[23] as well as seasonally in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Females will fly through the lek, selecting a male by landing on a branch next to him and the chosen male emits a "staccato buzz" call. "They give live birth to pups in the bay, which is a calmer habitat rich with food. Global sites represent either regional branches of The Nature Conservancy or local affiliates of The Nature Conservancy that are separate entities. When a female's selection is made, she lands beside a male and mating occurs. The conservation status of the hammer-headed bat was last evaluated in 2016. We've collected a few other images of the hammerhead bat for comparison: Images of the hammer-headed bat are often met with skepticism, and some viewers claim that this odd-looking creature could be the real-world animal responsible for various sightings of mythical creatures such as the "New Jersey Devil.". With the onset of a global pandemic causing the shutdown of fan conventions all over the world, it was only a matter of time before the cancellations hit the Theres something strange moving through Kentucky like a virus, twisting through the Mammoth Cave system and hovering in the skies above the Appalachian Mountains. The hammer-headed bat, with wingspans up to 38 inches (97 cm), is Africas largest bat. The young sharks will generally remain in the estuary to grow in size, skill and confidence for about a year before swimming out to the open ocean where life is a bit more dangerous. Hammerhead bats are found at elevations less than 1800 m. They prefer riverine forests, swamps, mangroves, and palm forests. They are active during the night, probably in order to avoid overheating. 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. The species has a lek mating system whereby a few hundred males gather into groups (leks) to attract female mates. [12] Males and females both have dark brown fur, with a paler mantle (sides and back of neck). [12] Upon finding suitable fruit, the hammer-headed bat may eat at the tree or pick the fruit and carry it away to another site for consumption. Their moderately long, rounded snout contributes to their overall length of up to eight feet. The picture on the right is from the Wikipedia article. Thresher sharks are some of the fastest sharks in the ocean. April 29, 2020. Males gather in a particular region, known as a lek and there they establish "display territories". While figs are their favored food, they also eat bananas, mangoes, and guavas. The genera Ussonycteris Andersen, 1912, Myonycteris Matschie, 1899 and Megaloglossus Pagenstecher, 1885; general remarks and conclusions; annex: key to all species", "Karyology and Chromosomal Evolution of Some Small Mammals Inhabiting the Rainforest of the Rabi Oil Field, Gabon", "Hypsignathus monstrosus (Hammer-headed fruit bat)", "Lek-associated movement of a putative Ebolavirus reservoir, the hammer-headed fruit bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus), in northern Republic of Congo", "Transmission of Ebola Virus Disease: An Overview", "Assessing the Evidence Supporting Fruit Bats as the Primary Reservoirs for Ebola Viruses", "A new species in the ZOO Wrocaw.