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The Largest Bat Ever Found: Giants of the Sky
When most people think of bats, they imagine tiny night-fliers swooping about catching mosquitoes. But look deeper into the world of Chiroptera, and you find some truly astonishing sizes — from massive fruit-eating megabats to now-extinct prehistoric vampires.
🛩️ Living Giants: Flying Foxes That Dwarf the Rest
Among living bats, the champions are not the insect hunters of European attics but the tropical flying foxes — megabats with wingspans broader than many birds of prey.
• The largest of these is the giant golden-crowned flying fox (Acerodon jubatus), native to the Philippines. This incredible species boasts a wingspan of around 1.5–1.7 m (5–5.6 ft) — wider than many people are tall — and can weigh over 1 kg (2–3 lb).
• Close rivals include the Indian flying fox (Pteropus medius) and the great flying fox (Pteropus neohibernicus), both reaching similar weights and wingspans, making them some of the heaviest and biggest bats alive today.
These majestic megabats don’t hunt insects; instead, they glide gracefully over tropical forests in search of fruit, nectar, and flowers — pollinating and spreading seeds as they go, making them ecological keystones in their environments.
🦴 Prehistoric Titans: The Largest Bat Ever Discovered
While contemporary bats can be remarkably large, the fossil record suggests that ancient bats once reached extraordinary proportions — though not all prehistoric reports stand up to scrutiny.
One of the most intriguing extinct species is the giant vampire bat, Desmodus draculae. Despite its fearsome name, this bat did not match the wingspan of modern flying foxes. However, it was the largest vampire bat species ever known.
• D. draculae lived in Central and South America throughout the Pleistocene (up to around 11,700 years ago). Based on fossil skulls and skeletal remains, this species was about 30 % larger than today’s vampire bats.
• Estimates suggest a wingspan around 50 cm (≈20 in) — modest compared with flying foxes — and a body mass near 60 g (~2 oz). Although relatively small by bat standards, its size was exceptional for a blood-feeding species.
🦇 Key Points: The Largest Bat Ever Found
• Largest living bat: Giant golden-crowned flying fox
• Wingspan up to 1.7 metres (5.6 ft)
• Weighs around 1–1.2 kg
• Native to the Philippines
• Eats fruit (not blood) and plays a vital role in forest pollination
• Other giant living species:
• Indian flying fox
• Great flying fox
• Both can reach similar wingspans and heavy body weights
• Largest vampire bat ever discovered (extinct):
• Desmodus draculae
• Lived during the Pleistocene era
• Around 30% larger than modern vampire bats
• Estimated wingspan about 50 cm (20 inches)
• Important fact:
• The biggest bats in history by wingspan are still living today (flying fox species).
• Prehistoric bats were not larger in wingspan than today’s megabats.
Attached is a news article regarding the largest flying bat ever found
https://www.reddit.com/r/AIDKE/comments/1bu25dv/giant_goldencrowned_flying_fox_acerodon_jubatus/
Article written and configured by Christopher Stanley
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