Philippines : Meet The Biggest Bat In The World, The Golden-Crowned Flying Fox

Endemic to the Philippines, the giant golden-crowned flying fox is a nocturnal creature that only eats fruit — but that doesn\"t make them any less terrifying.

The notion of human-sized bats roaming the skies is genuinely nightmarish. Fortunately for us, the biggest bat in the world survives on a vegan diet of figs and other fruits.

Nonetheless, the giant golden-crowned flying fox’s size is truly something to behold — and viral images of these megabats have shocked social media users into sheer disbelief.

FlickrThe giant golden-crowned flying fox is the largest bat on Earth.

Endemic to the jungles of the Philippines, this enormous species of megabat is the largest bat in the world with a wingspan of up to five and a half feet and colonies that can number up to 10,000 members.

Ironically, these bats are rather harmless and pose no real danger to us — but human poaching and deforestation directly endanger the species.

RedditFortunately for us humans, this enormous species of bat is herbivorous and relies on figs and fruit to live.

What Is A Giant Golden-Crowned Flying Fox?

Though flying fox megabats live in Asia, Africa, and Australia, the giant golden-crowned flying fox (Acerodon jubatus) is found exclusively in the Philippines. The largest specimen of this fruit-eating megabat species has been recorded as having a wingspan of five feet and six inches, with a rather slight bodyweight of around 2.6 pounds.

Though its wingspan is wide, this bat’s body is small. Varying between seven and 11.4 inches, these seemingly terrifying creatures don’t even exceed one foot in terms of length. 

Clearly, the world’s biggest bats didn’t evolve to snatch medium-sized animals off the ground. So what do they eat?

FlickrThe claws of a Malaysian flying fox, as it perches and roosts in the treetops.

The herbivorous creature relies mainly on fruits and typically forages at dusk for anything from figs to ficus leaves, eating around one-third of its body weight every night. During the day, it slumbers and roosts amidst large clumps of its peers in the treetops.

While its bloodless diet may come as a shock, only three out of 1,300 bat species are known to feast on blood.

Additionally, these bats are quite intelligent, comparable to domestic dogs. In one study, flying foxes were trained to pull a lever to get food, which they were then able to remember some three and a half years later.

Unlike many other bats, however, giant golden-crowned flying foxes don’t rely on echolocation to get around. These creatures use their sense of sight and smell to swoop around the skies remarkably well. Furthermore, they’re actually quite beneficial for the environment at large.

FlickrThe giant golden-crowned flying fox doesn’t mind roosting with other flying fox species, mainly the large flying fox.

The flying fox’s fruit-based diet helps propagate more of the plants they feed on. After eating, the flying fox redistributes fig seeds in its feces all over the forest, helping new fig trees to sprout.

Unfortunately, while the world’s biggest bat works tirelessly on reforestation, its two-legged enemy below works twice as hard at deforestation.

Hunting And The Habitat Of The Megabat

There are 79 bat species listed in the Philippines, of which 26 are megabats. As the largest bat in the world, the giant golden-crowned flying fox naturally trumps them all in terms of size.

A National Geographic segment on flying foxes.

Its genus includes four other megabat species in Southeast Asia, though it’s the only one spread across the Philippines. Unfortunately, their primary threats are all too common these days — deforestation and poaching for profit.