Bats are peculiar creatures. With a total of 1,400 species, these animals range from extremely cute to absolutely horrifying and can be found in pretty much every part of our planet. Recently, people on the internet were creeped out by one particular bat that can be simply characterized as being freaking enormous. It’s called a giant golden-crowned flying fox, and out of 150 species of megabats, it’s by far the biggest one. Unsurprisingly, after a photo of this large flying fox went viral, it became nightmare fuel for numerous squeamish people.

After this photo featuring a “human-sized” bat went viral, people began suspecting that it’s fake

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What’s there to be scared of? Well, look for yourself. This creepy giant with a cute and innocent-looking face can make people go “aww” and shiver simultaneously.

As it turns out, the photo is real and shows an animal called a giant golden-crowned flying fox

Image credits: AlexJoestar622

However, many people instantly called the photo fake. While it’s clever to not believe everything you see online, hardworking fact-checkers at Snopes confirmed it is real.

After another photo of the same bat emerged, it became clear how it looks in reality

Though, it may not be entirely accurate. After another photo taken from a different angle appeared, it became clear that the original one is affected by forced perspective, thus making the bat look bigger than it actually is.

Despite not being human-sized, flying foxes are the world’s biggest bats

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So, no, these bats not human-sized. In fact, the body of a bat is smaller than the average human baby, but the wings are massive. Flying foxes have a wingspan of 5 feet (1.5 meters) and their bodies are 11 to 13 in (27 to 32 cm) in length.

Nevertheless, these bats are majestic. Large flying foxes are native to Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Timor-Leste, and Thailand. The viral one in the picture was captured in the Philippines.

Flying foxes have a wingspan of 5 feet (1.5 meters) and their bodies are 11 to 13 in (27 to 32 cm) in length

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While some people jokingly (or not) expressed fear of them eating humans, due to their massive size, these megabats are herbivores.

They enjoy a good meal consisting of fruits like bananas and mangos, as well as leaves, nectar, pollen, flowers, and other plant matter. So no need to be afraid of these cuties!

After the photo went viral, locals rushed to clarify some things about these bats

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Others couldn’t hide their fear and admiration

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