Ah, yes. The Huge Fucking Bat debate has revived itself once more.
By now, you've surely taken a gander or three at the repeatedly-made-viral photo of what is said to be a "human-sized bat" in the Philippines. The photo in question shows the well-dressed creature engaging in one of the most bat-certified activities of all time: hanging upside down for a photo op.
Though the tweet above from June did indeed result in a wave of reactions ranging from How the Fuck to What the Fuck, this isn't the first time this exact photo has been the subject of rigorous online analysis. In fact, a handy bat guide from the occasional experts on such matters at Snopes traces the photo back to a r/natureismetal post from 2018.
And while the viral photo (and related images) isn't fake, it is well-crafted to be misleading on the actual size of the creature, which is widely believed to be a megabat of either the Golden Crowned Flying Fox or the Large Flying Fox variety.
As both Snopes and replies to the tweet up top have pointed out, the subject of the photo isn't actually the size of a human. Instead, the typical length of such a bat is a little over a foot. The wingspan, however, is undeniably impressive at nearly 5 1/2 goddamn feet.
Now, with facts in hand, do enjoy additional bat-related commentary below:
