Cool bat. The sizes are a bit off given that some people stated that the Jersey Devil was between 6-8 feet tall and the bat has a wing span of 27-38 inches and a total length of 7.7-11.2 inches, weighing 8-15.9 ounces and the females are slightly smaller. [10] The thumb is approximately 128137mm (5.05.4in) long. Barnegat Bay and Delaware Bay are prime nursery areas for this species. As Benjamin Radford of Live Science tells us, tales of this legendary cryptid have been reported since the 18th century, and its origin story is the stuff of horror movies: supposedly, on the requisite dark and stormy night, a lady (and possible witch) known as Mother Leeds was giving birth to her thirteenth child. | While roosting, individuals in a group are approximately 1015cm (3.95.9in) apart, with males on the periphery and females nearer the center. Instead, they have a harem system. It is the largest bat in continental Africa, with wingspans approaching 1m (3.3ft), and males almost twice as heavy as females. It was whispered that the baby's father was the devil himself, and the fact that the child soon sprouted wings and turned into a demonic creature certainly supported that theory. These bats exhibit classical lek mating and are perhaps the only bats with such. For now, the Jersey Devil is no more than a legend that the locals find funny, similar to Mothman. They may roost alone or in small groups and unlike many other bat species that segregate based on sex, male and female Hammer-headed bats will roost together in small groups of around four individuals. It much resembles the fruit bat which is a species of bat on Earth, although the head of this big bat reminds me of the head of a horse. But could this weird-looking creature, native to. Although colonies up to 25 bats have been observed, the average hammer-headed fruit bat roost is fewer than five bats. Newborns weigh approximately 40 g (1.4 oz) at birth. Smooth dogfish nurseries have been documented in New Jersey's estuaries and shallow tidal waters, particularly Great Bay and Little Egg Harbor. [13], Males overall have boxy heads with enormous lips, while the females, with their narrower snouts, have more foxlike faces. Meet The Hammer-Headed Bat, The African Megabat Thats Been Dubbed One Of The Worlds Ugliest Creatures. Retrieved 30 July 2018. [10] Humans hunt this large bat and consume it as bushmeat. 5. [10], Instead of the typical mammalian karyotype where females have two X chromosomes and males have one each of X and Y, males have a single X chromosome and no Y chromosome, known as X0 sex-determination system. 1. ". 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. They can fly. Despite their menacing looks, sand tiger sharks are a docile, non-aggressive species. The comparison between the two animals is not to far off since throughout time many residents of New Jersey have kept exotic animals as pets. This material may not be reproduced without permission. It meets the criteria for this classification because it has a wide geographic range; its population is presumably large; and it is not thought to be experiencing rapid population decline. The males can grow to about 5 inches and weighing about 11 ounces; the females are larger, growing to around 7.5 inches and weighing an average of 18 ounces. 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. Males display for around four hours before foraging, with peaks in lekking activity in the early evening and before dawn. Habitat: Sandbar sharks prefer bays, harbors and even the mouths of rivers where, true to their name, they frequent shallow waters over sandbars. Most members of this bat species reproduce via lek mating. | Sand tiger sharks have distinctive, menacing-looking mouths with large, pointed teeth that visibly protrude even when closed. It is not unusual for tagged great whitessometimes with amusing names like Mary Lee (who has her own Twitter account), Ironbound and Mapleto ping off the coast of New Jersey. They thrive in the moist, tropical forests surrounding Equatorial Africas lowlands, swamps, and rivers. Fun Fact: Great white sharks are the largest predatory fish in the world, reaching up to 21 feet long and 4,300 pounds! Smooth Dogfish are also called dusky smooth-hounds. Breeding takes place during dry seasons for some populations and at any time of the year for others. There's virtually no way possible that a frugivorous bat from Africa survived in Jersey for long, and certainly not the period of time over which there were sightings. I happened upon a post by a Facebook friend which depicted a real animal that is called the hammerhead bat, and to my surprise this looked so much like the mysterious cryptid creature I recalled having witnessed one time, which I have listed here on this page. [2] Initially, Allen identified the hammer-headed bat as a member of the subfamily Pteropodinae of the megabats. Get to know themand their bigger counterparts in the Atlantic! 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. Hammer-headed bats are frugivores, which means their diet consists entirely of fruit. [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. There, they produce loud, honking vocalizations to attract females. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. It is not considered a species of conservation concern due to its large range and presumably large population size. We may have detected a typo. [12], Males and females rely on different strategies for foraging. April 29, 2020. 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. Males, in contrast, search for areas rich with food, traveling up to 10km (6.2mi) to reach particularly good food patches. The hammer-headed bat is sometimes considered a pest due to its frugivorous diet and its extremely loud honking noises at night. Groups are of mixed sex and age, unlike other bat species which segregate based on sex. Males and females also greatly differ in appearance, making it the most sexually dimorphic bat species in the world. AsCape Bay Magazineexplains, it may have its roots in a simple historical feud. The drawing of this big bat was made on June 26, 2013, and so without looking through the archives I presume that my first encounter of this being was in 2013. Instead, at sunset, individuals groom themselves then set off independently to forage. The Nature Conservancy is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization (tax identification number 53-0242652) under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. In Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is consumed as bushmeat. Females measure 195 to 225 mm, averaging 210 mm. DeAgostini/Getty ImagesThe hammer-headed bat is also known as the big-lipped bat. April 29, 2020. Please enter a valid email address (formatted as name@company.com). Hammer-headed bats are nocturnal creatures and sleep during the day in tree roosts. Thankfully, these extraordinary bats are not considered to be a threatened species, though increasing deforestation and climate change are beginning to impact their natural habitats. 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. Hammer-headed bats occur across equatorial Africa at elevations below 1800 m (5900 ft). However, its worth noting that other studies havent conclusively determined that the bats are ground zero for the Ebola virus. From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_Devil Now that youve read all about the hammer-headed bat, learn about seven more of the worlds ugliest animals. Of course, there's the minor issue that the hammerhead bat is native to Africa, not North America. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammer-headed_bat Hammerhead bat from https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hammerhead-bat/ The Jersey Devil FYI - The Video loops twice in both parts so the viewer doesn't miss it!I was filming on the beach in Seaside, NJ when an unexpected visitor decided to ride . Individuals may roost alone or in small groups. The hammer-headed bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus) is a megabat found in the tropical forests of central Africa. Please enter a valid email address (formatted as name@company.com). While roosting, individuals in a group are approximately 10-15 cm (3.9-5.9 in) apart, with males on the periphery and females nearer the center. We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office. Aesop, The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they're going to have some pretty annoying virtues. [12] The guano (feces) typically contains seeds from ingested fruits, indicating that it may be an important seed disperser. 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. Here's why! The average weight of males is 420g (15oz), compared to 234g (8.3oz) for females. While figs are their favored food, they also eat bananas, mangoes, and guavas. He doubled down on their street cred by redesigning the Leeds family crest to include monsters that looked suspiciously like the future Jersey Devil. Also the Crane stands about 40-48 inches (3-4 feet) tall and the Jersey Devil is about 72-96 inches (6-8 feet). There's actually a chance that at least some version of theJersey Devilmight actually have existed. [22] It is eaten in Nigeria,[23] as well as seasonally in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Three shark species reproduce in New Jersey's back bays and coastal marshes. In this mating ritual, large groups or leks of bats, from 20 to well over 120, gather to attract females. He's cute! She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels. [10] It relies on camouflage to hide from predators. Michele D'Amico supersky77 / Getty Images. According to Animalia, people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria kill hammer-headed bats in order to consume them as bushmeat. In some hammer-headed bat populations, males perform their display to attract females, but do not form groups. I had at first not listed the big bat as an alien species, I had meant to list it, but the second sighting was helpful. [17], Little is known about reproduction in hammer-headed bats. This breed of bat (Hammerhead) might have been mistaken as the Jersey Devil. Hammer-Headed Bat Facts (Big-Lipped Bat). Males range in mass from 228 g to 450 g, averaging 377 g. Females are about half the size, weighing from 218 to 377 g, and averaging 275 g. Males range in length from 220 to 280 mm, with an average of 250 mm. Though most commonly observed far from shore, at times they will venture closer in search of food. It forages at night, sleeping during the day in tree roosts. She will release "In Living Color: A Cultural History" on Rowman & Littlefield Press in April 2022, and "The Golden Girls: A Cultural History" on Rowman & Littlefield Press in October 2022. It should have been named, Tubenose Smileyface Photogenicus Bat. Individuals may roost alone or in small groups. In this type of mating, males gather in groups of 25 to 130 individuals to perform a mating ritual consisting of wing flapping and loud honking. 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. In 2013 I had a sighting of this alien cryptid which I had named "Big Bat". The picture was published in 1909 in the Philadelphia Bulletin. They are active during the night, probably in order to avoid overheating. The crane or stork ideas makes more sense imo. On average, they grow up to three feet long. 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. Hammer-headed bats are polygynous meaning that males mate with more than one female. [12] Most records of this species occur in rainforest habitat, including lowland rainforest, swamp forest, riverine forests, and mosaics of forest and grassland. I think it looks rather cute m. I'd have named it moosehead bat. Smooth dogfish nurseries have been documented in New Jerseys estuaries and shallow tidal waters, particularly Great Bay and Little Egg Harbor. And they are a critical nursery for biodiversity, sustaining birds, crabs, and fish includingsharks. The Sandhill Crane is a herbivore, but since the Jersey Devil has been accused of stealing and attacking livestock and chickens he is thought of as a carnivore. !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)? On a river in the African country of Gabon, behavioral ecologist Jack Bradbury went searching for one of the most unusual of animals: the hammerhead bat. They eat fruit mostly figs. [10] Males have wingspans up to 90.1cm (2.96ft),[11] and all individuals have forearm lengths exceeding 112mm (4.4in). An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. [8][9], The hammer-headed bat is the largest bat in mainland Africa. The timing of the dry season varies depending on the locality, but in general the first breeding season is from June to August and the second is from December to February. Researchers fitted this hammer-headed bat with a GPS tracker. Updated: 16:45, 15 Aug 2018 THE hammerhead bat looks like something straight from the special effects department of a horror movie - but in parts of Africa they're as common as cats. Description: Large sharks withrobust, muscular bodies of light brown or gray color. Bats have such incredibly bizarre faces, they are fascinating to me. Occasionally, groups of up to twenty-five have been documented. Minus the bat, all the mentioned animals are on the larger sized and also eat fruits or various kinds of plants.