The hammer-headed bat is a real animal, and its scientific name (Hypsignathus monstrosus) references its monstrous appearance.
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Indeed, websites and social media describe the hammer-headed bat’s appearance as “the spitting image of a devil” and even claim that it’s a cryptid known as the “Jersey Devil.” Despite its fearsome attributes, however, this bat is a mild-mannered fruit-eater.
![](https://worldnewsroom.info/eng/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/hammer-bat-1-1024x996-1.jpg)
Nevertheless, you shouldn’t get too close, because it’s one of three species of Africanfruit bat believed to carry the Ebola virus.
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The hammer-headed bat is a type of megabat and the largest bat native to Africa.
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Both males and females are grayish brown, with brown ears and flight membranes, and tufts of white fur at the base of the ears.
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An adult bat ranges from 7.7 to 11.2 in body length, with a wingspan of 27.0 to 38.2 in. Males range in weight from 8.0 to 15.9 oz, while females weigh 7.7 to 13.3 oz.
![](https://worldnewsroom.info/eng/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/hammer-bat-2-1024x768-1.jpg)
Male hammer-headed bats are larger than females and look so different from their mates that it would be easy to think they belonged to a different species.
![](https://worldnewsroom.info/eng/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Hypsignathus_monstrosus_cheeck_pouch.png)
Only the males have large, elongated heads. Female hammer-headed bats have the fox-faced appearance common to most fruit bats.
![](https://worldnewsroom.info/eng/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Hypsignathus_monstrosus_2.png)
The hammer-headed bat is sometimes confused with Wahlberg’s epauletted fruit bat (Epomophorus wahlbergi), which belongs to the same family but is smaller.
![](https://worldnewsroom.info/eng/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/HpNXaFrRiMoqC3CKXh3e.png)
Habitat and DistributionHammer-headed bats occur across equatorial Africa at elevations below 1800 m (5900 ft). They favor humid habitats, including rivers, swamps, mangroves, and palm forests.
![](https://worldnewsroom.info/eng/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/hammer-headed-bat-coloredpng.png)
DietHammer-headed bats are frugivores, which means their diet consists entirely of fruit. While figs are their favored food, they also eat bananas, mangoes, and guavas.
![](https://worldnewsroom.info/eng/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Hammer-headed_Bat_area.png)
The bat has a longer intestine than that of an insectivorous species, allowing it to absorb more protein from its food.
![](https://worldnewsroom.info/eng/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/hammer-bat-3-1024x768-1.jpg)
There is a sole report of a bat eating a chicken, but no carnivorous activity has been substantiated.
![](https://worldnewsroom.info/eng/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Hypsignathus_monstrosus_side_cross_section.png)
The bats are preyed upon by humans and birds of prey. They are also susceptible to severe parasite infestations.
![](https://worldnewsroom.info/eng/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Hypsignathus_monstrosus_tongue.png)
Hammer-headed bats are prone to infection by mites and Hepatocystis carpenteri, a protozoan that affects the liver.
![](https://worldnewsroom.info/eng/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/kWHDm9wfYYNaVlPYCdx3.png)
The species is a suspected reservoir for the Ebola virus, but as of 2017, only antibodies against the virus (not the virus itself) have been found in the animals.
![](https://worldnewsroom.info/eng/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Pic14-7.jpg)
Whether or not the bats can transmit Ebola infection to humans is unknown.
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BehaviorDuring the day, the bats roost in trees, relying on their coloration to camouflage them from predators. They pick and eat fruit at night.
![](https://worldnewsroom.info/eng/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Pic12-23.jpg)
One reason large bats such as the hammer-headed bat are nocturnal is because their bodies generate considerable heat when they are flying. Being active at night helps keep the animals from overheating.
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Reproduction and OffspringBreeding takes place during dry seasons for some populations and at any time of the year for others. Most members of this bat species reproduce via lek mating.
![](https://worldnewsroom.info/eng/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Pic15-3.jpg)
In this type of mating, males gather in groups of 25 to 130individuals to perform a mating ritual consisting of wing flapping and loud honking.
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Females fly through the group to evaluate potential mates. When a female’s selection is made, she lands beside a male and mating occurs.
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In some hammer-headed bat populations, males perform their display to attract females, but do not form groups.
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Females usually give birth to one offspring. The time required for gestation and weaning is unclear, but females are known to mature more quickly than males.
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Females reach sexual maturity at 6 months of age. It takes males a full year to develop their hammer-head faces and about 18 months before they reach maturity.
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The bat has a life expectancy of thirty years in the wild.
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Ref: wikipedia, kidadl, thoughtco, animaldiversity, carnivora, observation, animalia.bioPic: wikipedia, kidadl, zmescience, inaturalist, blog.wcs.org, researchgate, animaldiversity, bobgolding, pinterest, deviantart, worldatlas, bunjywunjy, twitter, mammalwatching, zooinstitutes, carnivora, observation, animalia.bio
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