Buzz
(Homeland) - The hammer-headed bat is the largest bat found in Africa. Despite its carnivorous appearance, it primarily feeds on fruits.
Across the equatorial regions of Africa, the Hypsignathus monstrosus - or commonly known as the hammer-headed bat - dominates the night sky with its gigantic wingspan and astonishingly loud calls. Being one of the largest bat species globally, one might assume it poses a threat to humans, especially given its formidable appearance.
While female hammer-headed bats may resemble other bat species, males are much easier to distinguish due to their oversized lips and mouths. This unique feature has even earned them the title of one of the world's ugliest creatures.
But despite their larger-than-life presence, these bats are strict vegetarians, relying solely on wild fruits native to western and central Africa for sustenance.
Nevertheless, the hammer-headed bat remains a threat in a different way, perhaps surprisingly so.
Despite their intimidating appearance, these bats solely feast on fruits, thus posing no direct threat to humans or livestock. However, they are believed to be one of the primary hosts (being fruit-eating bats) for transmitting the Ebola virus.
With a wingspan reaching up to 38 inches (nearly 1 meter) and weighing around 1 pound (approximately 5 lạng), the hammer-headed bat is the largest bat species in Africa, according to Bat Conservation International. Additionally, it's also the weirdest sexually dimorphic bat species in the world.
Females typically weigh 8 ounces (0.03 kg) and don't exhibit much difference from other fruit-eating bats. However, males are significantly larger and have distinctly shaped faces. Their larynx and vocal sacs expand, creating a resonating chamber that produces eerie calls to attract females.
These hammer-headed bats range from Senegal in West Africa to northern Angola, covering nearly 3,000 miles southeast. They thrive in tropical rainforests, moist areas surrounding lowlands, swamps, and rivers in the African equatorial region.
Feeding on fruits growing in the area, including figs, bananas, guavas, and mangoes, the hammer-headed bats are considered pests by many African farmers due to their fruit-only diet. Consequently, farmers have devised various methods to trap and eradicate them to save their crops.
But farmers aren't the only ones hunting these peculiar creatures.
In addition to facing the destruction by farmers, hammer-headed bats in some countries also need to watch out for hunters wanting to consume their flesh. According to Animalia, people in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria slaughter hammer-headed bats for meat consumption.
The hammer-headed bat was described as a new species by the American scientist Harrison Allen in 1861. Allen established this as a new genus, Hypsignathus.
Apart from being used as a food source in these equatorial African countries, hammer-headed bats occasionally make appearances at 'culinary markets' in other regions of Africa and worldwide.
Unfortunately, from an epidemiological perspective, this food source sometimes does more harm than good.
Previous studies conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) revealed that hammer-headed bats are considered 'reservoirs' of the Ebola virus. The NIH reported: 'Molecular tests showed this species and other African fruit bats to be potential hosts for Ebola virus and it's one of only two fruit bat species epidemiologically linked to an Ebola outbreak in Luebo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, in 2008'.
However, it's noteworthy that other studies have yet to conclusively determine bats as the 'missing link' for the Ebola virus. Additional research is currently being conducted by scientists to ascertain the true nature of Ebola transmission, according to Science. However, as of 2022, no definitive study has linked bats to Ebola transmission.
According to a study published in the Journal of Zoology, the hammer-headed bat is one of the few bat species confirmed to participate in a 'lek' mating system. In this mating ritual, large bat colonies ranging from 20 to over 120 individuals gather to attract females.
Each male claims a territory of about 30 feet (9 meters), then perches on a tree branch, flapping its wings while making continuous calls from 60 to 120 times per minute. Females fly by and choose a male to mate with, then land on a nearby branch. The male then emits a specific sound to initiate mating rituals with the female, afterward returning to the branch to call for the next females.
Afterward, males leave and do not assist in raising the young with the females. In fact, this bat species does not typically form large family groups, instead often grouping in units of fewer than 5 individuals.
Currently, conservationists are simply continuing to monitor one of Africa's most iconic bat species.
Presently, conservationists are merely observing one of the most iconic bat species of Africa.
References: Allthatsinteresting; Bat Conservation International; Animalia
