A real picture of a bat that appears to be human-sized has resurfaced on the internet years after leaving people from around the world baffled.

The picture was originally shared on Twitter by a Filipino Twitter user @AlexJoestar622 who captioned the post as follows: “Remember when I told y’all about the Philippines having human-sized bats? Yeah, this was what I was talking about.”

The shocking photo showed a giant bat hanging upside down from a roof beam and sleeping with one wing covering its statuesque body.

“Just imagine this bat waking up and flying straight at you. I’d leave the country,” one baffled viewer commented under the photo.

“This bat is taller than me and I’m both horrified and impressed in equal measure,” another said.

A third wrote: “Heya, from the Philippines here. I can confirm this, they have a huuuuuge wingspan but the bodies are not really that big, more or less like the same body as a medium (bit smaller) sized dog. And yeah they only eat fruits, guavas most particularly. They’re really gentle too.”

One person said: “It’s massive, I’d be terrified to leave my house after that encounter!”

So, what’s the truth behind the viral bat photo?

The picture, undoubtedly, appears to be real and unedited. However, the so-called forced perspective makes the bat look bigger than it actually is.

While these magnificent animals can grow over a foot tall and have a wingspan of six feet, they can’t actually grow to the size of an adult human.

Nevertheless, their impressive size and wingspan are something that is rightfully admired around the globe.

Have you ever seen a bat this large before? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to SHARE this post with your family and friends. For more news and stories, follow us on Facebook!