The Ahool
In the mountain forests of Java, people describe a giant bat with a monkey-like face, named for its call: 'ahOOOL'.
What was reported
In 1925, naturalist Ernst Bartels, exploring a waterfall on Mount Salak in western Java, said a huge bat-like creature flew over his head. Local people knew it as the ahool, after its call. It is described as having a wingspan of up to 3 metres, a face like a monkey's and large claws.
Reports from Java and other parts of Southeast Asia describe similar giant bat-like animals.
Explanations offered
No specimen has been found. Suggested explanations include large fruit bats, such as flying foxes, which can have wingspans of over 1.5 metres, and large owls. A bat of the size described would be the largest ever known.
- When
- Reported in 1925 and since
- Where
- Mount Salak, West Java, Indonesia
- Witnesses
- A naturalist and local people
- Status
- Unconfirmed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.