The Olitiau
Wading through a river in Cameroon at dusk, two naturalists said a huge black bat with a jaw full of teeth swooped down at them.
What was reported
In 1932, the naturalist Ivan Sanderson was collecting animals in the Assumbo mountains of Cameroon with a colleague. Wading in a stream at dusk, they said a huge dark creature, like a bat with a wingspan of about 3.5 metres and a gaping jaw full of teeth, flew straight at them, then returned before vanishing into the night.
Their local guides, Sanderson said, called it olitiau and were terrified of it.
Explanations offered
No such animal has been found. Most researchers think they saw a hammer-headed bat, Africa's largest bat, which has a wingspan of up to a metre and a large, strange-looking head, its size exaggerated by the shock and the dusk light.
- When
- Reported in 1932
- Where
- Assumbo mountains, Manyu, Cameroon
- Witnesses
- Naturalist Ivan Sanderson and a companion
- 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.