Across equatorial Africa, the Hypsignathus monstrosus – also known as the hammerhead bat – dominates the night sky with its huge wingspan and its surprisingly loud noises.

While female hammerhead bats look similar to other bat species, males are much more recognizable due to their oversized lips and snouts.

But despite their larger-than-life presence, the bat is a vegan diet, subsisting solely on wild fruits native to west and central Africa.

However, hammerhead bats remain a threat in another, perhaps more surprising way.

Despite its scary appearance, this species of bat only eats fruit, so it does not pose a direct danger to humans or livestock.

With a wingspan of up to 38 inches (nearly 1 meter) and weighing about 1 pound (about 5 ounces), hammerhead bats are the largest bat species in Africa, according to Bat Conservation International.

The average female weighs 8 ounces (0.03 kg) and does not appear any different from other fruit bat species.

Hammerhead bats have been discovered from Senegal in West Africa to northern Angola, nearly 3,000 miles to the southeast.

Hammerhead bats eat fruit that grows in the area, including figs, bananas, guavas and mangoes.

But farmers aren’t the only ones hunting these remarkable creatures.

In addition to facing extermination at the hands of farmers, hammerhead bats in some countries must also be wary of hunters who want to eat them.

Bats were first described as a new species by American scientist Harrison Allen in 1861.

In addition to being used as a food source in these equatorial African countries, hammerhead bats also occasionally appear in “wet markets” in other parts of Africa and around the world.

Unfortunately, from an epidemiological perspective, this food source sometimes does more harm than good.

Previous studies conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have revealed that hammerhead bats are considered a `reservoir` of the Ebola virus.

It’s worth noting, however, that other studies have yet to accurately establish that bats are `ground zero` for the Ebola virus.

Found in the African rain forests, the males of this large bat species possess large, strangely shaped heads.

According to a study published in the Journal of Zoology, hammerhead bats are one of the only bat species confirmed to participate in the “lek” mating system.

Each male claims a territory of about 30 feet (9 meters), then hangs from a tree branch and flaps his wings while calling continuously 60 to 120 times per minute.

The males will then leave and not help raise the young with the female.

For now, conservationists simply continue to monitor one of Africa’s most iconic bat species.

Reference: Allthatsinteresting;