Case file · Cryptid
Sanderson's 'olitiau', the giant black bat
In 1932, collecting animals in the Assumbo mountains of British Cameroons, Ivan Sanderson and Gerald Russell said a huge black bat with chattering teeth swooped at them over a river at dusk.
1932 CE · 5.75, 9.50 · status: claim
The account
Sanderson told the story in Animal Treasure (1937); local hunters called the animal olitiau. He estimated a wingspan of about 12 feet (3.7 m). It is grouped with the kongamato as an African 'flying monster'. The plotted point is approximate.
The sceptical view
The hammer-headed bat, Africa's largest bat (wingspan near 1 m), lives there and has a grotesque face; a brief, frightening sighting at dusk can easily double a size estimate.