Yeah, its a very likely candidate, except it doesnt match many of the sighting... That bat cant RUN, can it? Not to mention all the tail reports (I think that is hard to be mistaken on).

[edit on 29-10-2004 by merka]

Originally posted by minniescar
but i heard there is a site named google.com that if you type in any words it will give you places that have info on whatever you type in. Try it , i know it sounds far fetched but i hear tell it works............

I've searched for this thing and the only evidence I've found are halfbaked drawings. If this things is still around than shouldnt there be at least a PHOTO of it?

I've seen UFOs on tape to lead me to believe that there are indeed UFOs roaming our atmosphere.

Wow! I've never seen a bat like that before! I can't believe that it might actually debunk the NJ devil! A lot of folks around here though (NJ) won't soon give that up... Most accounts I've heard involve hoof prints and yes, a tail.

I suppose the hoof prints really could be barn animals, but still puzzled on the tail (embellishment?)

That bat is also 8-12 inches long. The JD is reported to be 3-6 foot tall depending on the account.

Also the the bat makes a croaking/quacking sound. Accounts of the JD is a scream, blood curdling almost like a woman. Sometimes compared with a rabbit's scream.

It's just not close enough according to the accounts from credible eyewitnesses during that week in 1909.

As far as I know, there's no pics of the JD, just sketches, but there's also no pics or accounts of that bat in NJ either.

FIRST OF ALL SIMULACRA, if this thing is as dangerous and as fast as they say it is, I HIGHLY doubt somebody would get close enough to take a picture. There was one picture that the Devil Hunters linked to, but they took it off.

And, that bat is very interesting. But they say the Jersey Devil is big, not small.

Originally posted by Yasuhiko23
FIRST OF ALL SIMULACRA, if this thing is as dangerous and as fast as they say it is, I HIGHLY doubt somebody would get close enough to take a picture. There was one picture that the Devil Hunters linked to, but they took it off.

And, that bat is very interesting. But they say the Jersey Devil is big, not small.

This is a myth. There has been no proof otherwise. It's not real.

Originally posted by Simulacra

Originally posted by Yasuhiko23
FIRST OF ALL SIMULACRA, if this thing is as dangerous and as fast as they say it is, I HIGHLY doubt somebody would get close enough to take a picture. There was one picture that the Devil Hunters linked to, but they took it off.

And, that bat is very interesting. But they say the Jersey Devil is big, not small.

This is a myth. There has been no proof otherwise. It's not real.

But there is TONS of evidence. If you never accept any evidence, then of course you will never get any proof.

Personally I dont think you are real either, I havent seen any proof other than text on this forum. I am sure the feeling is mutual, no?

Ok, don't get mad mods for me saying this, BUT

Simulacra, if you have nothing decent and/or contribution, don't say anything at all. There HAS been evidence. Footprints, animal carcasses, with everything but the skin and hair left, carcasses in general. We can all tell you have done NO research. If you had, you would know this. And its not a "myth" its an Urban Legend mixed with factual info.

AND SIMULACRA, IF YOU'VE DONE RESEARCH, SHOW US THE SITES THAT SAY THERE HASN'T BEEN EVIDENCE. PROVE IT TO US THAT ITS FAKE.

[edit on 10-31-04 by Yasuhiko23]

Gazrok- That bat is a good candidate, but far from conclusive. One problem is, well, how it go there. Second is surviving the winter. The creature was seen flying around in January. First, I can think of no african species that coudl survive a New Jersey winter. The only way I can coem up with is if it maange to hiberante in a cave (and there is no reason to beleive that this bat can hibernate to begin with), which sort of precludes the eyewitness account that originally caused us to consider this creature.

it is, but the size is a factor too. The Jersey Devil and the bat differ greatly in size. so that is a problem as well.

I'll admit it's hardly a closed case, but you have to admit, the resemblance is absolutely striking...

A displaced small population of the bat, adapting over time to the climate, being mostly nocturnal, and residing in warm caves, etc., combined with witness exaggeration, could make a good case though....

Yeah I guess you're right.

But when it comes to the size....

I wanted to say that when I was 7 years old long before I heard the story of the Jersey Devil, I experienced that bone chilling shriek it is known so well for less than 50 feet away from me, from above while I was picking blackberries for breakfast in the middle of a vast New Jersey state park. My heart was racing and as I turned to run for my life back to our campsite I saw it from the corner of my eye high above me in a tall pine. It was a very large winged creature, and since then I have always had an interest in knowing what was out there. I am a zoologist now and have listened to a number of shrill shrieks from various creatures, but none of them can compare to what I heard that day.
I have a theory as an amateur cryptozoologist that maybe these are a small, isolated population of what is known as a Dimorphodon, which is a member of the more commonly know Pterosauria, of which the Pterodactyl is the most well known member. The Pterodactyl however had nearly no tail and a much more angular head. The dimorphodon had a head very much like a T- rex (more horselike when seen in a panic) and a very long tail that it used for balance in flight. The only piece that does not fit are those big clawlike arms that are mentioned in most sightings. The probability of an isolated population remaining for so long in an old growth forest is small, but not impossible. I have a picture of this creature and I have compared it to the sighting rendition and I must say it is a really close match. If you are interested try looking it up on the web.

Thanks for putting that up there. New Jersey isn't the only place that this may be happening. There are several eyewitness accounts of huge "thunderbirds" that resemble various pterosauria throughout Pennsylvania, New York and the southwest. They also seem to be in parts of Africa from what I have read. Maybe paleontologists should start asking the question, "what if there are still small isolated populations of these things that did not go extinct?" After all questions through observation is what science is about! I was taught it is assumptive and ignorant to believe we have discovered all the species on this earth, because of course we haven't. The Dimorphodon is just a guess at what this thing might be, and if populations of these Pterosaurs do exist in NJ they are probably a completely different species of the genus Dimorphodon by now or maybe even a completely different genus. I am sure there are some of you out there who know more about the flying reptiles than I do, and I would love to read your thoughts on this.

from the original post... the "Devil Hunters" website is pretty cool, at least they log what they do and they seem to be pretty serious and relatively organized. I can identify almost all of the tracks they're taking pictures of as either rabbit or deer tracks though. They need someone who can identify tracks so they stop following rabbits around.

yeah.. that's been my thgeory for a while, except I threw the Mothman and Chupacabra in with the Thunderbird and Devil. After all, the first chupee reports were of creatures with wings. I also used the creature Quetzaquotal (I think that's its name) as comparison. Quetzaquotal was the largest flying reptile ever, and had a long maw with teeth, huge wings, and a tail with that little devil-v at the end. It was so huge that the scientists named it after the mayan god of the sun, which apprently was a huge "dragon".

Hello, sorry for being a sort of random newcomer to the conversation. I managed to come across this and have always found the topic of the New Jersey Devil intriguing. Personally I believe that the creature exists, it's hard not to, to be honest. I've read up a lot about it, and although I agree with any comments on it looking like it is made up of a bunch of body parts thrown together that isn't exactly unheard of. When the platypus was discovered Europeans checked it's fur for stitches because it looked like a duck sewn together with a beaver.
As well I think that one reason that it may never have been captured is because it might just be intelligent enough to avoid people.