Orang bati

Orang bati is a cryptid reported from the island of Seram in Indonesia, described as a winged, humanoid creature covered in reddish hair, with a face somewhere between ape and bat. Local villagers speak of it abducting children under cover of night, carrying them away to remote cliffs or caves. Sightings often involve eerie cries echoing across jungle canopies at dusk, leaving families fearful to let youngsters wander after dark. Some researchers speculate the legend might stem from exaggerated encounters with large fruit bats or even memories of long-extinct giant primates. Regardless of its origins, the Orang bati stands as one of Southeast Asia’s most haunting cryptid tales, blending primal fears of the dark with the unsettling possibility of something nearly human still watching from the treetops.