See the real animal behind the Jersey Devil legend

Growing up on the Jersey Shore and going on many camping trips as a Boy Scout, I heard many variations on the Jersey Devil legend.

This made me a pretty big fan. No, I don’t believe the creature ever existed, but for me it doesn’t have to be real to be a fan.

Before we discover the animal that looks precisely Like the Jersey Devil description, let’s do a quick history lesson.

When was the Jersey Devil born?

Legend has it that the Jersey Devil, also known as the Leeds Devil, was born in 1735 as the son of ‘Mother Leeds’. The Mother Leeds in question is attributed to a woman named Jane or Deborah.

Mrs. Leeds already had twelve children and cursed the thirteenth child before he was born, saying he would be a devil.

Shortly after the child was born, he attacked everyone in the house before flying out of the chimney.

There are a few variations on the legend, but that is the basis of most stories.

What does the Jersey Devil look like?

The appearance of the Jersey Devil is another thing that varies greatly.

Some people claim that the devil looks more human. Others have reported that the creature has a kangaroo body with wings and a horse head.

The images I most associate with my favorite cryptid are usually horse-like, with cloven hooves, a horse’s head, enormous wings, and a long demonic tail.

What makes me chuckle most about the above photo, originally printed in the Philadelphia Bulletin in 1909, is that there are horseshoes on the Jersey Devil’s hooves.

I wonder where he would have had them put on…

What was the Jersey Devil?

There are many theories about the Jersey Devil’s origins and subsequent locations over the years, but there is a real animal that looks like like descriptions.

The hammerhead bat is native to West and Central Africa. It belongs to the megabat family, don’t worry, they are fruit bats.

This bat has a wingspan of approximately 3 meters.

The elongated head looks somewhat or more than somewhat like a horse.

Is there a possibility that a hammer-headed bat was spotted around South Jersey around the time of the Jersey Devil legend’s birth?

The odds aren’t in that theory’s favor, but you can’t deny that this bat looks exactly like New Jersey’s favorite cryptid.