Even stranger, Dr. Ron Dillon says the boy communicates with high-pitched squeaks and squeals and refuses to eat anything but flying insects that he catches himself.
"I hardly know what to make of it," said the zoologist. "The boy appears to be human but he is unlike any other human I've ever seen. His eyes are twice as big as they should be and his ears are like satellite dishes. This boy clearly belongs to a race of people who live miles beneath the Earth's surface. And it is my guess that they evolved bat-like features and abilities to enable them to survive in total darkness.
"There's no telling how many of these creatures are down there," he added. "This particular boy was all alone but he almost certainly strayed from a much larger tribe or pack."
Dillon and seven colleagues found the so-called bat boy during a study of subterranean life in a previously uncharted cave east of Seneca Rocks in the Shenandoah Mountains.
The scientist said that he and his team were approximately two miles underground when they heard the 2-foot, 19-pound creature squealing frantically in an apparent plea for help.
"We turned our lights in the direction of the cries and found the boy with his bare foot wedged in the crack between two rocks," said the expert. "To tell you the truth, I thought I was seeing things.
"The last thing I expected to find at that great depth was another human being, much less one that looks like he came from outer space." Dillon said he freed the boy's foot and lifted him up for a closer look.
The child appeared to be stunned at first - then lashed out like an animal caught in a trap.
"I couldn't believe how strong he was," continued the expert. "He scratched and clawed and fought like crazy. We finally subdued him with a tranquilizer injection.
"Then we brought him to the surface and took him to a private hospital for testing and observation. Since that time we have learned a great deal about him."
"But we still have more questions than answers."
Dillon said the bat boy appears to be 3 or 4 years old and has adapted to life in captivity quicker than expected. Feeding was a problem at first. But the boy has been eating well and has actually gained weight since scientists stopped giving him human foods - and began to flood his room with bugs.
"We get them from laboratories involved in insect research and release them into his room by the millions," said Dillon. "Like a bat, the boy cannot tolerate bright light."
"But he still manages to consume his own weight in bugs every single day by locating their position with his radar-like ears and catching them with his mouth and hands."
"Needless to say, he is extremely active. When it's time to feed he moves like lightning. It's the most astonishing thing I've ever seen."
Dillon refused to pinpoint the location of the cave where the boy was found or say where the child is being held. He did say that he is planning a second expedition in the hope of proving that the boy belongs to a subterranean civilization that exists miles beneath our feet.
"This strange little boy might very well lead us to a world within a world," said the expert. "No matter what happens, he's going to change the way we think about mankind and evolution forever."
FIVE THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT BATBOY!
1. Bat Boy's favorite musical group is *NSYNC and his favorite singer in the band is Justin who is a dreamboat.2. He loves Count Chocula cereal.
3. He once defused a terrorist bomb aboard an airplane by urinating on it.
4. Bat Boy sheds his wings once every three years, and is able to regenerate a new pair.
5. His favorite comic book super-hero is not Batman -- it's Spider-Man.