Berbalang

Berbalang

Berbalangs are small, flying nocturnal carnivorous creatures native to the realm of Jumanji. They are not actually part of the organic wildlife native to Jumanji but are one of the creations of Professor J.S. Heinrich Ibsen, who views them as a favourite of his.

Behaviour

Berbalangs are small, flying fur-balls with two rows of sharp teeth that dwell in caves. They are sensitive to bright light and tend to congregate in caves to escape from the daylight to fly together in tight clusters to overwhelm prey. They could be deactivated by bright spotlights such as the headlights of Ibsen's car, but still bite.

Role

In Master Builder, Judy tries to document Alan's lifetime in Jumanji, but she is interrupted when he decides to leave the cave they're resting in before the Berbalangs wake up. When she falls behind to try and research them, a flock of Berbalangs chases Judy outside before she can escape them in the high grass. Before the Berbalangs can attack, a bright light short circuits them and the trio encounter Professor Ibsen who invites them to his factory and reveals the Berbalangs are one of his mechanical creations.

Gallery

Judy researches Berbalangs.

Berbalangs chase Judy.

Berbalangs bite even when deactivated.

Behind the scenes

The Berbalangs are mythical creatures in Filipino culture. They have a human appearance, but resemble the characters of vampires and have wings and slanted eyes. They dig up graves to feast on the corpses.