In ancient times, a story was told about how the strange, black, target-shaped markings on a Mantine's back and wings were really eyes – and not just any eyes, but the eyes of Zubat, whose ancestor gave Mantine his eyes so that they might still watch the great blue sky, not the dank walls of caves. The fact that Mantine have four of these "eyes", while Golbat have two was little concern to the ancients, for it explained two great mysteries at once.
In the warring states era, this story morphed into a more violent form. Mantine were not born with their eyes (which is true; they are not found on Mantyke) but must steal them from baby Zubat before their mother returns; if she does, the babies maintain their eyes and evolve quickly into Golbat. Their wing eyes were explained by the fact that Mantine rob not one Zubat, but two; they would steal more if they had anywhere good to put them.
Today, the eyes are thought to be an adaptation for a Mantine's dual environment; their front eyes are for vision in the air, their back eyes for vision in the water, although why two of the eyes are placed on the wings is not yet fully understood. Yet living in a modern and rational age has not made these eyes any less of a magnet for strange tales. It is common for travelers out at sea to see a sleeping Mantine floating upside-down above the water. When they do, its four back eyes, antennae, and near-saucer shape drive many of them to a common and ridiculous conclusion; that they have sighted an Elgyem spacecraft.