Batling Info and Registry

Lifespan: Wild - 20 years | Domesticated - 35 years

Classification: Bat      Function: Companion

Best Suited To:  Exploring

Homeworld: CeCatl
Diet: Insects (mainly of the flying kind), occasional fruit and nuts depending on the season
Habitat: Batlings find shelter in caves, crevices, tree cavities and buildings

At a Glance:

 
Small furry batlike creatures, they have a huge claw on their wings, used for clinging onto things. They are found anywhere they can build a roost, caves, trees rocky outcrops. They are very friendly and are only bothered by predators.

Status: Common
Boosts: Agility, +1
Common Territory: Beach, Cave, Forest, Wildlands, Island, Ruins, Mountain, Desert
Rare Territory: N/A

Height: Batlings have a diverse size range, wildborn batlings are quite small, barely reaching 3" long in the body with a 8" wingspan(wingtip to wingtip). Captive batlings can grow significantly larger, reaching up to a foot long in the body with 3ft wingspan

Weight: Depends on Individual (very light though)

Build: Sleek aerodynamic body, with long flexible wings.
Wings: Very light, a batlings wings are thinner than those of birds, allowing them to maneuver more quickly and accurately than many other flighted creatures. They have small sensitive receptor cells over their wings, allowing them to feel even the slightest of changes in the air.
Pelt: Soft, sensitive fur that is exceptionally fine, allows for the batling to cut though the air easily, and keep them warm whilst in the air, have no fur on their wings save for some on their shoulders. Some batlings have a thicker ruff, normally found in colder climates.

Head:  Broad, almost 'rectangle' shaped face with a small nose, they have sharp pointed teeth, for biting through the hardened carapaces of insects.
Eyes: Large beady 'black' eyes, lets in as much light as possibly.
Ears: A batling's ears are the literally the same size as the batlings head, they can pivot around allowing the batling to pick up the slightest noise. Batlings use echolocation to navigate.

Feet/Claw:  Batling's have a very large 'claw' on their wings, one of their most notable features. Used primarily for clinging onto surfaces. The back feet on a batling are small and thin, though strong and are used to help them climb and to roost.

Tail: Batlings have a short tail, and is used to equalize out the bats weight distribution.

Conformation:  Small, aerodynamic and agile, capable of moving swiftly and accurately though the air, with excellent hearing.

First Impressions: Bats......

Disposition: Batlings are generally quite tolerant and friendly to other creatures, though they can be startled easily, especially with loud noises. Batlings will normally only become more aggressive when their pups are in danger, or if there is a shortage of food. Wild batlings are slightly more wary than their tamed counterparts.

Average Flight Speed: 35 mph
Dive Speed: 70 mph

Notes:
Most batlings live in colonies of over 100 individuals, though a single colony consists of two individual sections that roost separately except when hibernating (Maternity and Bachelor)
Batlings will hibernate during exceptionally cold month when their food supply is restricted.
Most suited for nocturnal hunting, batling can also hunt during the day, though there are more predators
The membrane on the wings is quite easily torn, but as it is living tissue it can heal.

Temperament:  Can be quite flitty if not handled correctly, normally very friendly and curious about things.

Disciplines:
Batlings, with correct training can actually be taught to 'seek' things and scout ahead, though it can take many years for it to become useful.

By request, adoption or breeding.

Price:
300 sb or 30

Breeding:

Gestation Period: 4 Months
Litter size: Mostly 1 pup (twins are rare)
Sexes: Batlings are either male or female, both are needed for any pups to be born.

Female batlings will only be open to mating when their is enough food and the temperatures are just right, so in the correct climate they can have up to 2 litters within a year.

When the conditions are just right, male batlings (bachelor) will visit the roosting place of the females (maternity) in order to breed. Males will court the females, by gifting them with flower petals, insects. If she accepts his claim, they then spend hour grooming one another, and then will spend the next several days flying, chasing one another and hunting.

After the breeding cycle is over, the males will return to their own roosting grounds as they do not help raise the pups. In the maternity roost, the females who didn't breed in this cycle will help the pregnant females. 2 months later, the female will have a litter, though this normally consists of a single pup.

The pup is hairless, and clings to the mother's fur, feeding of the milk the mother provides, in the first few days other females will bring the nursing females insects, at least until the pup has begun to develop some fur, at this point the mother will start hunting again, taking the pup with her at all times. Batling pups begin to fly by themselves after about two month, but still remain with the mother most of the times, by the age of four months, the batling can hunt for itself, though they remain withing close proximity to the mother.

Younglings will remain with the maternity colony for almost a year, before the males head out towards the bachelor colony, females will remain with the others. When the colony size reaches a certain size, it splits, and the younger colony will find its own roosting ground. Male batlings will normally only meet their offspring if the colonies choose to hibernate, and is the only other time the males and females are together.