Minova Bat

Fast Facts

Length: 15" to 25"

Wingspan: 13" to 22"

Weight: 5 to 15 lbs

Diet: Herbivores; prefer fruit but also eat nuts.

Rarity: Common (Kalzasi), somewhat uncommon (Astralar mountains)

Tier: Tier 1. Non-dangerous, common little animals, easy to tame.

Appearance and Biology

Minova bats are beloved animals throughout Ransera; hardly surprising, given their cute appearance and their popularity as loyal pets. Known for their inflatable sac, their soft fur and their tendency to chirp about everything, their biology happens to be quite peculiar.

Minovas are quite large for a bat species, but one could still argue that they're rather small: they're 15 to 25 inches long; their wingspan is a bit shorter than their full lenght due to their sac assisting their flight. Given their need to float, they're also really light; they don't tend to go past 15 pounds in weight. This is partially due to their arboreal nature, but also because of their diet; staying small ensures they don't have to eat that much and thus, they get plenty of food to eat. Minova bats are herbivores: they love fruit in season, this being the main source of their diet in Glade and Searing. They tend to store nuts in Ash to have a reliable source of food in Frost; however, they are resourceful enough to also find food in bushes and certain trees.

Their soft fur is perfect to endure the cold temperatures of the Astralar valleys; they shed twice a year, switching from a thicker Frost coat to a lightweight, velvety fuzz in Searing. Minova bat fur goes from white to light brown, including creamy shades and light pink hues. Their fur covers most of their body, except for their tails, face, ears, claws, wing membranes and digits. These are covered just by bare skin; in the case of their tail, this skin is hardened and insensitive, used for defense.

Minovas' head is rather peculiar; they posses a rodent-like snout with the characteristic developed incisives to carve wood and hard nuts; the rest of their teeth are particularly developed for fruit consumption. Their ears are quite unusual: combined; they're almost as large as the rest of their face, which give the Minova bat an acute sense of hearing. Their ears also have another function: detecting temperature variations. Using them, Minova bats are able to make predictions about the weather and detect upward wind flow. However, the most relevant part of their anatomy, covering their long neck (1/4 of their total length), is their inflatable air sac. Minova bats are capable of inflating this structure within their necks; as they have rather high body temperatures, this air is rapidly filled with hot air that helps them float, allowing for minimal and directional use of their wings. They spend most of their time floating or perched on heights; equally comfortable, the air sac is a chamber not connected to their lungs, so this actually doesn't disrupt breathing. The main use of the sac, combined with their ears and wings, is allowing Minova bats to be carried by wind currents to cross the large valleys and peaks in the Astralar mountains without spending much energy in flight; there's a secondary use though. Bacteria inhabit the interior of the sac; living in a unique symbiosis to the species, these bacteria are facultative anaerobic organisms. Briefly, what this means is that in presence of oxygen (sac filled and floating) these bacteria produce a special gas with calming properties as a product of their respiration. Filtering out of the sac's thin skin, Minova bats are immune to its effects, but it does affect potential small predators that forget their aggression and walk away, confused. Larger animals and sentient races also feel a calming sensation when inhaled, but a larger amount of gas is needed to make aggression disappear.

As herbivores, Minova bats don't have many defense mechanisms other than their sac; however, in the event they're attacked, they can flee by deflating their sac and flying with their wings; however, they need to stun their foe first to gain a certain amount of time. That's the main use to their tail; a small hammer made out of muscle, bone and hardened skin tissue. They smash their enemies' head with them; the impact usually wins them a second or two that they need to fly and flee, or hide somewhere. They are rather decent at true flight; while their wings are also specialized in item manipulation (their small wing claws used to hold fruits, nuts and other items) they have good maneuverability; this is achieved by a slight amount of independent control over their flat digits, which act as ailerons to control direction, ascent and descent.

Habitat

Minova bats are native to the Astralar mountains, where they're not too hard to see floating in the wind. They populate the valleys between peaks and rock pillars, though they sometimes go to higher altitudes if the food's worth it. However, their cuteness and tradition have made them very popular in Kalzasi; people feed them and the clever little animals have learned to thrive in the steep free city. Nowadays, Kalzasi holds the biggest Minova population density; there's no way you won't spot one perched on a wire or a roof if you stare for a little. Their closeness to the city have made some to inhabit the lower treetops of the Wildking's Forge as well, thriving in the bountiful forest but more vulnerable to some hidden predators.

Behavior

Though initially wary of strangers, Minova bats quickly accept them once they prove they're not dangerous for their well-being, and will be curious. They tend to explore their environments, trying to find new food sources, and they're very loud in their communication: non-specific chirping sounds tied to behavioral changes, like playful nuzzles or bites depending on their mood. As pets, they're extremely vocal once they've understood their caregiver; they'll ask for food, water, pets and just general attention quite loudly. However, they're also incredibly affectionate and loyal, and will easily learn basic actions like perching on a shoulder or going back to their resting area.

Life Cycle

Minova bats live around 40 years in the wild; in captivity, they can get to be around 70 years old. Their mating season starts in Glade; young Minovas meet in certain isolated trees and look for a partner they can impress with their air sacs and wiggling dances. Once they find a mate, Minova bats mate for life, and they spend most of their life with next to their partners. This is why they're considered a symbol of love in Kalzasi. They mate in Glade; while the female gets pregnant, the male builds a nest for the family, on a tree branch, carved into a tree, of in an opening in a rock wall; any place properly hidden or isolated. By Searing, females give birth to 4 to 8 babies; they are then fed by their parents until the last days of Ash. At that point, the babies are able to fly, and will follow their parents to a safe place to spend Frost in. Younglings live for a year more before they actually achieve sexual maturity; however, not all survive that first Frost, which explains why Minova bat populations haven't skyrocketed (besides other predators).

Abilities

They're decent fliers; they can carry a decent amount of weight (fruit, wood) with some effort, and they're able to meet and remember people. They understand and can perform basic commands. As mentioned, their sac also produces a calming fragrance that helps owners of Minova bats relax.

Uses

They make really good pets; they're easy to take care off and don't tend to cause too much havoc, though they're very independent and won't always act according to the wishes of their owners. Some people also use them as a source to produce a concentrated version of their gas; this can be sold as a recreational drug, though a huge amount of bats is necessary for proper production and they're not usually kept in good condition. In Kalzasi and several other countries, production and commerce of this drug is illegal.