Hece Bat (HEES)

Basic Information

Anatomy

This megabat species of bat has a long snout, large eye sockets, and small ears, giving them a more doglike appearance than most other bats. They also have a set of claws on the second digit of their wings. They have yellow patagium and bright orange to red fur on the main part of their body. Their wing span is approximatly .95 m (3.12 ft) to 1.1 m (3.6 ft).

Genetics and Reproduction

Hece bats have two mating periods throughout the 13 month cycle on Beyle. The first is during Tending, usualy earlier in the month. Gestation typically lasts around six months, leading to pups in Harvest. The second mating period is in late Feasting, leading to pup/s in early Riot. Although most Hece only give birth to one pup at a time, twins are not unknown.
Male Hece bats take the lead in mating, persuing females by bringing them choice bites of fruit and displaying their prowess with fire spells. The queen Hece bat will choose the most flame-tastic male bat for herself, leaving the lesser casters to her matriarchs.

Growth Rate & Stages

Hece bat pups are nursed by their mothers for one to four weeks. Afterwards, they are large enough to find their own fruit, although it is another two to four months until they can cast their own fire spells.
Although young pups are capable of casting fire spells as youg as six months old, they will not usually participate in mating rituals until they are at least a year old.

Ecology and Habitats

Hece bats are native to the The Fiery Crescent. They live in lava tubes, both active and dormant, and eat the fruits native to the islands.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Hece bats are fruit bats, although they do not eat the fiber from may of the fruits they eat. Instead, they take large bites of whatever fruit they are eating and use their powerful jaw to extract all of the juice from the piece of fruit. Once the juice is extracted, they spit out the fiber, often including seeds. This helps to propogate new fruit trees or bushes along with any bat guano dropped while eating. While often the bats will eat in the same tree or bush they got the fruit from, sometimes it is safer to fly off and find a new perch elsewhere. Sometimes this requires flying to other islands in The Fiery Crescent, helping to spread the seeds to new places.

Behaviour

Hece bats are largely crepuscular with a small amount of activity during nocturnal hours. When the sun has set but there is still light in the sky, they leave their roosts in the lava tubes found all throughout The Fiery Crescent and go in search of fruits growing all over the islands. While they will more commonly stick to the same island as their roosting point, those roosting on the smaller islands may go to larger ones to find enough food for the entire colony.
While Hece bats are only fertile during the months of Tending and Feasting, they do display sexual behavior outside of those months for social purposes. Likewise, they squeak to cast fire spells to scare off predators but also have been known to squeak in speech-like patterns without casting spells.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Hece bats live in matriarchal colonies ruled over by a queen bat and her court of other matriarchs. The queen will lead the colony to where they can find food at dusk and then, sometime in early to mid night, back to their roosts in the lava tubes.
The only time male Hece bats are considered as domniant is in Tending and Feasting when females are fertile.

Domestication

Ill advised at best. Bat guano and fire everywhere.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

While it is difficult to collect from anywhere but the floor of a lava tube, their guano is a rich fertilizer highly sought after by the Goss on the mainland. Harvested largely by Phoenix and exported by the Murklurk in exchange for protection form the Goss as they visit their families outside of The Fiery Crescent. On the rare occasions that a member of The Godless Clan of Black Shore visits the Fiery Crescent, they trade also for this fertalizer.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Found only in The Fiery Crescent

Average Intelligence

While they are certainly intelligent enough to cast fire spells and seem to communicate to each other in squeaks, they are not considered as sapient. They are also not domesticated and should not be kept as pets.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Although many bats have echolocation abilities, Hece bats do not. They do make noise, heard by island residents as a high pitched squeaking. This squeaking is suspected to be a form of spell casting, as it is often heard before the firey signature of the Hece bats overhead is seen as they dodge predators.

Scientific Name

Animalia Chordata Mammalia Chrioptera Yinpterochiroptera Pteropodoidea Pteropodidae Hecelinae

Lifespan

10 years

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Hece bats are yellow to red in color, depending on the part of the body in question. They are often likened to the color of flame in the air.

Geographic Distribution

• The Fiery Crescent