Turtle bear

Turtle bears, also called Flying bear or Flying polar bear, are a species of magical animals native to the Eimaui Archipelago, in Einya. They look like polar bears, slightly bigger than their non-magical counterparts, with a huge turtle shell covering their entire body. Even though they are too big to be kept as pets, they are know to be very accepting of humans and to even befriend them on occasion.

Anatomy and morphology

Externally, they look just like a polar bear in a giant turtle shell. However, their internal body is a bit different–just as with turtles, the shell is not separate from the rest of the body. They can feel through their shell as if it was their skin, and in fact they're quite fond of belly scratches.
In order to fly, they use Topomancy instinctively, pushing and pulling against nearby objects to control their speed, altitude, and direction. They usually have all of their body extended while flying, but one of their attack strategies is flying at extremely fast speeds with their body contracted inside the shell, essentially becoming an enormous bullet.

Habitat and society

Their natural habitat is the floating archipelago of Eimai, where they have plenty of islands and floating rocks to push and pull against. However, they are a very resilient species, so as long as they can find food (mostly small birds), they can survive pretty much anywhere.
They are also very sociable animals, and big sleuths of turtle bears flying around are not rare occurrences. They also like to interact with other species, including humans, and they'll often fly alongside an airship, playfully bumping against the hull of the ship. Of course, what they consider playful isn't necessarily a desirable activity for the aeronauts.

When I landed on Einya I expected to see very different animals from my own world. But I did not expect to be welcomed by an enormous flying polar bear.

— From Min-aniara Laita's travel journal.