Batvil

A rarely seen but often heard Fethilian species, batvils are moderately sized nocturnal predators. Their dark fur keeps them hidden in the dark, but their shrieking can be heard even in the darkest nights. Though they are too small to prey on humans, preferring small prey, they are known to be aggressive and may cause severe injuries when disturbed.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Batvils are quadrupedal animals with squat bodies, short tails, and long forelimbs. Their front feet are oddly shaped, with a thumb, two regular toes, and two elongated toes forming a bat-like wing. With their wing-fingers closed they are fast runners, and they can even grab and hold food with their forefeet. They are slow but capable fliers, marked by fluttering movements and short glides. Their hindlegs are more ordinary, counting four regular toes. These, and the three non-wing fingers on the forefeet, all possess non-retractable claws, used for hunting and climbing.
Aside from their front limbs, batvils are also easily recognizable by their heads. They have large heads with powerful biting force, allowing them to not just tear meat, but crush bone. Their noses are large and distinctive, with a leaf-like shape, pointed at the top and horseshoe-like at the bottom. Their eyes are small and bead-like, but their ears large and pointed. They are extensively whiskered.
Finally, batvils also have fairly recognizable coloring. Their short and soft fur is dark black-brown in color, though somewhat paler on the underside and muzzle. The same goes for their ears and wing membranes. Most notable, however, are their white markings. Irregularly shaped, these patches of white can be found on the chest of most batvils.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the batvil's sharpest and dominant sense is its hearing, which ties into its ability to echolocate. They also have an excellent sense of smell, and their extensive whiskers aid them while navigating in the dark. Their eyesight is poor and lacks color, leaving them monochromats, and batvils have difficulty seeing stationary objects, leaving them even more reliant on their echolocation and whiskers to navigate.

Base animals

Greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) & Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)

Geographic Distribution

• Fethil