Bone Snatchers

Bone snatchers have a limited intelligence often showing signs ofbeing no smarter than an average bird they lear patterns well enough but training is almost impossible....almost.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Bone snatchers are shaped like bats but much larger roughly the size of wolves or large dogs with wide wingspans tipped with wicked scything hooks. and a tail that secretes a viscous sticky substance.
A bone snatchers head has no face and is translucent enough to see the underlying bone structure a large bat like nose protrudes from its head and two large and often fluffy bat like ears that are capable of full 360 degree rotation flank the back of its head.
A bone snatchers skin is smooth and sometimes slick with a sticky substance.
Their mouths however are where they get their name the bottom of their heads and along their long necks is a grim maw resembling that of a lamprey and within is a series of organic tools such s specialized teeth for gripping and several blade and bone tipped tongue to both extract bones and crack them apart for the marrow within. All Bone snatchers have a central "drilling" tongue that allows them to bore through solid bone or in the worst case of scenarios protective steel.
A snatcher when not feeding keeps its head down and its mouth facing the ground but when threatened or hungry it will raise its head as if looking straight into the sky and reveal its mouth to whatever it is facing the ears changing direction to be on either side.

Genetics and Reproduction

During a nightfall event Snatchers will leave their homes within the skulls of fallen giants within Wardens Rest or other large bone structures in search of other colonies of snatchers to mate with. when a suitable mate is found Mating is rather straightforward and not dissimilar to any other flying mammal.

Growth Rate & Stages

Snatchers give live birth and care for their young fiercely. the baby Snatchers will grow to maturity at a speed directly proportional to how much food it can consume.

Ecology and Habitats

Snatchers live within the long hollowed out skulls of the fallen giants that litter Wardens Rest as Solar purification seems to burn their thin skin.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Bone snatchers prefer to spend their time within the skulls of their giant homes using their sticky tails to latch onto the sides of the walls and use their main drilling tongue to burrow into the skull eating the marrow within. HOWEVER during a nightfall when the snatchers are free to roam over the area they have displayed one of the most gruesome feeding habits of any species yet discovered on Yarth. Using its echolocation and powerful nose snatchers can detect a human or animal from high in the night air humans are especially vulnerable due to their inability to look up at night, they will quietly glide down to their prey and if possible attempt to fit their entire meal into their mouth at the same time if this is not possible the snatcher will fit as much as possible into its mouth where its suite of barbed teeth and bony drill like tongues will slash and eviscerate its prey and extract their bones one by one. Humans are usually lucky enough to be decapitated within the first few seconds due to their heads being the top most part of their body but quadrupeds are not nearly so lucky. After subjecting its prey to this toothed iron maiden it will often leave the rest of the body as it is unable to digest flesh and only craves the bones within some unlucky scavengers have been reported to survive these encounters and be left with little to no bones for upwards of hours.

Additional Information

Domestication

It is exceedingly rare to see a trainer with the skill to train aa Bone snatcher but those that do have the skill are very very rich

Uses, Products & Exploitation

A trained bone snatcher can offer its owner a flying mount that doubles as one of the best assassination tools on the market.

Facial characteristics

Some snatchers have what appear to be facial features in the skull itself under the see through skin of their faces

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Wardens Rest

Average Intelligence

Raven like

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Bone Snatchers are believed to navigate using echolocation but differentiate targets be them friend or foe with their large Noses. Snatchers are all completely blind rendering them mostly immune to Venarian corruption (thank sol)

Scientific Name

Mortem Chiroptiae

Lifespan

10 years

Conservation Status

This species is often hunted for the safety of all human scavengers.

Average Physique

Lightly muscled but easily overpowered

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Bone snatchers are usually brown and yellow but purple nd other dusk/dwn like colors and patterns have been reported.