Encyclopaedia Elysia | Creatures / Messenger Bat

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Name: Rasuli, a messenger bat (aka "courier bat").

Category: Pets & Useful

Type: Avians

Size: Tiny

Region: Forest, specifically Zanaryan.

Rarity: Common; Rare pets in Elysia but common in Zanarya

Lifespan: 10 years.

Appearance

Rasuli bats are odd little creatures, barely 10 centimetres at full length with dark, ruddy brown fur over soft, charcoal-black fuzzy skin. The wings, which extend to some 20 centimetres in span, are bare of fur and just as soft and fuzzy to the touch.

The short round ears are pink on the inside, as are their tiny toes and fingers. Their tail, which is 5 centimetres long and wide at the base, is black and can fold under the bat's body as a pouch to carry insects back to their roost.

Behaviour

Rasuli bats are naturally nocturnal, being virtually blind in the daylight and not much better in the dark. However, domesticated bats are trained to fly to exhaustion be it day or night, and heavily rely on echolocation to navigate.

They're by nature a peaceful, playful species and can often be seen racing each other in the tree-tops or knocking each other off branches. Domesticated bats, though a tool for passing messages, can be rambunctious and get lonely easily. They tend to latch on to one person as their primary caregiver, but are almost as affectionate with anyone who gives them food.

Diet: Small insects, usually of the winged variety, fruit and small nuts.

Habitat: Wild rasuli live in the tree-tops of Zanaryan forests, roosting upside-down in the thick of the foliage. Domesticated bats, on the other hand, are trained to live virtually anywhere as long as they have plenty to eat and a roosting space in the dark. However, they don't seem to like Elysian trees so there are only a few colonies throughout the Fae.

Breeding: They breed indiscriminately year-round, so there are thousands of them in Zanarya's forests.

Special Information

Strengths/Abilities:

The rasuli's echolocation enables them to "see", although they are virtually blind in the daylight and almost as blind in the dark. They also have exceptional memories which makes them easy to train.

Weaknesses:

They're small, so can only go so far before they begin to tire. In the wild, they stick to a small area. Domestically, they're used most often for short-range messaging.

Uses:

The way rasuli bats use their tail as a pouch for carrying insects back to their roost also enables them to carry tiny canisters with rolled-up messages inside. Their exceptional memory makes them easy to train, and their echolocation makes them good navigators in the dark so they can be used day or night as short-range messengers.

Origin: Rasuli bats originated in the high tree-tops on the flanks of the Paian and Serren mountains in Zanarya. A few were introduced to Elysia, as pets and messengers, in the 9700s (XA) when Zanarya reconnected, but they don't seem to like Elysian trees so only a few small colonies survived. Most rasuli in captivity now are imported from Zanarya where they've been bred and trained by experts, so it's rare for one to be held as just a pet.

Other Info:

Creator: Emma