Shredder bat Shredder bat was the common name for a number of related bat species of various worlds . They were originally native to the Core Worlds planet Atrisia . The species , which grew up to one meter in length and wingspan , had highly sensitive hearing produced by a series of hearing organs along its neck and forehead . Such acute hearing enabled the shredder bat to pinpoint prey up to fifteen kilometers away . The bats traveled in packs and attacked by dive - bombing prey with great speed and accuracy , sometimes killing their targets instantly . Shredder bats spread to over a thousand worlds , including Hethar and Pallaxides . The various species were occasionally hunted for sport , but more often were considered dangerous and unwanted predators . Scientists speculated over the mode of transmission between planets , with some xenobiologist s proposing the shredder bats utilized infant hibernation such that otherwise ignorant target creatures carried their eggs . Biology and appearance . The shredder bats were a family of winged , non - sentient species . The varieties had in common a long , thin body that reached up to one meter in length . The body consisted of a furred portion , from which branched the wings , and a bald portion that included the head . The furred portion came in dark and light varieties , and had two , short legs with three sharp toes each . When in flight , the legs were held close to the body . A long , split tail also grew from one end of that furred portion of the body . The bald portion of the body was light in coloration , flexible , and had two angular , backward slanting ears halfway down the head . A series of hearing organs also grew between the ears , along their necks and on the forehead . The aural organs were subtly attuned to different pitches , providing the varieties of shredder bat with incredibly sensitive hearing with which they were able to discern and pinpoint life forms from up to fifteen kilometers ' distance . Such sensitivity , however , left the creatures vulnerable to high - frequency sounds . Concentrated bursts scrambled their sense of hearing , causing the predators to plummet out of the air . Despite having no eyes , shredder bats possessed brains which formed a composite and precise image of their surroundings . At the end of the shredder bat head was a row of four sharp , extended fangs . An additional fang grew on each side of the mouth . Inside the maw was an extensible , tube - like tongue that was used to drink blood from the predator ' s prey . Common among shredder bat species were two wings , with webbing between each of the three , clawed fingers . The wings could attain a span of up to one meter . In some species , those wings were dark in coloration and the webbing appeared mottled , while in others the wings and webbing were lighter in hue . Female shredder bats produced soft , jellied eggs that were less than a millimeter in diameter . Eggs were laid in clutches of up to 300 at a time , with a gestation period of twenty - two days — short by comparison with many other species . A single female could reproduce up to five times per annum . Some xenobiologist s advanced the theory that some shredder bats could enter their young into a form of infant hibernation . In that manner , the shredder bat could insert the eggs into unaware target creatures . The several distinct species of shredder bat were adapted according to habitats . The snow shredder bat was rare , and the only species in the shredder bat family that could survive in frigid climates . Some sentient species considered the shredder bats to be edible . Behavior . The shredder bat was an efficient predator , active during both night and day . With its sensitive hearing , the creature could pinpoint prey from up to fifteen kilometers away . Once within range , a shredder bat folded its wings back against its body and extended its fangs , plummeting swiftly to its prey and inflicting lethal diving assaults . Those dives targeted the coronary artery of the prey ; given the velocity of the diving shredder bat , such strikes often resulted in immediate death for the quarry . Diving attacks were sometimes accompanied by shrieks . If initial attacks were unsuccessful , shredder bats were known to track wounded prey for several kilometers to finish the hunt . Once a shredder bat had secured its prey , it extended its tongue and drew nourishment from its target ' s blood ; however , kills did not go uncontested . Shredder bats often competed over slain creatures , sometimes to the death . It was not uncommon for several shredder bats to fall victim to such squabbling . Such competition was exacerbated by the pack nature of shredder bats . The creatures frequently gathered in packs of twenty members , and swarms composed of hundreds of the creatures were reported on some planets . Shredder bat mothers were stridently protective of their young , a necessary characteristic as other females often attacked unprotected offspring . Observers believed that predatory behavior reflected a maternal instinct designed to increase the chance of one ' s own young to survive . Ultimately , the behavior meant that shredder bats were equally as dangerous to their own kind as to other species . Only strong shredder bat young survived to adulthood , and the typical lifespan of the creatures was two to four years . Such infighting also checked the otherwise rampant expansion of the species . The various shredder bat species inhabited diverse climates and ecosystems . Shredder bat populations were found living among mountains , plains , forests , tropical jungles , and a variety of other terrain . Most shredder bat species hibernated during cold seasons , although the snow shredder bat was an exception . History . The shredder bat evolved on the planet Atrisia , located in the southwestern portion of the Core Worlds . Following Atrisia ' s entrance into the galactic community , the shredder bat was soon found off - world . It somehow established populations on over a thousand planets , prompting speculation as to how such a dangerous predator could have been spread inadvertently . One theory held that the shredder bats found their way into starship cargo holds , and ineffective or negligent contamination procedures failed to prevent their spread . A small group of xenobiologists postulated that infant hibernation lay behind their virulent spread . A population of shredder bats was present on the planet Hethar during the Galactic Civil War . The Outer Rim world held a small Imperial contingent , which was under investigation by several members of the Alliance to Restore the Republic , including the operative Homack . One evening , a pack of shredder bats attacked the Rebel camp . Forewarned by a screech and a flutter of wings , the Rebel sentries activated Merr - Sonn Excluder s , a piece of technology that generated waves of high - frequency sound . The device incapacitated the attacking shredder bats , who fell uncontrollably to the ground . Homack and the sentries swiftly killed the hapless creatures without alerting the nearby Imperial contingent . The following morning , the agents ate the shredder bats for breakfast . Homack later shared the incident on " Gundark ' s Gear Datalog " . The conglomerate Tagge Company introduced a population of shredder bats to its Outer Rim resort world Pallaxides . The bats , and other dangerous creatures such as the zuxu , were imported to provide hunting opportunities for visiting Tagge Company executives ; the decision was made without regard to the possible ecological impacts the predators could have on local populations such as the docile , airborne rormaroo . Members of the Tapani sector aristocracy also hunted shredder bats . Two shredder bat carcasses were displayed in the Grand Hall of the House Melantha Orbital Hunting Lodge over the moon Vilhon . Behind the scenes . The shredder bats were created by Peter Venters and Bill Smith for " Creatures of the Galaxy " , published in 1994 by West End Games as a sourcebook for " " . " Creatures of the Galaxy " was unique in that , instead of soliciting artists to illustrate the manuscript of the book , West End Games asked artists to create creatures that would later have a manuscript written to support the artwork . Artists were instructed to " come up with some neat - looking creatures , [ and ] jot down a few notes . " With that mandate , Venters illustrated the shredder bat , one of several creatures he created for the sourcebook , and Smith later fleshed out the creature ' s background and roleplaying statistics . Shredder bats were later included in three publications in 1997 : they were mentioned in " Gone To Ground , " an adventure written by Kevin MacGregor as part of " No Disintegrations " , and in " " , a sourcebook by Jen Seiden , and were illustrated by Jacen Burrows in " Lords of the Expanse " , another adventure book .