Stump Bat

The stump bat (imat hoxa), also called the root bat, is a small, flying frugivorous native to the DSRR’s southwestern wetlands.
== Description ==
The stump bat is small, averaging a wingspan of one pentant. It is covered in short, stiff hair that is naturally black but often dyed red or brown by accumulated plant pollen. Individuals have sharp incisors, a fox-like face, and large dark eyes. 
== Habitat and Behavior ==
Stump bats inhabit the Red southwest, roosting throughout the marshlands according to seasonal patterns. They are nocturnal creatures, sleeping during the day, and foraging and roaming at night. In the spring and summer, when it is warmer, the bats roost in small rocky caves, usually in large, same-sex groups of ten to twenty individuals. In the fall and winter, when the cold sets in, they seek out the region’s ashnaught for warmth and shelter. They cling to the stump to sleep through the day, using camouflage to dupe predators and using the plant’s warmth to keep themselves comfortable. This behavior inspired their name. Three to six bats will cling to one ashnaught, and the groups are no longer sex-segregated. The ashnaught has coevolved with the stump bat, and uses them to spread. In winter, when the air begins to warm from the sun rising in the morning, the ashnaught releases a cloud of pollen, which clings to the bats roosting below the plant. Their thick coat ensures the pollen sticks.  The bats then spread the pollen to other ashnaughts throughout the season. This pollen gives their naturally black hair a subtle red or brown color. 
== Reproduction ==
Stump bats reproduce seasonally, coupling off in late winter, when they are still roosting under ashnaughts. Females gestate the young for roughly four months, giving birth in summer. At this point, the bats have returned to the caves to roost, and the groups are sex-segregated. The female gives birth to a single offspring among a group of other female bats, who act to protect and groom the newborn bat. The group of females will continue to help each other rear the young, alternating between watching the pups and hunting for fruit. The young are weaned and independent by mid to late fall, and sexually mature within a year. 
Category:Mammal
Category:Flora and Fauna