Desmodus (Endangered)

Desmodus

SCIENTIFIC NAME- *Desmodus Gigas*

DIET-Carnivore/Blood

HABITAT-CRUKEARAH

APPEARANCE

These are large yet fluffy vampire bats, with flat fleshy faces and wings. The main body and small tail are covered in fluffy hairs, while the face, ears, wings, and legs have none. The teeth on desmodus are very odd, yet effective. They are very sharp yet seem to grow in random places in the gums. No desmodus teeth arrangement is the same. There are no noticeable differences between males and females, other than the teeth size being bigger on the males.

They are the biggest of all bat-like creatures in all the realms, being about 5 feet tall and having a wingspan of about 7 feet. The wing muscles are very thick and strong, allowing them to pick up speed quickly and fly for long periods of time. Yet their small bodies allow them to be very agile in the air, allowing for very complex flight patterns and attacks.

They have massive ears, capable of picking up on sounds and vibrations over 5 miles away. While they do have the ability to echolocate, they rather use their great night vision and hearing to get around. However, this also means that they are extremely sensitive. Any loud and persistent noise close to them is very painful, and in some cases can make the ears bleed causing permanent damage.

Their sense of smell is great as well, being 2x as strong as a bloodhound’s. The scent of blood triggers a part of the brain dubbed the “Sanguis Ira”. It pumps insane amounts of adrenaline into the body, and stress hormones to provoke the creature into finding the bleeding animal. And once they get a taste of the blood, It pumps even more into the creature, making it bloodthirsty and the adrenaline basically makes it unable to feel pain. This state is called Blood Rage. After the hunt is over, the desmodus is very weak and exhausted and often sleeps for a couple days to recover.

BEHAVIOR

Desmodus live in packs of up to ten members, and they spend most of their time hanging from the tops of caves. They like to hang close to each other for protection, and will hold young in their wings until they are safe to hang on their own. They are often ambushed while sleeping, so sticking together helps them all survive.

When not sleeping, they leave the cave briefly to hunt. They’ll try pretty much anything, and once the blood is spilled and they get into blood rage little can stop them. They will fight to the death in that state, and even the strongest of creatures cannot handle all ten. Once they’re killed, they’ll use their power legs and wings to drag the prey back into the cave, and if one of the packs was killed in the process, they'll drag it back and eat it too.

Desmodus cannot create their own blood, so they rely on using the blood of their enemies instead. This means if it does not drink blood, it will die of blood loss easily if injured. And sometimes the blood needs to be replaced. They let out excess blood by leaking it out of their mouths. Due to the fact they use other creatures' blood can have a great effect on their appearance, like dragonblood.

Desmodus's mating rituals are pretty basic. Males do not often fight with each other, but when they do, It often ends in one dying and being eaten by the others. Females give live birth, and can have up to three young at one time.

Therefore grown and about a year old. When first born, the mother should have stocked up on blood, so it can leak some from her mouth to force into the limp babies to bring them to life. Until they are about 6 months old, they'll spend most of their time under the mother's wing for safety. They are very vulnerable at this stage.

COMPETITION

Cavern dragons and night dragons are the main threats to the species now. Cavern dragons not so much, but night dragons are the reason Desmodus are so nervous to sleep in fear of being ambushed by them.

They are pretty evenly matched, especially when they go into blood rage. But if caught off guard they are helpless.

Humans however are the reason these creatures have become so rare. They used to live outside of caves, in some dark and mountainous areas, but people have driven them into caves. They would sell the teeth for things like necklaces and cloak made of their hide. It was believed that though these creatures were "evil", wearing their bodies would protect you from "Kybris's dark magic."

KNOWN Desmodus

-Peep