#batworld

The Penguin-foxes were a once highly successful branch of balloon foxes. Today there’s only one surviving species, the Hardy Penguin-Fox native to Batworlds far south. Found on both Julikan continents and the Austral Islands, these small adaptable carnivores will eat anything from fish and bugs to young and flightless bats and dragons. Despite originating in Austral Juliko, all native ballon foxes went extinct when the continent drifted over the South Pole and froze over. Out of the four surviving clades, only the amphibious Penguin-foxes and volant dragons have since resettled the continent.

Bats are incredibly intelligent. Their intelligence level is thought to be comparable to dolphins and horses..if not higher. Because of this, enrichment is very important for bats in captivity It can come in many different forms. Novel foods, new toys and puzzle feeders are provided here at the sanctuary. Sometimes, enrichment can come in the form of sensory stimulation....like Statler's today. Flying foxes are known to sun in the wild. Statler, at 33 years old, is living his best life. Statler came to us in 2018, before we rescued him he had a rough go at several zoos and was very unhappy. While the majority of his records were kept immaculately, we are unsure of how he lost his eye. Statler Indian Flying foxes can live from 25 to 30 years in captivity, and often less in the wild. In his old age, he likes to spend most of his day in his hammock, since he no longer able to fly. But he enjoys treats being delivered directly to him in bed. 😁

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Hidden in the densely vegetated eastern forest, the Glaring Spring Catcher can be found stalking small prey. Their senses are well developed, as evidenced by their large eyes and ears, though their sense of smell is notably less acute. They use these senses to locate prey, typically some sort of Ratbat, but this agile creature is known to catch anything it can get its grubby little hands on, even including flying bats and small dragons.

The Spring catchers preferred habitat is dense woodland, something they have found in abundance along Utasha’s eastern coast. The canopy here grows dense, and the understory is covered in bramble, giving the spring catcher practically unlimited hiding spots. Yet this only applies for the summer, as when winter arrives, the trees shed their leaves, and the forest weeds die back, leaving any would-be predator horribly exposed.

The spring catcher's solution is quite simple; hibernation.

It is one of only three hibernating handbats currently alive. The others being the grey bush catcher and Morgland craftsman. When summer ends and the day lengthens, the spring catcher starts preparing for the coming hibernation. This can prove futile when late autumn approaches and the mating season begins. Males can spend entire days fighting over females, burning through their fat reserves in the process.