Post by Shade on Jun 24, 2011 9:29:04 GMT -5
Family- Bats
Colony Name- Long Ears
Human Name- Townsend's Long/Big-eared Bats
Physical Description and Basic Information- Long Ears are a particular bat colony more common out west in states like Oregon, Texas, Montana, and California (though their territory sometimes overlaps with their eastern cousins like the Silverwings). Long Ears prefer to roost in trees or human structures like barns during the summer and spring months. During winter though, Long Ears will gather together in large, open caverns or abandoned mines. They follow no real migratory route, and instead, usually choose the shelter available to them in the vicinity.
How Long Ears got their name is painfully obvious. Their massive ears are nearly as long as half their body is and are much wider than other northern bats. They are a medium sized bat that is about 10 inches long, and their broad wings measure about 12 to 13 inches long when fully grown. Their fur tends to be a light brown to an almost brown/black. They are dimorphic, and as a result, the females are slightly larger than the males.
Long Ears are insectivores. Since their echo-location is a lot more subtle and quieter (to avoid the possibility that prey or predators can hone in on their signal), their ears are much larger to catch their own sound waves. Long Ears hunt primarily above tree line, and hover silently to nearby insects they like to eat such as moths, flies, lacewings, dung beetles, and sawflies. Rather than just pluck them from the air with their mouth, Long Ears envelop their prey in their tail membrane, like a basket, and eat the insect while still hovering. Long Ears don't always use echo-location though. They have been known to hunt close to the ground as well, relying only on their incredible hearing to track their prey down.
Society and Structure- Long Ears as a whole, have a society somewhere very close between Graywings and Brightwings, having both an individualistic aspect to it as well as a social one. During the summer and spring months, males live apart from the females, and are almost completely solitary while the females live in maternity colonies, which are between 12 individuals comprising one group in close proximity to another, or one large group of anywhere from 200 to 1,000 female individuals and their young. The colony only comes together fully during the weeks before hibernation, in which male Long Ears are able to reconnect with their kin again.
Long Ears are believers of Nocturna like many other Northern bats. Many Long Ears were present during the War To Take Back The Sun, and many males were willing to fight until the conflict looked helpless, in which the bats finally surrendered. Unlike the Silverwings though, Long Ears were always distrustful of the human bands, and regularly exiled members of their colony that had them like the Brightwings did, though it wasn't so much out of superstition than what they viewed as a legitimate threat.
Long Ears go by an elder structure, but it has a few key differences. Due to the fact that the females keep the colony together yearly and that the males by nature are rather solitary, Long Ear colonies are also matriarchal, or dominated politically by the females. This isn't meant to be cruel or controlling though, it's simply a system that worked. Female elders have a lot of power in Long Ear colonies, and their word is almost law, with a more rigid code of power.
Long Ears are usually born in the maternity colony surrounded by other females and their offspring. Long Ears seldom grow up lonely with the large amount of other bats their own age, and most form life-long friendships during this period. The young newborns live with their mother and the maternity as summer and early fall pass. Then the males come back, and it's a rather exciting time for both young females the previous year looking for a mate and for the mothers and their son or daughter to reunite with their father/mate. When winter comes, the Long Ears roost together. When spring comes and hibernation ends, the Long Ears have a few weeks of celebration before the males (including last year's newborns), leave to live in small groups or completely solitary lives. Young females and older females who have mated again the previous autumn season give birth to new Long Ears soon after.
Long Ear bats have been known for many accomplishments. They believe their ancestors were one of the first inventors of "sound maps", a very useful tool that even other bat colonies have adopted to find their migratory roosting locations. Trained males that live lives of solitude are masters of "the voice", using sound as a powerful, primal force that shape illusions to those who use echo-location and can even be used as a physical attack or defense. Zephyr, the blind, albino Long Ear bat that lives in the Cathedral and helps bat colonies on their migratory paths is a master of the voice, able to hear the echoes of times past and present. In his youth, Zephyr imparted knowledge to other bat clans so they too could learn to use the voice.
Relationships With Other Creatures-
Northern Bats- Long Ear bats have pleasant working relations with most other bat colonies of the North. The actions of Zephyr has enriched and aided the other bat colonies. Long Ear bats remain a steadfast ally for other colonies, even if they don't always see eye to eye.
Owls and Other Predatory Birds- Long Ear colonies were active in the War To Take Back The Sun, and so relations between the owls and the Long Ear bats were predictably cold. With the new improvement in relations, Long Ears remain skeptical yet open to diplomatic ties.
Beasts- Long Ears tolerate beasts. Any relations with them is for the benefit of the individual or colony or there are no relations at all.
Vampyrum Spectrum- The cannibal bats are to be treated as monsters. Thanks to the actions of Shade Silverwing who had mastered "The Voice", they have been repelled from the Northern Territories, hopefully forever...
Humans- Long Ears were always distrustful of humans, and recent events seem to only reinforce that theory.
Notable Long Ears
1. Zephyr
2. Scirocco
Colony Name- Long Ears
Human Name- Townsend's Long/Big-eared Bats
Physical Description and Basic Information- Long Ears are a particular bat colony more common out west in states like Oregon, Texas, Montana, and California (though their territory sometimes overlaps with their eastern cousins like the Silverwings). Long Ears prefer to roost in trees or human structures like barns during the summer and spring months. During winter though, Long Ears will gather together in large, open caverns or abandoned mines. They follow no real migratory route, and instead, usually choose the shelter available to them in the vicinity.
How Long Ears got their name is painfully obvious. Their massive ears are nearly as long as half their body is and are much wider than other northern bats. They are a medium sized bat that is about 10 inches long, and their broad wings measure about 12 to 13 inches long when fully grown. Their fur tends to be a light brown to an almost brown/black. They are dimorphic, and as a result, the females are slightly larger than the males.
Long Ears are insectivores. Since their echo-location is a lot more subtle and quieter (to avoid the possibility that prey or predators can hone in on their signal), their ears are much larger to catch their own sound waves. Long Ears hunt primarily above tree line, and hover silently to nearby insects they like to eat such as moths, flies, lacewings, dung beetles, and sawflies. Rather than just pluck them from the air with their mouth, Long Ears envelop their prey in their tail membrane, like a basket, and eat the insect while still hovering. Long Ears don't always use echo-location though. They have been known to hunt close to the ground as well, relying only on their incredible hearing to track their prey down.
Society and Structure- Long Ears as a whole, have a society somewhere very close between Graywings and Brightwings, having both an individualistic aspect to it as well as a social one. During the summer and spring months, males live apart from the females, and are almost completely solitary while the females live in maternity colonies, which are between 12 individuals comprising one group in close proximity to another, or one large group of anywhere from 200 to 1,000 female individuals and their young. The colony only comes together fully during the weeks before hibernation, in which male Long Ears are able to reconnect with their kin again.
Long Ears are believers of Nocturna like many other Northern bats. Many Long Ears were present during the War To Take Back The Sun, and many males were willing to fight until the conflict looked helpless, in which the bats finally surrendered. Unlike the Silverwings though, Long Ears were always distrustful of the human bands, and regularly exiled members of their colony that had them like the Brightwings did, though it wasn't so much out of superstition than what they viewed as a legitimate threat.
Long Ears go by an elder structure, but it has a few key differences. Due to the fact that the females keep the colony together yearly and that the males by nature are rather solitary, Long Ear colonies are also matriarchal, or dominated politically by the females. This isn't meant to be cruel or controlling though, it's simply a system that worked. Female elders have a lot of power in Long Ear colonies, and their word is almost law, with a more rigid code of power.
Long Ears are usually born in the maternity colony surrounded by other females and their offspring. Long Ears seldom grow up lonely with the large amount of other bats their own age, and most form life-long friendships during this period. The young newborns live with their mother and the maternity as summer and early fall pass. Then the males come back, and it's a rather exciting time for both young females the previous year looking for a mate and for the mothers and their son or daughter to reunite with their father/mate. When winter comes, the Long Ears roost together. When spring comes and hibernation ends, the Long Ears have a few weeks of celebration before the males (including last year's newborns), leave to live in small groups or completely solitary lives. Young females and older females who have mated again the previous autumn season give birth to new Long Ears soon after.
Long Ear bats have been known for many accomplishments. They believe their ancestors were one of the first inventors of "sound maps", a very useful tool that even other bat colonies have adopted to find their migratory roosting locations. Trained males that live lives of solitude are masters of "the voice", using sound as a powerful, primal force that shape illusions to those who use echo-location and can even be used as a physical attack or defense. Zephyr, the blind, albino Long Ear bat that lives in the Cathedral and helps bat colonies on their migratory paths is a master of the voice, able to hear the echoes of times past and present. In his youth, Zephyr imparted knowledge to other bat clans so they too could learn to use the voice.
Relationships With Other Creatures-
Northern Bats- Long Ear bats have pleasant working relations with most other bat colonies of the North. The actions of Zephyr has enriched and aided the other bat colonies. Long Ear bats remain a steadfast ally for other colonies, even if they don't always see eye to eye.
Owls and Other Predatory Birds- Long Ear colonies were active in the War To Take Back The Sun, and so relations between the owls and the Long Ear bats were predictably cold. With the new improvement in relations, Long Ears remain skeptical yet open to diplomatic ties.
Beasts- Long Ears tolerate beasts. Any relations with them is for the benefit of the individual or colony or there are no relations at all.
Vampyrum Spectrum- The cannibal bats are to be treated as monsters. Thanks to the actions of Shade Silverwing who had mastered "The Voice", they have been repelled from the Northern Territories, hopefully forever...
Humans- Long Ears were always distrustful of humans, and recent events seem to only reinforce that theory.
Notable Long Ears
1. Zephyr
2. Scirocco