#greater mouse-tailed bat

[loveisinthebat]

Him Stare

[daily-batposting]

Greater Mouse-Tailed Bat, photographed by Sahil Pandey, (source)

[mindblowingscience]

When a colony of bats leaves their cave and takes to the skies at night to hunt, they often do so in such big groups that they almost look like one giant blob. How these winged mammals can achieve such tight densities–sometimes numbering in the hundreds of thousands of bats–yet do not crash into one another has puzzled scientists for decades.  Now, researchers believe they’ve figured out how bats can still hear amidst the din similar to a noisy cocktail party. They appear to change the way they echolocate in order to get a better idea of where exactly the bats closest to them are located. The findings are detailed in a study published March 31 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Continue Reading.

[bestanimal]

Round 3 - Mammalia - Chiroptera

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Our next order of mammals is Chiroptera, commonly called “bats.” Chiroptera is the second largest order of mammals after Rodentia. Bats comprise about 20% of all classified mammal species worldwide, with over 1,400 species. They are divided into the families Pteropodidae (“megabats”), Rhinopomatidae (“mouse-tailed bats”), Craseonycteridae (“Kitti's Hog-nosed Bat”), Megadermatidae (“false vampire bats”), Rhinonycteridae (“trident bats”), Hipposideridae (“Old World leaf-nosed bats”), Rhinolophidae (“horseshoe bats”), Nycteridae (“slit-faced bats”), Emballonuridae (“sac-winged bats” and “sheath-tailed bats”), Myzopodidae (“sucker-footed bats”), Mystacinidae (“New Zealand short-tailed bats”), Thyropteridae (“disk-winged bats”), Furipteridae (“Smoky Bat” and “Thumbless Bat”), Noctilionidae (“bulldog bats”), Mormoopidae (“ghost-faced bats”, “mustached bats”, and “naked-backed bats”), Phyllostomidae (“New World leaf-nosed bats”), Natalidae (“funnel-eared bats”), Molossidae (“free-tailed bats”), Miniopteridae (“long-fingered” and “bent-winged bats”), Cistugidae (“wing-gland bats”), and Vespertilionidae (“vesper bats”).

Bats are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight, with their forelimbs adapted as wings. Their wings are a patagium of skin stretched between 4 fingers, with their thumbs pointing forward and supporting the leading edge of the wing. The wings of bats are much thinner and consist of more bones than the wings of birds, allowing bats to maneuver more accurately and fly with more lift and less drag. The surface of the wings is equipped with touch-sensitive receptors on small bumps called Merkel cells, also found on human fingertips. In bats, each of these bumps has a tiny hair in the center, making it even more sensitive and allowing the bat to detect and adapt to changing airflow. While bats are highly agile in the air, they can only crawl or drag themselves awkwardly across the ground, and most of their time not in the air is spent roosting upside down. However, a few species, such as the New Zealand Lesser Short-tailed Bat (Mystacina tuberculata) and the Common Vampire Bat (Desmodus rotundus) are able to walk or even run on all fours. Most bats are insectivores, and most of the rest are frugivores (fruit-eaters) or nectarivores (nectar-eaters). A few feed on vertebrates, such as the specialized blood-drinking vampire bats (subfamily Desmodontinae), the bird-hunting Greater Noctule Bat (Nyctalus lasiopterus), the fish-catching Greater Bulldog Bat (Noctilio leporinus), the frog-eating Fringe-lipped Bat (Trachops cirrhosus), and the Spectral Bat (Vampyrum spectrum) and Ghost Bat (Macroderma gigas) which sometimes feed on other bats. Carnivorous bats make use of echolocation for navigation and finding prey, while herbivorous bats use their more well-developed eyesight. Apart from the Arctic, the Antarctic and a few isolated oceanic islands, bats exist in almost every habitat on Earth.

Some bats lead solitary lives, while others live in colonies of millions. In some, the females live in groups while the males are solitary, or males and females will live in separate groups. Most species are polygynous, where males mate with multiple females. Some species are promiscuous, where both sexes mate with multiple partners. A few species form monogamous pairs. Female bats use a variety of strategies to control the timing of pregnancy and the birth of young, to make delivery coincide with maximum food ability and other ecological conditions. In most bat species, females carry and give birth to a single pup per litter. The young emerges rear-first, possibly to prevent the wings from getting tangled, and the female cradles it in her wing and tail membranes. In social species, females give birth and raise their young in maternity colonies and may assist each other in birthing. A few species also assist in suckling other mothers’ young. Most of the care for a bat pup comes from the mother, but in monogamous species, the father will also play a role in childcare.

The fragile skeletons of bats do not fossilize well, but Chiroptera is assumed to have arisen in the Eocene. The oldest known bat fossils include Archaeonycteris praecursor and Altaynycteris aurora (55–56 million years ago), both known only from isolated teeth. The oldest complete bat skeleton is Icaronycteris gunnelli (52 million years ago).

Propaganda under the cut:

The eyes of most carnivorous bat species are small and poorly developed, leading to poor visual acuity, but no species is truly blind. Microbats may use their vision for orientation and while travelling between their roosting grounds and feeding grounds, as echolocation is effective only over short distances. Some species can even detect ultraviolet (UV) light.

The smallest mammal in the world is the Kitti's Hog-nosed Bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai), also known as the Bumblebee Bat (though the the Etruscan Shrew [Suncus etruscus] is smaller by body mass). An adult Kitti's Hog-nosed Bat is about 29 to 33 mm (1.1 to 1.3 in) in length and weighs around 2 g (0.071 oz).

On the other wing, the largest bat in the world is the Giant Golden-crowned Flying Fox (Acerodon jubatus) which can reach a weight of 1.6 kg (3.5 lb) and has a wingspan of 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in).

Bat dung is mined as guano from caves and used as a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. Bat guano also contains fine particles of insect exoskeleton, which are largely composed of chitin. Chitin from insect exoskeletons is an essential compound needed by beneficial soil fungi, as chitin is a major component of fungal cell wall membranes. This fungi then improves soil fertility. However, unsustainable harvesting of bat guano may cause bats to abandon their roost. Many cave ecosystems are wholly dependent on bats to provide nutrients via their guano which supports bacteria, fungi, invertebrates, and vertebrates in the cave. The loss of bats from a cave can result in the extinction of species that rely on their guano.

The extinct bats Palaeochiropteryx tupaiodon and Hassianycteris kumari, both of which lived 48 million years ago, are the first fossil mammals whose colorations have been discovered. Both were reddish-brown.

The fastest flying bat, the Mexican Free-tailed Bat (Tadarida brasiliensis), can achieve a ground speed of 160 km/h (100 mph)!

Mexican Free-tailed Bats are one of the few species to "sing" like birds. Males sing to attract females.

Greater Bulldog Bats (Noctilio leporinus) “honk” to warn each other when they may be about to collide.

Carnivorous bats make use of magnetoreception, in that they have a high sensitivity to the Earth's magnetic field, like birds. These bats use a polarity-based compass, meaning that they differentiate North from South, unlike birds, which use the strength of the magnetic field to differentiate latitudes.

Scientists reported in January 2025 that they had discovered how some bats travel hundreds of miles in the spring to give birth in warmer temperatures: they surf storm fronts.

The Spotted Bat (Euderma maculatum) can travel as much as 38.5 km (24 mi) in one night in search of food.

Many species of plants depend on bats for seed dispersal. The Jamaican Fruit Bat (Artibeus jamaicensis) has been recorded carrying fruits weighing 3–14 g or even as much as 50 g.

Nectar-eating bats have acquired specialised adaptations. These bats possess long muzzles and long, extensible tongues covered in fine bristles that aid them in feeding on particular flowers and plants. These long, narrow tongues can reach deep into the long cup shape of some flowers. When the tongue retracts, it coils up inside the rib cage. The Tube-lipped Nectar Bat (Anoura fistulata) has the longest tongue of any mammal relative to its body size.

Around 500 species of flowering plant rely on bat pollination. Because of this, some of these flowers have adapted to only open their flowers at night.

Due to the specialized metabolism of Vampire Bats (subfamily Desmodontinae) they are highly susceptible to starvation if they fail to feed within 70 hours. To combat this, vampire bats engage in reciprocal altruism, and will feed each other by regurgitating blood. If a bat cannot find food two nights in a row, due to injury, illness, or simple unluckiness, one of its colony mates may feed it. Vampire bats who are more “popular” in the colony may be fed more often.

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a fungal disease in North American bats which has resulted in the dramatic decrease of the bat population in the United States and Canada, killing millions and causing a 90% decline in some areas. The condition is named for a distinctive fungal growth of Pseudogymnoascus destructans around the muzzles and on the wings of hibernating bats. It is likely the fungus was brought to North America from Europe by cavers who didn’t wash their equipment. Bats in Europe seem to be resistant to the fungus. The Forest Service estimated in 2008 that the die-off from white-nose syndrome means that at least 2.4 million pounds (1.1 million kg or 1,100 tons) of insects will go uneaten, possibly leading to crop damage or having other economic impact.

It has been estimated that bats save the agricultural industry of the United States anywhere from $3.7 billion to $53 billion per year in pesticides and damage to crops. This also prevents the overuse of pesticides, which can pollute the surrounding environment, and may lead to resistance in future generations of insects.

Homosexual relations have been observed in the Bonin Flying Fox (Pteropus pselaphon) and the Indian Flying Fox (Pteropus medius).

The Christmas Island Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus murrayi) was declared extinct in 2009. This extinction was likely caused by introduced, invasive species such as Domestic Cats (Felis catus), Black Rats (Rattus rattus), Common Wolf Snakes (Lycodon capucinus), and Yellow Crazy Ants (Anoplolepis gracilipes). The bats could have also been poisoned by the insecticide Fipronil, used to control Yellow Crazy Ant Colonies.

In China, bats have been associated with happiness, joy, and good fortune. Five bats are used to symbolise the "Five Blessings": longevity, wealth, health, love of virtue, and peaceful death.

A new threat to bats has arisen in the form of bat taxidermy. Bat taxidermy, where bats are either mounted in glass, encased in resin, articulated as a skeleton, or simply stuffed, is growing in popularity as “quirky” decor. However, many sellers will claim to be ethical when they are not, and are actually catching and killing bats to meet the rising demand of this new market. In some cases, entire caves will be gassed so that the bat carcasses can be harvested by the thousands. Many of the bat species used for oddity decor are declining or even endangered. The transport of bat carcasses overseas has also been linked to the spread of disease.

[outofangband]

Mammals of Dorthonion

Birds of Dorthonion

Flora, fauna, geography and environment of Arda Masterlist

This is a somewhat shorter post as I relegated it to pre Bragollach Dorthonion! I’m planning on making a separate post for Tarn nu Fuin. As always I included some world building at the end

Pine forests: Caucasian squirrel, northern bat, pine vole, pine martin, forest dormouse

Western slopes and cliffs: : crested porcupine, wild goat, red deer, fallow deer, lesser mouse tailed bat, greater horseshoe bat, common hare, grey hamster, bezoar ibex, steppe wolf

Heathlands: roe deer, common stoat, brown hare, water vole, common rabbit (rarer), common weasel, striped fieldmouse, house mouse

World building notes:

-There are about forty species of mammals in Dorthonion including many subspecies not listed above; the majority are found in the hills and cliffs of the western part of the region

-The Bëorians keep a number of mammals including donkeys, goats, alpacas, Guinea pigs, rabbits, and some sheep. Most of these were brought from Estolad and over the Ered Luin rather than being native to Dorthonion however interbreeding with local species did later occur.

-The Arafinwëan host in Dorthonion keep horses, both a small number of the Valinor born horses and their descendants given to the Nolofinwëan host and wild horses from Northeastern Beleriand

-The hares encountered by the Arafinwëan host were some of the first recorded by the Noldor in Beleriand; though the animal existed in Valinor, it lived in much more remote mountainous regions, away from where the majority of elven populations were located. The Noldor of Dorthonion found the hares curious and somewhat unsettling; the local Avarin population’s word for hares translated to simply “rabbit like” and this word was adapted by the Arafinwëans.

-The ecology of Dorthonion changed significantly after the Bragollach; many of the steppe and cliff species died or were pushed southward into the Ered Gorgoroth. The forests that grew over Dorthonion in this era had unique species of their own (definitely planning on making its own post!)

[sorrel-system]

List of my kintypes and theriotypes and such ^>w<^

Warning there are so so incredibly many oh gorsh -Jasper

|| * for especially strong kinship! ||

|| • for spiritual! ||

|| ~ for mental! ||

|| ` for past lives! ||

Red fox •

Red classic tabby and white Turkish angora •`

Sichuan takin ~`*

Long-tailed pangolin •~`

Fossa ~`

Western long tailed brush lizard `

Maned wolf •

Honey badger ~`

Mourning dove •

Blacktip reef shark ~`

Honduran white bat •`

Eastern indigo snake `

Harpy eagle •`*

Black fox mouse `~

Piebald roosevelt elk ~•`

Pumpkin toadlet `~

Striped hyena •

South African coati ~

Eurasian wolf `

Polyphemus moth `•

Western parotia •

Greater lophorina •

Crab-eating raccoon ~

Short nosed bandicoot •`

Lion head rabbit •`

Northwestern salamander ~

Red winged starling `

Serval •~

African wild dog ~•`

Gerenuk •*

Velociraptor `*

Frilled-neck lizard ~

Pachycephelosaurus `•~*

Spotted hyena ~`

Frog fae •`**

Sand cat ~`

Mohave Ground Squirrel ~`

Common Genet •~*

Caracal •`

Black shuck •~`***

Polydactyl black American short hair cat ~`

American pika •

Blackbuck •~

Western Tanager ~`

Barreleye fish~`

Northern flicker (male) •`

Fiddler crab •

Border Collie ~`

Kitsune with cross fox pattern, 7 tails, and 6 ears ~•`

Spider Orchid •

Moon •

Black hole •

Belladonna •

Porcelain clown doll •~******

CTX VL501-1 Ivory 15" CRT Monitor 0.28mm Diagzonal Dot Pitch (0.24mm Horizontal Dot Pitch) Dot Pitch D-Sub with Windows 98•~*********

Extra mystery thing!!

I have yet to find this in fiction and am not sure if it exists in depictions (conceptkin?) but a fossa-like being with long spindly legs and a long body and impossibly fluid movement and powerful, built back legs. It could think as a human and feel reasoning and somewhat shifted it's form as it ran. It had a long thin tail with spikey fur at the end and it jumped like a rabbit and I am positive that it was me but I have no clue how to describe what it's called (I was shifting for one of my other kintypes and accidentally discovered another I guess??)

[dr-crocuta]

The Avian respiratory system is by far superior to that of mammals and the air sacks allow individuals to be larger without gaining proportionally larger weight. It is however unfortunate that Avians have a less efficient flight system. There are two parts to flight getting into the air and then staying in the air. Of the two getting into the air is the most difficult. Avians in spite of their more efficient respiratory systems have a two part flight system they jump with their legs then flap. Thus limiting their maximum size. Bats on the other hand suffer the opposite problem they use their wings to launch themselves into the air. Thus allowing the majority of their muscles to be used in both flight and takeoff. Their respiratory system is the far less efficient Mammalian system this causes them to each temperatures that would kill a normal animal. In spite of all that bats also live well in excess of their projected lifespan and are far more nimble flyers do to the extent that they can manipulate their wing shape. Our primary objective will be getting either bats with Avian respiratory systems or birds with a morphology like a bat. To this extent 3 species of bat have been selected the Spectral Bats, Greater Bulldog Bats, and Mouse Tailed Bats. For Avians the Bearded Vultures, Ravens, Harpy Eagles. I will also be requisitioning severalSpotted Hyenas, Jaguars, and Mozambique Spitting Cobras. Along with some goats and an isolated island with cliffs and or a mountain.

[mydysfunctionalvampirefamily]

Dan don't be so casual!!! Your brother is worried about you!!!!

Goddamn Jessie please don't actually go sacrifice for your brother out of guilt.

Dan stop being so fucking casual!!!

Okay side note that has nothing to do with anything. But you can leave bullets inside people, it really depends on where they are. Usually the worst thing is the damage they caused moving. Though I assume the fact that they are silver does mean you should remove them from a werewolf.

Far be it from me to call Jessie a liar, but I do not believe for a second that if Lola tells him it's an unfair deal he is not still gonna take it.

"you wanna eat my ass, fine." tell me there were now kiss motions made on that please!

Why do we need fucking cop to convince everyone they need to get healed. 😂😂

John just being rational is once again the thing that works on Lola and her freak out and refusing medical attention.

😂😂 Aviva getting medical help out of pettiness.

Aviva, John would do anything for you, making a bit of ectoplasm is probably the least.

Oh John, my precious emotionally repressed baby, just casually using up dead bodies like you do.

The goblins taking good care of turkey tail. 😭

All this magic is crazy but really cool!!!

This fucking mouse though. His little hat is cute, but he is a LIAR!!!

John once again knowing exactly what to say to get to Lola.

😭😭😭 The mouse wants to save her! I take it back lil moussy.

Me and Aviva are on the same page! The cop wanting a drink with Lola!!! It's the grenadine, it has to be.

Grenadine with energy drink shots. This sounds like the idea you have once you're already way too drunk to function normal the next day and then you think this will stave off a hangover.

They're both going upstairs. 👀 They are gonna sleep in the same bed!

👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

Fuck me, John. Why are you so good at talking to everyone for their benefit??? Like no offense but you're so bad in dealing with yourself.

Ohhh Jessie Jessie Jessie. Seems like a bad idea to insult an owl.

I love it when they role exceptional successes!!! Especially when it is when they're doing smth for someone else.

It's so interesting to finally see some stronger emotions with John. The excitement you hear when he talks about smashing his mom's signs is rare.

Sword in the stone-ing that bat into the windshield with everything that's going on, so petty. 😂

"Carl, this man is a werewolf, do you think he's gonna fuck off?" 😂😂 made me laugh out loud, and people looked at me like I was crazy.

He just ended Carl in one shot!

Sure, not feeling pain and going numb is definitely the healthy thing to do after cold blooded murder...

They're extra giggly today, are they nervous?

Also Tim is the irl Miles of that group, telling everyone to focus. 😂

Oh my God!!! They are not fucking around, Aviva just chopping a dead man's legs and hands off. (btw why just stop at the hands at this point and not go full arms?)

You know if you hear about a matter wizard and a wizard of space and time the matter wizard kind of sounds like a dweeb, but actually it's fucking badass.

I am screaming! Fucking Ramona, really thinking giving him a dad will stop him from this. Like she's smart, but she's fucking stupid.

Oh no Lola's worst moment is so awful, and so sad.

The sound of rolling dice is so good.

I hate Ramona so fucking much. She is delusional at this point thinking she's doing the right thing and all creepy calm. Why are parents the fucking worst?!?!

To be fair I like to hate Ramona though, I love hating awful parents.

This fucking magic dagger tho! And Dan himself too obviously but omg.

"I only remember things that are important." yikes!

We love a villain that believes they working for the greater good.

"Consequences are for lesser beings." woooooooooh I hate this bitch.

SHE'S JUST DEAD?!?!

Oh no of course she's not.

The fact that John really doesn't feel pain rn is really so much like his mom. He's on the edge.

Noooo Aviva can't die. 😭

Not the look of confusion, that is kind of sad.

Nope nope, I am in a store rn I cannot listen to this. Will continue listening when I get home

Jesus fuck! I was right to not listen to the last 15 minutes in the store. Good lord. 😭😭

I'm laughing and crying at the same time at Jessie just being gone.

Rob shut your fucking face 😭 (said lovingly obviously)

John casting a spell to finish all this, while having Aviva in his arms. STOP 😭

What??? *insert jlaw gif of what does it mean?!?*

What what what??? Ernie???? NOOOOOOOO Rob stop!! This is illegal!!!! What are you doing???

Okay... But this means there is gonna be a sequel right????

I will post some more thoughts later maybe, but I need to center myself because fuck me.

[o-craven-canto]

All animal species (and a couple algae) that have kept the same scientific name since Linnaeus

The first work of taxonomy that is considered as having any scientific authority for animal species was the 10th edition of Linnaeus' Systema Naturae, published in 1758. (Also a book on spiders called Aranei Suecici, published one year before.) That's the foundational text of the binominal system of nomenclature of species still in use today. Since then most of Linnaeus' original species (4379 species, of which 185 mammals, 554 birds, 217 "amphibians" (including reptiles and cartilaginous fish), 379 fishes, 2104 "insects" (including various arthropods, of which 664 are beetles and 543 are moths & butterflies crammed into only 3 genera), and 940 "worms" (including basically all other invertebrates, and even some protists and algae)) have been dismembered, renamed, or at least moved to different genera (e.g. the house sparrow went from Fringilla domestica to Passer domesticus).

Here is a list of all of Linnaeus' original species from 1758 that still retain their original name. I believe they are 484 in total.

"Mammalia"

(Primates)

Homo sapiens (human)

Lemur catta (ring-tailed lemur)

Vespertilio murinus (rearmouse bat)

(Bruta)

Elephas maximus (Asian elephant)

Trichechus manatus (West Indian manatee)

Bradypus tridactylus (three-toed sloth)

Myrmecophaga tridactyla (giant anteater)

Manis pentadactylus (Chinese pangolin)

(Ferae)

Phoca vitulina (harbor seal)

Canis familiaris (dog)

Canis lupus (grey wolf)

Felis catus (house cat)

Viverra zibetha (Indian civet)

Mustela erminea (stoat)

Mustela furo (ferret)

Mustela lutreola (European mink)

Mustela putorius (wild ferret)

Ursus arctos (brown bear)

(Bestiae)

Sus scrofa (wild boar/pig)

Dasypus septemcinctus (seven-banded armadillo)

Dasypus novemcinctus (nine-banded armadillo)

Erinaceus europaeus (European hedgehog)

Talpa europaea (European mole)

Sorex araneus (common shrew)

Didelphis marsupialis (common opossum)

(Glires)

Rhinoceros unicornis (Indian rhinoceros)

Hystrix brachyura (Malayan porcupine)

Hystrix cristata (crested porcupine)

Lepus timidus (common hare)

Castor fiber (European beaver)

Mus musculus (house mouse)

Sciurus vulgaris (red squirrel)

(Pecora)

Camelus dromedarius (dromedary camel)

Camelus bactrianus (Asian camel)

Moschus moschiferus (musk deer)

Cervus elaphus (red deer)

Capra hircus (goat)

Capra ibex (Alpine ibex)

Ovis aries (sheep)

Bos taurus (cow)

Bos indicus (zebu)

(Belluae)

Equus caballus (horse)

Equus asinus (donkey)

Equus zebra (mountain zebra)

Hippopotamus amphibius (hippopotamus)

(Cete)

Monodon monoceros (narwhal)

Balaena mysticetus (bowhead whale)

Physeter macrocephalus (sperm whale)

Delphinus delphis (common dolphin)

"Aves"

(Accipitres)

Vultur gryphus (Andean condor)

Falco tinnunculus (common kenstrel)

Falco sparverius (sparrowhawk)

Falco columbarius (pigeonhawk)

Falco subbuteo (Eurasian hobby)

Falco rusticolus (gyrfalcon)

Strix aluco (tawny owl)

Lanius excubitor (great grey shrike)

Lanius collurio (red-backed shrike)

Lanius schach (long-tailed shrike)

(Picae)

Psittacus erithacus (grey parrot)

Ramphastos tucanus (white-throated toucan)

Buceros bicornis (great hornbill)

Buceros rhinoceros (rhinoceros hornbill)

Crotophaga ani (smooth-billed ani)

Corvus corax (raven)

Corvus corone (carrion crow)

Corvus frugilegus (rook)

Corvus cornix (hooded crow)

Coracias oriolus (golden oriole)

Coracias garrulus (European roller)

Gracula religiosa (hill myna)

Paradisaea apoda (greater bird-of-paradise)

Cuculus canorus (common cuckoo)

Jynx torquilla (wryneck)

Picus viridis (green woodpecker)

Sitta europaea (Eurasian nuthatch)

Merops apiaster (European bee-eater)

Merops viridis (blue-throated bee-eater)

Upupa epops (Eurasian hoopoe)

Certhia familiaris (Eurasian treecreeper)

Trochilus polytmus (red-billed streamertail hummingbird)

(Anseres)

Anas platyrhynchos (mallard duck)

Anas crecca (teal duck)

Mergus merganser (common merganser)

Mergus serrator (red-breasted merganser)

Alca torda (razorbill auk)

Procellaria aequinoctialis (white-chinned petrel)

Diomedea exulans (wandering albatross)

Pelecanus onocrotalus (great white pelican)

Phaeton aethereus (red-billed tropicbird)

Larus canus (common gull)

Larus marinus (great black-backed gull)

Larus fuscus (lesser black-backed gull)

Sterna hirundo (common tern)

Rhynchops niger (black skimmer)

(Grallae)

Phoenicopterus ruber (American flamingo)

Platalea leucorodia (Eurasian spoonbill)

Platalea ajaia (roseate spoonbill)

Mycteria americana (wood stork)

Ardea cinerea (grey heron)

Ardea herodias (blue heron)

Ardea alba (great egret)

Scolopax rusticola (Eurasian woodcock)

Charadrius hiaticula (ringed plover)

Charadrius alexandrinus (Kentish plover)

Charadrius vociferus (killdeer plover)

Charadrius morinellus (Eurasian dotterel)

Recurvirostra avosetta (pied avocet)

Haematopus ostralegus (Eurasian oystercatcher)

Fulica atra (Eurasian coot)

Rallus aquaticus (water rail)

Psophia crepitans (grey-winged trumpeter)

Otis tarda (great bustard)

Struthio camelus (ostrich)

(Gallinae)

Pavo cristatus (Indian peafowl)

Meleagris gallopavo (wild turkey)

Crax rubra (great curassow)

Phasianus colchicus (common pheasant)

Tetrao urogallus (western capercaillie)

(Passeres)

Columba oenas (stock dove)

Columba palumbus (wood pigeon)

Alauda arvensis (Eurasian skylark)

Sturnus vulgaris (European starling)

Turdus viscivorus (mistle thrush)

Turdus pilaris (fieldfare thrush)

Turdus iliacus (redwing thrush)

Turdus plumbeus (red-legged thrush)

Turdus torquatus (ring ouzel)

Turdus merula (blackbird)

Loxia curvirostra (crossbill)

Emberiza hortulana (ortolan bunting)

Emberiza citrinella (yellowhammer)

Emberiza calandra (corn bunting)

Fringilla coelebs (common chaffinch)

Motacilla alba (white wagtail)

Motacilla lava (yellow wagtail)

Parus major (great tit)

Hirundo rustica (barn swallow)

Caprimulgus europaeus (European nightjar)

"Amphibia"

(Reptiles)

Testudo graeca (Greek tortoise)

Draco volans (flying dragon)

Lacerta agilis (sand lizard)

Rana temporaria (common frog)

(Serpentes)

Crotalus horridus (timber rattlesnake)

Crotalus durissus (tropical rattlesnake)

Boa constrictor (common boa)

Coluber constrictor (eastern racer)

Anguis fragilis (slowworm)

Amphisbaena alba (red worm lizard)

Caecilia tentaculata (white-bellied caecilian)

(Nantes)

Petromyzon marinus (sea lamprey)

Raja clavata (thornback ray)

Raja miraletus (brown ray)

Squalus acanthias (spiny dogfish)

Chimaera monstrosa (rabbitfish)

Lophius piscatorius (anglerfish)

Acipenser sturio (sea sturgeon)

Acipenser ruthenus (sterlet sturgeon)

"Pisces"

(Apodes)

Muraena helena (Mediterranean moray)

Gymnotus carapo (banded knifefish)

Trichiurus lepturus (cutlassfish)

Anarhichas lupus (Atlantic wolffish)

Ammodytes tobianus (lesser sandeel)

Xiphias gladius (swordfish)

Stromateus fiatola (blue butterfish)

(Jugulares)

Callionymus lyra (common dragonet)

Uranoscopus scaber (stargazer)

Trachinus draco (greater weever)

Gadus morhua (Atlantic cod)

Blennius ocellaris (butterfly blenny)

Ophidion barbatum (snake cusk-eel)

(Thoracici)

Cyclopterus lumpus (lumpsucker)

Echeneis naucrates (sharksucker)

Coryphaena equiselis (pompano)

Coryphaena hippurus (dorado)

Gobius niger (black goby)

Govius paganellus (rock goby)

Cottus gobio (European bullhead)

Scorpaena porcus (black scorpionfish)

Scorpaena scrofa (red scorpionfish)

Zeus faber (John Dory)

Pleuronectes platessa (European plaice)

Chaetodon striatus (banded butterflyfish)

Chaetodon capistratus (foureye butterflyfish)

Sparus aurata (gilt-head bream)

Labrus merula (brown wrasse)

Labrus mixtus (cuckoo wrasse)

Labrus viridis (green wrasse)

Sciaena umbra (brown meagre)

Perca fluviatilis (European perch)

Gasterosteus aculeatus (three-spined stickleback)

Scomber scombrus (Atlanti mackerel)

Mullus barbatus (red mullet)

Mullus surmuletus (surmullet)

Trigla lyra (piper gurnard)

(Abdominales)

Cobitis taenia (spined loach)

Silurus asotus (Amur catfish)

Silurus glanis (Wels catfish)

Loricaria cataphracta (suckermouth catfish)

Salmo carpio (Garda trout)

Salmo trutta (brown trout)

Salmo salar (Atlantic salmon)

Fistularia tabacaria (bluespotted cornetfish)

Esox lucius (northern pike)

Argentina sphyraena (European argentine)

Atherina hepsetus (Mediterranean sand smelt)

Mugil cephalus (flathead mullet)

Exocoetus volitans (tropical flying fish)

Polynemus paradiseus (Paradise threadfin)

Clupea harengus (Atlantic herring)

Cyprinus carpio (common carp)

(Branchiostegi)

Mormyrus caschive (bottlenose elephantfish)

Balistes vetula (queen triggerfish)

Ostracion cornutus (longhorn cowfish)

Ostracion cubicus (yellow boxfish)

Tetraodon lineatus (Fahaka pufferfish)

Diodon hystrix (spot-fin porcupinefish)

Diodon holocanthus (long-spine porcupinefish)

Centriscus scutatus (grooved shrimpfish)

Syngnathus acus (common pipefish)

Syngnathus pelagicus (pelagic pipefish)

Syngnathus typhle (broad-nosed pipefish)

Pegasus volitans (longtail seamoth)

"Insecta"

(Coleoptera)

Scarabaeus sacer (sacred scarab)

Dermestes lardarius (larder beetle)

Dermestes murinus (larder beetle)

Hister unicolor (clown beetle)

Hister quadrimaculatus (clown beetle)

Silpha obscura (carrion beetle)

Cassida viridis (tortoise beetle)

Cassida nebulosa (tortoise beetle)

Cassida nobilis (tortoise beetle)

Coccinella trifasciata (ladybug)

Coccinella hieroglyphica (ladybug) [Coccinella 5-punctata, 7-punctata, 11-punctata, and 24-punctata survive as quinquepunctata, septempunctata, undecimpunctata, and vigintiquatorpunctata]

Chrysomela populi (leaf beetle)

Chrysomela lapponica (leaf beetle)

Chrysomela collaris (leaf beetle)

Chrysomela erythrocephala (leaf beetle)

Curculio nucum (nut weevil)

Attelabus surinamensis (leaf-rolling weevil)

Cerambyx cerdo (capricorn beetle)

Leptura quadrifasciata (longhorn beetle)

Cantharis fusca (soldier beetle)

Cantharis livida (soldier beetle)

Cantharis oscura (soldier beetle)

Cantharis rufa (soldier beetle)

Cantharis lateralis (soldier beetle)

Elater ferrugineus (rusty click beetle)

Cicindela campestris (green tiger beetle)

Cicindela sylvatica (wood tiger beetle)

Buprestis rustica (jewel beetle) [Buprestis 8-guttata survives as octoguttata]

Dytiscus latissimus (diving beetle)

Carabus coriaceus (ground beetle)

Carabus granulatus (ground beetle)

Carabus nitens (ground beetle)

Carabus hortensis (ground beetle)

Carabus violaceus (ground beetle)

Tenebrio molitor (mealworm)

Meloe algiricus (blister beetle)

Meloe proscarabaeus (blister beetle)

Meloe spec (blister beetle)

Mordela aculeata (tumbling glower beetle)

Necydalis major (longhorn beetle)

Staphylinus erythropterus (rove beetle)

Forficula auricularia (common earwig)

Blatta orientalis (Oriental cockroach)

Gryllus campestris (field cricket)

(Hemiptera)

Cicada orni (cicada)

Notonecta glauca (backswimmer)

Nepa cinerea (water scorpion)

Cimex lectularius (bedbug)

Aphis rumici (black aphid)

Aphis craccae (vetch aphid)

Coccus hesperidum (brown scale insect)

Thrips physapus (thrips)

Thrips minutissimum (thrips)

Thrips juniperinus (thrips)

(Lepidoptera)

Papilio paris (Paris peacock butterfly)

Papilio helenus (red Helen butterfly)

Papilio troilus (spicebush swallowtail butterfly)

Papilio deiphobus (Deiphobus swallowtail butterfly)

Papilio polytes (common Mormon butterfly)

Papilio glaucus (eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly)

Papilio memnon (great Mormon butterfly)

Papilio ulysses (Ulysses butterfly)

Papilio machaon (Old World swallowtail butterfly)

Papilio demoleus (lime swallowtail butterfly)

Papilio nireus (blue-banded swallowtail butterfly)

Papilio clytia (common mime butterfly)

Sphinx ligustri (privet hawk-moth)

Sphinx pinastri (pine hawk-moth) [genus Phalaena was suppressed, but seven subgenera created by Linnaeus are now valid as genera]

(Neuroptera)

Libellula depressa (chaser dragonfly)

Libellula quadrimaculata (four-spotted skimmer dragonfly)

Ephemera vulgata (mayfly)

Phryganea grandis (caddisfly)

Hemerobius humulinus (lacewing)

Panorpa communis (scorpionfly)

Panorpa germanica (scorpionfly)

Raphidia ophiopsis (snakefly)

(Hymenoptera)

Cynips quercusfolii (oak gall wasp)

Tenthredo atra (sawfly)

Tenthredo campestris (sawfly)

Tenthredo livida (sawfly)

Tenthredo mesomela (sawfly)

Tenthredo scrophulariae (sawfly)

Ichneumon extensorius (parasitoid wasp)

Ichneumon sarcitorius (parasitoid wasp)

Sphex ichneumoneus (digger wasp)

Vespa crabro (European hornet)

Apis mellifera (honey bee)

Formica fusca (silky ant)

Mutilla europaea (large velvet ant)

(Diptera)

Oestrus ovis (sheep botfly)

Tipula oleracea (marsh cranefly)

Tipula hortorum (cranefly)

Tipula lunata (cranefly)

Musca domestica (housefly)

Tabanus bovinus (pale horsefly)

Tabanus calens (horsefly)

Tabanus bromius (brown horsefly)

Tabanus occidentalis (horsefly)

Tabanus antarcticus (horsefly)

Culex pipiens (house mosquito)

Empis borealis (dance fly)

Empis pennipes (dance fly)

Empis livida (dance fly)

Conops flavipes (thick-headed fly)

Asilus barbarus (robberfly)

Asilus crabroniformis (hornet robberfly)

Bombylius major (bee fly)

Bombylius medius (bee fly)

Bombylius minor (bee fly)

Hippobosca equina (forest fly)

(Aptera)

Lepisma saccharina (silverfish)

Podura aquatica (water springtail)

Termes fatale (termite)

Pediculus humanus (human louse)

Pulex irritans (human flea)

Acarus siro (flour mite)

Phalangium opilio (harvestman)

Araneus angulatus (orb-weaving spider)

Araneus diadematus (European garden spider)

Araneus marmoreus (marbled orbweaver)

Araneus quadratus (four-spotted orbweaver -- last four are by Clerck 1757, some of the very few surviving pre-Linnean names!)

Scorpio maurus (large-clawed scorpion)

Cancer pagurus (brown crab)

Oniscus asellus (common woodlouse)

Scolopendra gigantea (giant centipede)

Scolopendra morsitans (red-headed centipede)

Julus fuscus (millipede)

Julus terrestris (millipede)

"Vermes"

(Intestina)

Gordius aquaticus (horsehair worm)

Lumbricus terrestris (common earthworm)

Ascaris lumbricoides (giant roundworm)

Fasciola hepatica (liver fluke)

Hirudo medicinalis (medicinal leech)

Myxine glutinosa (Atlantic hagfish)

Teredo navalis (shipworm)

[shout out to Furia infernalis, a terrifying carnivorous jumping worm that Linnaeus described, but which doesn't seem to actually exist]

(Mollusca)

Limax maximus (leopard slug)

Doris verrucosa (warty nudibranch)

Nereis caerulea (ragworm)

Nereis pelagica (ragworm)

Aphrodita aculeata (sea mouse)

Lernaea cyprinacea (anchor worm)

Scyllaea pelagica (Sargassum nudibranch)

Sepia officinalis (common cuttlefish)

Asterias rubens (common starfish)

Echinus esculentus (edible sea urchin)

(Testacea)

Chiton tuberculatus (West Indian green chiton)

Lepas anatifera (goose barnacle)

Pholas dactylus (common piddock)

Mya arenaria (softshell clam)

Mya truncata (truncate softshell)

Solen vagina (razor clam)

Tellina laevigata (smooth tellin)

Tellina linguafelis (cat-tongue tellin)

Tellina radiata (sunrise tellin)

Tellina scobinata (tellin)

Cardium costatum (ribbed cockle)

Donax cuneatus (wedge clam)

Donas denticulatus (wedge clam)

Donax trunculus (wedge clam)

Venus casina (Venus clam)

Venus verrucosa (warty venus)

Spondylus gaederopus (thorny oyster)

Spondylus regius (thorny oyster)

Chama lazarus (jewel box shell)

Chama gryphoides (jewel box shell)

Arca noae (Noah's ark shell)

Ostrea edulis (edible oyster)

Anomia aurita (saddle oyster)

Anomia ephippium (saddle oyster)

Anomia hysterita (saddle oyster)

Anomia lacunosa (saddle oyster)

Anomia spec (saddle oyster)

Anomia striatula (saddle oyster)

Mytilus edulis (blue mussel)

Pinna muricata (pen shell)

Pinna nobilis (fan mussel)

Pinna rudis (rough pen shell)

Argonauta argo (argonaut)

Nautilus pompilius (chambered nautilus)

Conus ammiralis (admiral cone snail)

Conus aulicus (princely cone snail)

Conus aurisiacus (cone snail)

Conus betulinus (betuline cone snail)

Conus bullatus (bubble cone snail)

Conus capitaneus (captain cone snail)

Conus cedonulli (cone snail)

Conus ebraeus (black-and-white cone snail)

Conus figulinus (fig cone snail)

Conus genuanus (garter cone snail)

Conus geographus (geographer cone snail)

Conus glaucus (glaucous cone snail)

Conus granulatus (cone snail)

Conus imperialis (imperial cone snail)

Conus litteratus (lettered cone snail)

Conus magus (magical cone snail)

Conus marmoreus (marbled cone snail)

Conus mercator (trader cone snail)

Conus miles (soldier cone snail)

Conus monachus (monastic cone snail)

Conus nobilis (noble cone snail)

Conus nussatella (cone snail)

Conus princeps (prince cone snail)

Conus spectrum (spectrecone snail)

Conus stercusmuscarum (fly-specked cone snail)

Conus striatus (striated cone snail)

Conus textile (cloth-of-gold cone snail)

Conus tulipa (tulip cone snail)

Conus varius (freckled cone snail)

Conus virgo (cone snail)

Cypraea tigris (tiger cowry shell)

Bulla ampulla (Pacific bubble shell)

Voluta ebraea (Hebrew volute)

Voluta musica (music volute)

Buccinum undatum (common whelk)

Strombus pugilis (fighting conch)

Murex tribulus (caltrop murex)

Trochus maculatus (maculated top shell)

Turbo acutangulus (turban shell)

Turbo argyrostomus (silver-mouth turban shell)

Turbo chrystostomus (gold-mouth turban shell)

Turbo marmoratus (green turban shell)

Turbo petholatus (turban shell)

Turbo sarmaticus (giant turban shell)

Helix lucorum (Mediterranean snail)

Helix pomatia (Roman snail)

Nerita albicilla (blotched nerite)

Nerita chamaeleon (nerite)

Nerita exuvia (snakeskin nerite)

Nerita grossa (nerite)

Nerita histrio (nerite)

Nerita peloronta (bleeding tooth)

Nerita plicata (nerite)

Nerita polita (nerite)

Nerita undata (nerite)

Haliotis asinina (ass-ear abalone)

Haliotis marmorata (marbled abalone)

Haliotis midae (South African abalone)

Haliotis parva (canaliculate abalone)

Haliotis tuberculata (green ormer)

Haliotis varia (common abalone)

Patella caerulea (Mediterranean limpet)

Patella pellucida (blue-rayed limpet)

Patella vulgata (European limpet)

Dentalium elephantinum (elephant tusk)

Dentalium entale (tusk shell)

[genus Serpula is still in use with none of its original species]

(Lithophyta)

Tubipora musica (organ pipe coral)

Millepora alcicornis (sea ginger fire coral)

Madrepora oculata (zigzag stone coral)

(Zoophyta)

Isis hippuris (sea bamboo)

Isis ochracea (sea bamboo)

Gorgonia flabellum (Venus fan)

Gorgonia ventalina (purple sea fan)

Alcyonium bursa (soft coral)

Alcyonium digitatum (dead man's fingers)

Tubularia indivisa (oaten ipes hydroid)

Corallina officinalis (coralline red alga)

Sertularia argentea (sea fern)

Sertularia cupressoides (hydroid)

Pennatula phosphorea (sea pen)

Taenia solium (pork tapeworm)

Volvox globator (colonial alga)

[genus Hydra is still in use with none of its original species]

[paragonrobits]

THE LITTLE PEOPLE

I did some ideating for a race of tiny creatures based on brownies from folklore, a bit of Smurfs and specifically the whole Mouse World concept of smart mice living with scavenged gear unnoticed by humans (with Secret of Nihm being the biggest influence) and it wound up being interesting enough that i wanted to share!

----

A timid race that have historically dwelled in isolated regions and homes (often abandoned, but sometimes creating symbiotic relationships with the dwellers), surviving by avoiding being spotted by larger beings, and hunting large carnivorous insects given huge size and predatory ability due to magical mutation. The Little People have in turn survived through the use of careful traps, creative use of weaponry to defeat creatures deadly to them at their size, and domesticating animals to aid them. In particular, they regard cats as ferocious guardians and grave dangers (as cats are able to kill animals that pose a threat to them and are easily domesticated and loyal, but can just as easily be prone to hunting the Little People if not properly tamed), and in their cultures cats are seen similarly to dragons as totems of great power and peril at the same time.

The Little People resemble a fusion of bats and rats, with some feline attributes; they have somewhat long bodies with short but agile wings on their forearms, resembling a bat’s wings; the thumb of this wing has several flexible digits that function as fingers. Their body is covered in short and fairly thin fur, usually darkly colored, bear a prehensile tail up to about twice their overall height, and have short legs with opposable digits. Their bodies are heavily inclined towards flexibility and speed at the expense of strength, relying on stealth to avoid danger, cleverness to overcome threats that spot them, and speed to escape everything else.

They are extremely flexible, able to fit their bodies through any space their heads can fit through, and it is common for them to create a large number of boltholes and passageways in any place they have occupied for some time, and generally prefer to create large and expansive warrens suitable to their body shapes. They are also capable of flight, though extended flight is normally beyond them, they are still able to fly from a standing position without much need for assistance, and their natural agility makes them extremely fast in the air. These wings also work well for gliding, and they have taken to exploring in safe conditions; their settlements sometimes have large enclosed spaces specifically meant to exercise flight in safe conditions. Culturally, their wings are important to them, often associated with luxury and damage to them is seen as a sacrifice. Some leaders ritually have their wings clipped to indicate their dedication to the position, though this is seen as somewhat old fashioned. In the modern day, this will not cripple their flight, and the extremism involved has taken on a largely symbolic air.

They are a very clever people, with an innate skill for deductive reasoning and non-linear thinking processes. This, combined with a seemingly natural interest in mechanisms and systems of all sorts, gives them a skill at understanding machines of all sorts. They are known for tinkering, creating weapons and traps (with a special interest in sentry turrets and other stationary defensive weapons) from random objects found lying around. As part of other societies, they take a great skill as maintenance workers that go places where others can’t, fixing broken machines without anyone ever seeing them.

They are somewhat frail and easily frightened, often prone to poor nerves, being easily scared and panicked, though many of them have become noble warriors and fierce knights, standing in defense of others against vastly greater threats. Prior to being contacted by other species, they lived in hiding from all other beings, periodically working out bargains of mutual service with the dwellers of buildings they took as homes (usually involving the Little People cleaning it and maintaining machinery or performing chores in exchange for food and protection), as they enjoy working and are somewhat proud of their skills. In the modern day, many of them take on well respected jobs as tinkerers, machinists, and many have become illuminated by the light of Super Science, and create many wonderful devices. Others become warriors; while they have weapons of great use to creatures in their size range, those who choose not to escalate their fighting power generally fight creatures beneath the notice of other beings, acting as saboteurs and information gatherers for their allies.

Other Little People make use of a form of magical technology that has been of broad use among their people for long time; humanoid mechanized suits that a single Little Person (or a team, for particularly powerful or large models) can operate, chiefly from an operation center in the head or similar body part. These bodies sync up with the user, acting as an extension of their body, functionally allowing them to act on the same field as their larger friends… or even defend THEM from harm, as many of these bodies are enormously powerful, tinkered to have immense strength. Many of these models benefit from spiritual power of an operator, granting the user even greater strength magnified by their fighting spirit. And one of these Little People, willing to fight against beings that could crush them with an errant gesture, has spirit to spare.

These suits range greatly in appearance. The vast majority of them are obviously mechanized or artificial in nature, made of complex machinery; pressurized machinery abouts, whistling with magical pistons firing and gaseous materials wheezing as they move, their fragile sections covered in leather goods that gives them a strange appearance; their optics and illuminating bulbs glow with a frighteningly bright light, and they often shamble in an unsettling or frightening way, their clumsiness contrasted by their speed and power. Others are more refined and elegant, resembling a mechanized knight or miniature mech suit the size of a standard sapient. Others are more exotic still; some resemble vehicles, and others are designed in the shape of animals of symbolic importance to the Little People, such as spiders or cats. All generally bear powerful weapons, the finest constructions their people can offer and upscaled to a size that poses a danger not just to standard-sized sapients, but to a beast of any size.

Finally, some rare suits have been made to pass as living creatures that, to the Little People, have been ally, enemy or potential threats depending on context. These suits have never been common, passed along to communicate with the Big Folk that have generally been an uncertain quantity at best to them, and specific designs vary; some look like specific species (ranging from humans, to the many beings related to dragons, dinofolk, and the colorful horned beings the little folk often call Rainbow Bones due to their colorful blood and bones), while others don’t look like anything in particular but can pass for a living being of some sort. In the modern day their use has become a great deal more controversial amount the Little Folk, but have seen greater production and used to allow individuals to move more comfortably among their newfound larger friends. Many of these resemble a Little Folk upscaled to the size of a human; as a few Little Folk have undertook tutelage in gigantification magic to make themselves that large naturally, it can be difficult to tell the difference between them. (Punching one in the shoulder to check generally works, but is at best terribly rude, and at worst means you will be dueling them the following weekend.)

They have access to another notable technique. The Little Folk have long practiced a form of fusion; the magical ability to merge two or more beings into a larger and more powerful form, adding up all their respective skills and abilities, and vastly magnifying their power. Their particular variation is not notably different from most versions of this power, and generally look like a composite of the users involved in the technique, averaging out their individual characteristics (sometimes adding multiple limbs and eyes, with a great deal of discussion over what causes this). In their case, due to them being so much weaker than average beings due to their size, this is not a superhuman boost (though it is to their own standards), but allows them to potentially fight other sapient beings on a more even playing field. This technique was not widely practiced by the Little Folk prior to them becoming greater players on the multiversal stage, as it requires a great deal of interpersonal unity and personal power just to successfully fuel it, and more still to ensure a fusion that has skills to possibly contribute to a technique that is all about abandoning the secrecy and stealth that most of their history has required for them to survive. However, it still has a legendary air to it, as the few fusions made of up numerous people (at least five, and stories speak of many more) that grow far more powerful; these fusions are much larger than normal mortals, standing over a dozen feet tall; the truly rare fusions of many others stand even larger so, heroic leviathans in the legends of the Little People. These rare fusions bear enormous power by any measure, not just the Little Folk’s own, and are living embodiments of the willingness to pull together to survive. They are also notably far more grotesque, often sporting bulging tumorous swellings around their limbs, multiple heads or uneven numbers of additional limbs and eyes (sometimes in the wrong place) and body plans completely alien to their kind. The exact reason is not known, but it is apparently not a bad thing, but a sign of cooperating together exceeding the natural limits and designs of their people.

Perhaps most notably from a sociological point of view, these multi-person fusions have become much more common over time; the technique has gone from an obscure or secret ability to one taught fairly widely (though it is still considered a high-tier ability and not one to casually instruct), and with the greater feelings of security and power among the Little Folk, as well as newfound body modifications and cybernetic modifications making individuals much more powerful even without the use of magic, the resulting fusions are even more powerful. Some historians of their people think of the modern age as a heroic one, leading to wonders and friendships previously unimagined, but others fear that it will all come crashing down. Their history is not used to going too long without fear.

Then, this brings us to the matter of their culture.

Among themselves, they generally take on decentralized populations that spread out as they need, with most communities having a small group of leaders generally elected by common agreement. In rare situations a particularly wise leader is elected to be the leader of these councils, who has vetoing rights and whose word is given preeminence above all others; the leaders rarely are elected, and the position is not generally official, but when a hero rises from their people, taking on this position is usually a certainty as they gain respect and admiration. In the modern day, they still favor this decentralized method. Many settlements may work in tandem, and harmonious accord is widely prized. If a community chooses to go its own way or defy the will of the majority, they aren’t usually prevented from doing so (though particularly egregious or serious actions that may bring down harm on many of them, such as declaring covert war against a neighbor, may result in war towards the dissenting community), but it is understood that if they go their own way, they will generally do so without the aid of the others; more severe disagreements may result in the banning of trade goods or food supplies to the offending community.

Cultural customs vary very widely between each community, which is virtually a culture unto itself, though they have a number of similar traits; their languages come from a common family, for instance, which appears to have originated as a pidgin from surviving languages in the regions they originally came from. They have speculated their ancestors were not the survivors of those early cataclysms, but mutated animals that picked up on remnants of those bygone precursor’s ways. In a similar manner, they have a great deal of customs and ceremonial practices that they cannot readily identify the origin of, having adopted them over time from uncertain sources. These include a great deal of ceremonial outfits and an a highly ritualized approach to magical practice; there are dozens examples of both, diverging hugely from one community to another. Body modifications are also common, with jewelry and piercings being very common; in particularly their large ears may have a large number of rings (with rings scavenged from machines or Big Folk ruins traditionally holding greater prestige). Tattooing is quite common, with a few adding a new tattoo following a notable achievement; some particularly accomplished heroes may appear to be an unusual color, because they are so heavily tattooed it can be hard to see where their natural skin color begins or ends. More extreme modifications (such as wing membrane clipping, as noted previously) are unusual but not frowned upon nor unheard of.

They take a great deal of interest in the ceremonial use of abandoned goods and items; their use of jewelry reflects this. They regard older items, especially those predating them, as having a life all their own, and it empowers you to take them into your life, or at the very least shows respect to bygone craftsman. This sense of respect is an important aspect of their culture, and they approach this respect prominently; a Little People craftsman may be unwilling to replicate the mechanical design of a rival, for instance, but have a hard time clarifying why. In general, while they don’t have an issue making new things, they value reusing existing objects much more, and find the concept of simply throwing away things that can still find use to be abhorrent at worst, disrespectfully wasteful at worst. There tends to be a great deal of friction between them and more commercial social attitudes, as a result.

It may also be noted that as a result of this spiritual outlook towards reusing, there are three chief consequences; they have a high proportion of intelligent robots among them, necromancy is fairly common among their people, and the spiritual communing with objects happens frequently. In brief: because they take reusing old things so seriously, they are inclined to, when finding abandoned robots or nonfunctional ones, to repair them as best as possible with whatever they can find. This often results in ancient robots awakening after eons of apparent cessation of function to find a small society of little intelligent creatures fixing them. Often they are grateful for the aid, and travel with them, protecting them from harm; as many of these robots are abandoned war-bots created to destroy or kill anything in their path, this will offer them a great deal of protection as they now have a nearly unstoppable and loyal guardian; over time, many communities gather increasingly large number of these robots, to the point that many robots regard their places as safe harbors in times of anti-synthetic prejudice.

Necromancy applies to a somewhat similar degree. They often extend their attitudes towards material things towards the bodies of the departed; due to the dangerous lives they have traditionally had to live, those bodies were rarely in a condition fit for ceremonial burial, but doing so has often been uncomfortable or even insulting to the departed (whom generally would prefer that their old case could do some more good), abandoning a shell that could serve a further use. As such, the use of magic to infuse corpses with animating energy, which can then perform various tasks, has never been controversial among their people. They do not generally advertise this, currently because they are aware necromancy is controversial but also because few have been into a condition to ask until recently. The practice of corpse-crafting is passed down from teacher to student in informal guilds within communities, often linked to tinkering in general, and these bodies are usually heavily modified, often in grotesque ways to serve better purposes. Some have additional limbs installed or weapons (usually ranged, and placed on the forearms) integrated into their bodies, and it is extremely common for multiple bodies to be surgically grated together, to get the most use out of a smaller amount of shells. Creative modification of these bodies into powerful and hulking monsters (through the use of additional surgeries, chemical means of promoting mutation or growth of the reanimated flesh) is quite common, and the war-zombies of the Little Folk has become its own field of technical skill, and for those who fight them, these horrifying monsters are something to be remembered; even if they are usually far smaller than their enemies, this arguably makes them scarier as tiny, lightning-quick abominations packing dozens of incredibly powerful weaponry.

And as implied, much contact with them is quite recent, as for much of known history across most worlds, the Little Folk had little direct contact with larger groups of sapients, or even each other. For much of their history, they had no greater government or contact between their settlements beyond short-lived mail services that lasted only as long as relative safety in the area did.

Tinkering with various devices and experimenting with the properties of some magical materials that were naturally occurring in the regions they liked, this changed. The Little People devised a means of creating small towers (roughly four feet hight) that would be attached to tree heights and sheltered within caverns, and in someway always near a source of water. These towers, provided they were near water sources, can transmit a special frequency through water to other towers, and using other devices created by the Little People, communicate across vast distances with a minimum of effort involved and little risk to their frail communities. Within several generations, this allowed them to coordinate their efforts with each other, building semi-independent communities and homes ranging from complex structures built to move with the trees they were constructed upon, to mobile cities floating upon water. Now living closer than ever to established communities of sapients, they stuck to their traditions of secrecy and carefulness, using their encounter suits to avoid harm. Long-established traditions of chivalry, honor and aiding those in need took on a greater concern as they studied their neighbors and kept coming across people in need. Refusing to ignore them, they took to moving and secret and helping those people in need whenever possible. This gradually brought them to the attention of the Coalition of Many Worlds (at that point, in its infancy), and in time, people on both sides encouraged contact to be made, and the Little People cautiously joined them as the first people to genuinely treat them with respect, and they have remained a respected, though secretive, aspect of their newfound larger community.

It should be noted they have developed a kinship with several similar societies that have recently joined the Coalition; a number of allied kingdoms, independent fiefdoms, religious territories and other sub-factions that have shared an alliance in their own right prior to joining the Coalition. Distinctly they are all fairly small creatures similar to the Little People, generally descended from magically mutated animals that arose in the aftermath of the destruction of previous worlds. Some of these include slightly larger beings with the long tails of mice and the ears, legs and general body plan of rabbits, living in a small feudal society. These have, in turn, held a friendship with a quasi-aquatic group of otter/beaver beings that have hunted monsters and invaders for a long time.

To the outskirts of their combined territory is a range of mighty fortresses, traditionally seen as the domain of the largest and most powerfully built of these tiny beastfolk, with a great deal of strength by the standards of these people, and their bodies covered in stiff quills. Resembling a mixture of moles and hedgehogs (or perhaps echidnas) and with the power of a badger, these sentinels have fought constant invasions, with the three groups acting as a balance of powers that keeps each other alive, and have significantly improved their conditions through joining the Coalition.

The Little People have become part of that balance, taking up uninhabited woodlands as a gift, and have become to adopt a niche as the technically skilled craftsman among their newfound allies. Many, particularly those that find the larger beings intimidating or dangerous, have moved permanently towards this region, living their traditional ways of life in greater security than before.

[animal71154]

okokok i wanna make a list of interesting animals that i like and some of which i have trouble remembering sometimes. i will edit this over time. ok. i thought we would be able to do readmores on mobile by now but apparently not. ok (i also always forget the word reconcile so that can be here too)

...

MARSUPIALS common brushtail possum, quoll, tasmanian devil, thylacine, cuscus (common spotted cuscus, sulawesi bear cuscus, silky cuscus), opossum (white-eared opossum, four-eyed opossum, yapok/water opossum), tree kangaroo, glider (greater glider, yellow-bellied glider)

RODENTS rat, mouse, nutria, Gambian pouched rat, capybara, Brazilian porcupine, jerboa (long-eared jerboa), chinchilla, vizcacha

MUSTELIDS ferret, weasel, stoat, marten (yellow-throated marten), skunk (spotted skunk), mink, greater hog badger

PRIMATES tarsier, aye aye, ring tailed lemur, japanese macaque, gelada, marmoset (pygmy marmoset), capuchin, spider monkey (red-faced spider monkey), howler monkey, white-faced saki

VIVERRIDS binturong, civet (owston's palm civet, African civet, banded palm civet), linsang, genet

PROCYONIDS kinkajou, coati, ringtail/cacomistle, raccoon

HOGS wild boar (really been enjoying these lately) , red river hog, pygmy hog

FELINES margay, rusty-spotted cat, black-footed cat, asiatic golden cat, bornean bay cat, little spotted cat/oncilla, jaguarundi, sandcat, lynx, bobcat, caracal, serval, fishing cat, pallas' cat

ANTEATERS tamandua, giant anteater, silky anteater, pangolin

LAPINES rabbit (flemish giant rabbit, sumatran striped rabbit, Netherland dwarf broken chocolate colour (someone said i would be this if i was a bunny)), hare

OTHER MAMMALS fossa, mongoose (yellow mongoose, common slender mongoose), elephant shrew (black and rufous elephant shrew), treeshrew, colugo, spotted hyena, antelope (oryx, roan antelope), honduran white bat

FISH eel (New Zealand longfin eel, moray eel, gulper eel), black ghost knife fish

ARACHNIDS jumping spider, house spider, daddy long legs, huntsman spider, tarantula, camel spider, tailless whip scorpion, horseshoe crab

OTHER INVERTEBRATES snail (giant African snail), slug, slater/pill bug, isopod, praying mantis, bee (honeybee, bumble bee), moth, millipede, centipede, earwig, beetle, sand hopper

...

ok now im tired and im going to go to bed. i will readmore this tomorrow when im on the computer maybe. goodnight

[loveisinthebat]

Maximum stance

[antiqueanimals]

Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia, vol. 11, Mammals II. 1972.

1.) Greater mouse-tailed bat (Rhinopoma microphyllum)

2.) Balantiopteryx sp.

3.) Coleura sp.

4.) Emballonura sp.

5.) Taphozous sp.

6.) Greater sac-winged bat (Saccopteryx bilineata)

[itaiko]

(To the melody of the Batman theme song) Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na

BAT TOON!

Sorry about my shitty handwriting

[uwmspeccoll]

A Brehms Baturday

For this Baturday, a couple of Greater Mouse-tailed Bats (Rhinopoma microphyllum) with pyramids and obelisk, and a skeletal bat-king (a Nycterid, or Slit-faced Bat) from the 1882-84 edition of Brehms Thierleben.

View more Baturday posts.

And be sure to view more posts from Brehms Thierleben.

[silentambassadors]

Happy National Threatened Species Day, Australia.  In commemoration of the death of the last recorded living thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) in 1936, September 7th was declared National Threatened Species Day by the Australian Parliament 60 years later in 1996, and continues to be an important part of raising awareness about its Threatened Species Strategy for conserving some of the world’s most mystifying fauna.

Stamp details: Stamps on top: Issued on: January 2, 1992 From: Canberra, Australia MC #1273-1278

Third row: Issued on: July 1, 1981 From: Canberra, Australia MC #756, 757, 759

Fourth and fifth rows: Issued on: September 20, 2016 From: Canberra, Australia MC #4553, 4554, 4558, 4559

Stamps on bottom: Issued on: January 13, 2015 From: Canberra, Australia MC #4238-4239