[Lo-W5] Batterfly 🦋
![[Lo-W5] Batterfly 🦋](https://grifixverse.com/images/gallery/2/2705_PVbWK0vLGi.png "Click to view larger size")
What color does the butterfly emoji have for you? It has blue wings on my phone, but red ones on my laptop x)
Appearance:
Batterflies are the same size as regular butterflies, maybe a bit bigger, and also roughly look like one, with the obvious exception of their wings being bat wings instead of the typical butterfly wings.
Grifix divide them into two big sub-types:
Tailed Batterfly
Tailed Batterflies have one antenna on their forehead and what Grifix call a "bat antenna" on their rear. It looks like a drawn-out bat ear and also has the feel of one.
They have at least two "pairs" of bat wings, but can easily have up to five (during the Empire era, even up to nine). The further north you go, the higher the chance of finding Tailed Batterflies with more than two pairs of wings. They are also the ones that are generally "closer" to an actual butterfly as they have a "straight" bat wing; these wings cannot bend in the middle. Tailed Batterflies flap their wings exactly like a butterfly would. The sizes of each individual pair can vary, they do not need to be the same size. The upper wings are always layered above the lower wings. So, the head wings are always above the tail wings.
Their body, however, is always proportional to the longest wing pair and is always about the same length as that pair. The body fades seamlessly into the head.
Eared Batterfly
Eared Batterflies have two bat antennas on their head and no normal antenna. They also do not have a tail. The bat antennas often behave like a normal antenna though and are as easily bendable. (The same goes for the tail of the Tailed Batterfly, by the way.)
Eared Batterflies also have at least three pairs of bat wings and can easily have up to six (during the Empire era, even up to ten). Their wing pairs are closer to a bat wing and can bend in the middle. They flap their wings more like a bat would. The size of each individual pair can vary as well, but the bottom pair (which is the one closest to the head) is usually the biggest and they become gradually smaller. Again, this is not always the case and it is common to see it the other way round or see all three (or more) pairs be the same size. Their lower wings are always layered above the upper wings. So, the head wings are always below the tail wings.
Their body is also always proportional to the biggest wing pair and usually slightly longer than that pair. They also have a distinct head and something of a "collar" around their neck.
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SPIKED bATTERFLY
These are NOT a subtype! Grifix divide them into two subtypes, not three.
This is more of a special occurrence on Batterflies and can occur on either subtype with any amount of wing pairs. Grifix were debating on making it a third type, but it's not different enough to be a third subtype, so there are only two, not three.
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Sometimes, the outer tip of the lowest wing pair grows much longer than any other wing pair. Think of it like Butterfly Sphirix Wing Alteration, that's about the same thing. On Tailed Batterflies, it always only occurs on the lowest wing pair (the closest to the tail), while on the Eared Batterfly, it also only occurs on the lower wing pairs, but it can appear on more than one wing pair. It appears on the lowest when they have 3 wing pairs, the the two lowest when they have 4 or 5 wing pairs, and on the three lowest when they have 6 wing pairs.
Colors:
When it comes to colors, there is no difference between the Eared and the Tailed Batterfly.Their body is always in a dark color, no matter the saturation and the idk wing "bones"?, uh, arms actually; like not the membrane part lol, is also the same color.
But the membrane is as vividly colored and colorful as a butterfly's wing. Whatever colors and patterns butterflies have, you will find the same on batterflies. It might look a little differently since the general wing shape is differently, but the idea of the pattern is the same with both. Grifix were thinking of dividing the batterflies into as many species as normal butterflies, but because there were literally no other difference between them except for the coloring, they decided against it.
Habitat:
Batterflies can be found where leaves can be found. They prefer warmer climates over colder ones, but you can even find them pretty much everywhere. As long as there are leaves and a cave to live in around, you will find Batterflies there. Batterflies are nocturnal and sleep in the cracks and crannies of caves. They do not hang from the ceiling like actual bats and do not sleep while 'standing' like actually butterflies; these creatures actually lay down to sleep which is why they hide in cracks high up the wall as to be safe from any predators.
There are especially many living in the cave with the green orb.
Diet:
As Batterflies are nocturnal, they do not eat the nectar of flowers. They do generally eat nectar, but as the vast majority of flower blossoms are closed during the night, they rarely get into the privilege of that. Instead, they feed on the chlorophyll of the leaves. They can transform that into useful nutrients, but sometimes it still slightly colors them green.
They also like to nibble on light beans, especially those who fell off because they have a different (and better) taste than those still existing on a Grifix. It doesn't hurt the Grifix, but it can be unsettling to some if they suddenly have a Batterfly sitting on their light beans and try to eat them. They love green light beans the most.
Hunting:
Batterflies are blind and use echolocation to navigate around the world. They have basic magic that enables them to be able to even tell leaves apart and lets them know about the exact shape of the leaf. If they attract a little of Grifix magic, they are even able to see color - the color green. Which is why they sometimes attack green Grifix and try to feed on their chlorophyll. However, they immediately let go when they realize that there is no chlorophyll to get.Â
Miscellanea:
IMPORTANT! Batterflies can NOT move their wing pairs individually! They always move any and all wings pairs the same way at the same time.
Idk where else to put this because it's technically part of the Habitat section, but I didn't want to add two images to that section, so I just threw it here instead: while they can't move each pair individually, they can fold their wings. In fact, in the colder regions, this is even a means to stay warm. They usually sleep with their wings open (kinda like moths?), but fold them and use them like a blanket so to speak in colder regions.
They have an incredible and unique sense of smell as they are somehow able to smell chlorophyll, so you might even see them nibbling on things where you thought they had no chlorophyll.
Also, it should be mentioned that Batterflies have both the long tongue of a butterfly and tiny sharp vampire fangs that they use to consume the chlorophyll. Their fangs sting a little, but don't exactly hurt.
reproduction and aging:
Batterflies reproduce by laying eggs of which tiny, tiny Batterflies hatch. They do not have a caterpillar phase, they are fully grown batterflies right away and learn how to fly before they learn how to use echolocation.The older Batterflies get, the harder it becomes for them to actually process the chlorophyll they consume. They still do so in an attempt to satisfy their hunger, but it's still harder to actually be satisfied from that, so they eat more because they process less at the same time. But as they stop to process every single atome of chlorophyll, chlorophyll molecules start to change their body colors. Temporarily at first (this also already happens to young Batterflies who consume too much chlorophyll at once), but once they're 15 months old, the effect starts to become permanent (it starts sooner with Batterflies who consume too much chlorophyll on a daily basis). It starts with the membranes and slowly takes over their body. They will die once they are completely green.
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History:
As far as the Grifix could observe, Batterflies have been living ever since they started taking note of that.These creatures have existed for so long that Grifix cannot tell who existed first - the Eared or the Tailed Batterfly. It's generally assumed that the Eared Batterfly has better chances of surviving due to having a bigger surface to catch the echoes with, so the Tailed Batterfly would have to exist first because why should the Batterfly evolve to something worse? They do not know for certain though.
However, they observed through the Empire era that Batterflies started to have more and more wing pairs. Nowadays (aka at the current point of the Empire), the number of wing pairs ranges from 6 to 9 for Tailed Batterflies and 7 to 10 for Eared Batterflies. Batterflies with less wing pairs are very rarely seen around there.
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What Grifix Use Them For:
Interestingly enough, those with a Batterfly sphirix tend to keep a Batterfly as a pet.
There's something funny about Batterflies as leaves with medical uses that lost their chlorophyll to Batterflies somehow have a greater impact. The medical use of a cholophyll-dehydrated leaf is slightly greater than of a healthy leaf. Grifix are not exactly sure why, but they assume that some of the Batterfly's saliva enters the leaf when they suck in the chlorophyll and that's what makes the leaves more effective.
Otherwise, the old and dead Batterflies are used as a Chlorophyll supplement. You simply eat them. The chlorophyll helps with reducing smells and helps with vitamins and minerals (tbh, I just read about that in an article when I was trying to find out whether chlorophyll in itself has a smell lmao I did not find the answer to the latter btw)
Legends and Rumors:
None currently.
Submitted By MidnightStar
for The Loveliest Woods V
Submitted: 3 months ago ・
Last Updated: 2 months ago