Cryptid #140 “Shadow in the Night”

 

Class: Naiad

 

Destruction procedures: Have an array of high-powered LED lamps placed in 140’s containment and activated. Place the array so no shadows are in the containment area. Leave lamps on for 4 hours and check for remains.

Containment Procedures: Cryptid #140 instances are to be kept within a large aviary, with a flora and temperature range consistent with ██████████, Africa . The aviary is to be lit with lights with a brightness of no more than ██ lumens, and are to be kept on a 24 hour day/night cycle. 10 kilograms of beeswax are to be placed in the aviary every 12 hours, with waste swept up after 6:30 local time.

 

Description: 140 is a previously unknown species of bat, but is most similar genetically to the Pteropus genus, or flying foxes. #140 instances’ coloring is analogous to “vanta-black,” as its coat and skin absorbs 99.99% of all light. Despite this, people can see and sense #140 instances, even in darkness, saying that they look like a “different texture of darkness.” When observed, #140 instance appear to be two-dimensional and flat, which is attributed to its dark coat. As the dark coloring absorbs almost all light, the entities can become overheated very quickly, and are extremely susceptible to heatstroke and burns in even very low light. To counteract this, specimens have a low metabolism and temperature, remaining around ██ degrees Celsius. Despite being in the Pteropus genus, which is traditionally frugivorous, the cryptid lives off a diet of natural wax, and has been shown to eat variations of wax, such as candle wax, honeycomb, and sealing wax. So far, over 126 instances have been found, all located in █████████, Africa. The cryptids appear to prefer to nest in places with high density of wax, such as old libraries, monasteries, candle shops, and near beehives or plants that produce high quantities of wax. The entities are theorized to have evolved naturally, as opposed to being man-made.

 

Recovery Log: #140 was discovered when monastery monks in ██████████, Africa, reported a pest problem to local exterminators, citing the fact that many of their candles appeared to be eaten. They were reported to have this problem for several years, but had never found the culprit.