Editing Plague Cave Flyer

{{Animal simple
|name= Plague Cave Flyer
|type= Flying Hunter/Gather 
|terrain= Primarily Subterranean 
|locomotion= Hopping, crawling and flight
|size= Small, adults mass less than 0.5kg.
|speed= Slow crawlers and fast flyers
|strength= weak
|quantity= Large colonies
|weapons= claw 
|armor= none
|home= Unknown
|multi= Yes
|canon= No
|ref= Author: [[User:Ronald B. Kline, Jr.|Ronald B. Kline, Jr.]]
|extinct= Extant
|footnote=
}}

A species of subterranean organism which is occasionally host to a virulent pathogen known as the [[Black Mold]].

== Physiology & Ecology ==
This organism is a poikilothermic heterotrophic consumer.  It is classified as a omnivore and will consume producers and small consumers.  Apparently native to a cold world, it is adapted to survive in low temperature environments.  They gather in vast colonies to conserve heat and are highly communal.  Their primary sense is olfactory.  They can also perceive most forms of electromagnetic radiation.  They have a ring of five feeding tentacles arranged around the anterior buccal opening.  These tentacles grasp food and maneuver it into the mouth.  They are covered in sensitive airborne chemical sensors.
The body has a pair of membranous wings with a thin layer of tissue supported by thicker pseudo skeletal fibers.  These are in turn, attached to large flight muscles.  The main body is covered in a coat of structural polysaccharide filaments, which resembles fur.  On the ventral surface, just forward of the urogenital opening is a single leg.  This mono-ped has a single foot with five talons, three toward the anterior and two are posterior.  This claw arrangement and foot is designed to facilitate grasping and killing prey items.     

== Life Cycle & Reproduction == 
They release reproductive cells in a aerosol mist.  There is a single gender.  Older individuals release these cells into the air and younger flyers pass through this misty cloud and the cells stick to their "fur".  The tiny cells are absorbed through the skin and develop internally.  Eventually masses of these differentiated cells are secreted and affixed to cavern walls and ceilings.  The "embryos" continue to develop using stored energy reserves until they hatch roughly a month latter.  Under colder climates the rate of development is slowed.  In warmer environments they grow quicker.    

== Diet & Trophics ==
Although their original home world is unknown, a species of [[Plague Cave Flyer]] is typically found in the same habitats as the '''Black Mold''' (sic).  Early victims discovered and observed that these flying hunters are one of the only species known to tolerate the mold for short periods of time.  They have natural hibernation ability and once infected they shut down all circulatory functions and can tolerate being frozen solid within the icy cold caves they frequently inhabit.  This seems to force the disease particles to halt operations.  Once exposed the flyers move away from any heat/radiation source and sleep.  When warm sophonts show up near the entrance to the cave, cargo hold, etc, swarms of these flyers thaw and "attack" the new potential hosts, spilling infected fluids along the way all over any exposed surface, skin, face plate, what have you. 

== History & Background (Dossier) ==
Freezing victims and using low berth technology slows the spread and speed of flesh conversion.  The black plague "zombies" with respiratory organs exhale clouds of the disease particles which hastens their infection rate.  They absorb laser and high energy weapons fire easily.  Early contact during the [[Long Night]] on an isolated mining colony resulted in harsh quarantine protocols which remain in place to this day on certain worlds where there were historical outbreaks.  A selfish mega-corporation who owned the mining camp thought that this species had several potential uses.  First a gel layer of these organisms sandwiched between hull metal plates makes a great, cheap, organic EMP sponge to absorb stray ionizing radiation from the area of the engine room on company ships.  Secondly, the appearance of colonies of these organisms in tunnels underground on several worlds can help prospectors find valuable fissionable materials.  Thirdly, they believed the organism's ability to break down organics could be used for clean up and toxic waste management.  Some have likened their abilities to a naturally occurring nano-technology.  Alas, it is only with great difficulty and potential risk that any form of carbon based organic life would want to try and domesticate these dangerous pathogenic particles and their flesh consuming and altering tendencies.

== [[Travellers' Aid Society]] Advisory ==
The [[Travellers' Aid Society]] (TAS) classifies encounters with the Plague Cave Flyer, while it is infected by Black Mold, as extremely dangerous and potentially life threatening to most [[sophont]]s.  Uninfected animals are harmless on their own.  However, the transport or sale of these creatures is highly illegal on most worlds.  

== References & Contributors (Sources) ==
{{Sources
|S1= Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis), Captain, and Lead Naval Architect [[User:Ronald B. Kline, Jr.|Ronald B. Kline, Jr.]] of the [[Imperial Navy]]
}}



{{LEN|}}