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Diaboli Auritus

The Diaboli Auritus, or more commonly known as the Devil-Eared Glider, is a mammal that lives in the canopy layer of the rainforest. It is famous for its large, pointy ears in which it gets its name.  

Physical Characteristics

Weight: 25 - 30 kilograms

Lifespan: 15 - 20 years

Height: 75CM - 1M

Wingspan: 45-60CM

Appearance

The Glider has large eyes, a circular shaped mouth and no nose; just nostrils that go into its head. This animal has a long and powerful tail, used to swing throughout the jungle. Their fingers and toes have suction cups at the end, used to stick onto trees and anything else they may need to grab onto. They have thin elastic flesh that they use to glide under their arms. These unique creatures have four ears, two on each side of their head. Two of their ears pick up lower frequencies, while the other two smaller ears pick up higher frequencies. Their ears are also red, which are more prominent at the tips, fading into the skin. This mammal’s skin is mostly a light brown colour but it does vary to a light yellow. The Devil-Eared glider can be compared to a galago (bush baby) or a flying squirrel.

Adaptations

Underneath their arms they have thin elastic flesh (similar to flying squirrels) used for gliding. Due to the planet's humid environment, Devil-Eared Gliders are able to literally suck water from the air. After inhaling, they internally separate it into water and air. Due to it being quite dark in the rainforest, the Glider’s eye lens is closer to the retina, which allows for better vision in the dark. Their feet are arched, allowing them to wrap their feet around a branch. The Devil-Eared Glider has green sweat that acts as sunscreen and helps them camouflage into their green, leafy environment of the canopy. This animal’s scent attracts bugs, as they are an important part of their diet. The tail bone has a hook shape, which is used to help climb, or if they fall, they can catch themselves.

Habitat / Predators

This wonderful creature can be found high up in the canopy of the rainforests, making it easier to use their water breathing adaptation. It is suspected that they originally lived on the ground, but this served as little to no protection from predators. Likely over time they started living in the trees. Today, their main predator is any avian that may swoop down and snatch them.

Diet / Nutrition

The Devil-Eared Glider is an omnivore, more specifically an opportunist. This means that this animal is mostly a herbivore, but will eat bugs if given the chance. These creatures feed on tough plants, because they provide the most nutrition in the shortest amount of time. Their teeth and jaw have adapted to be able to more easily consume these plants. 

Reproduction / Growth

Once a year a male looks for a handful of mates (usually 3-6). Due to the Glider not being a social animal, he will never see any of his children. After a 3-4 month pregnancy, the mother stays with their offspring for around eight months. After this, the child is left on their own. To help the mother move around, she has broader shoulders to carry the child on her back. In fact, the female is larger than the male as well as having larger ears and broader shoulders. This is all to help the mother protect their child, as the mother is very protective of her offspring for as long as she’s taking care of them.

Social

These animals are not social, and will try to avoid interactions with other animals if possible. Once they find a mate, they’ll find one tree to stay in until the male leaves. The female will continue to live with her offspring until it’s old enough to be left alone. For the Gliders without a mate, they will move from tree to tree every few nights in an attempt to find one. The males will move more regularly than the females as the males often have more than one mate per year.

The Devil-Eared Glider is an incredibly unique animal that’s thriving in their environment.