Intro

Bakiri are a nocturnal, batlike species. They're  known for their special hidden markings which only appear under UV/blacklight!
​Bakiri spend most of their social time deep in caves snacking on glowworms, and communicating with one another through deep booming sounds they make with their throat sacs. Bakiri display dances are a big part of their communication, and they're very responsive to rhythms. If you play a song with a strong beat, they may start to dance!

Anatomy

There are currently two known Body types: Standard and Heavy! Standards (left) possess a small chest and no neck, where heavies (right) have a large chest and a neck.  

Standard bakiri stand around 13" / 30cm tall. They grow short fur on their backs that grows in loops, and their fingers, toes & belly have a texture like a gecko's toes (tiny hooks) so they can adhere to walls for sleeping. The velcro-like relationship between the fur & skin comes in handy for carrying babies on their backs, or securing their wings around them like a cloak. 
​Bakiri fingers & toes are clawless. Some bakiri have thumbs and some don't- they're optional and have no rarity, but they're very good at climbing most surfaces! 

Behavior

Bakiri are very social creatures! It's easy to know which caves they occupy as they can be heard from the entrance. 
Communal performances - When they sing a deep rhythm using their throats, they may also dance, and others might join in as well. There are call-and-response songs, songs to call others over, performances to impress a mate, displays to scare off foes, and more!
Sounds- Bakiri make a range of vocalizations, including chirpy squabbling, and deep bass noises called "booming" or "wubs" made & amplified using their inflatable throat sacs. Additionally, they puff their throats up to look bigger or more intimidating. ​ Bakiri are also talented mimics and can "sample" and repeat sounds they hear.

​Environment - Bakiri live in dark caves lined with glowing lichen and worms called Ghoworms, which they eat! These worms hang from strings they make and glow with UV light. They can also emit UV light out of their mouths, like a spotlight.

Baby Bakiri

Baby Bakiri are called Bukki. They cling to their parents' soft chest fur and can go into stasis/hybernation in cave nurseries for long periods when food is scarce. 

Design

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Hidden markings

Bakiri have two sets of markings- one that shows up in regular light, and a secondary set that shows up in UV/blacklight.
There are no color or design restrictions to their daylight markings, but their hidden blacklight markings have color rarity restrictions.
The hidden markings do not need to have any visual relationship to their daylight markings if you choose.

UV markings
1-2 colors Common | 3 colors uncommon  | 4-5 colors rare (5 colors max)
Any colors - not just limited to "blacklight" colors

Common: Stripes, blobs & abstract markings. Pinhole Stars, flecks, patterns, stripes, abstract designs.
Uncommon: Representational markings- false eyes, moon, stars, hearts, skeleton, etc.

How to Draw Bakiri

They may look challenging at first, but Bakiri are very fun to draw once you have an understanding of their anatomy and a little practice. (click image for full-res)

Tips for how to draw them on-model:

• The side profile of the face is smooth.
• ​You can draw the eye flat & smooth or a round 3d eyeball, like you see in the two examples at step 4.
• You can use the browline to emote, just make sure the nose stays anchored. (the nose is the bottom of the face stripe)
• You can stylize them however you like if you don't want to draw them on-model. Have fun!

Legs

Bakiri skin is baggy and hides their legs when they're sitting.

Frills

Bakiri with frills can flare them, like a frillneck lizard!