Batfly

"Bat Stacked Flying.png 'Catch and eat them'"Batflies are passive flying creatures in Rain World. They are not harmful and are one of slugcat's main sources of food.

Behavior
Batflies are one of the most ubiquitous creatures in the game, appearing in all but one region. Due to how common they are, they form a substantial part of slugcat's diet.

They can often be found swarming in rooms featuring white-tipped plants, which function as their nests. When they sense a threat, they will attempt to dive and burrow into one, reemerging from another plant in the same area. Swarms will often leave one of these rooms if a large number of them are eaten during a cycle and move to another in the region. Other groups of batflies can also be found migrating throughout a region, moving from room to room.

Sometimes, when resting upside down on a ceiling, batflies will attach to each other, forming stacks. If a batfly with others attached to it from below starts flying, the attached batflies may not separate, and it will end up struggling to fly.



Strategy
Though batflies are often wary of the player, they are most times very lethargic in their evasion, and can be caught quite easily by simply jumping towards them and grabbing. Batflies are easier to catch if you are above them -- they have a simple flight pattern and will hover in a single spot for a few seconds, which is the perfect time to pounce. They can also be hunted from afar by throwing rubbish or spears at them, knocking them to the ground. It should be noted that they cannot be stored in a shelter for later consumption, and must be eaten within the same cycle. Batflies are attracted to Batnip, (a red leafy plant common to many regions), which can be used to lure more to they player where they can be more easily caught. Batflies can be used to distract certain creatures, such as pole plants and monster kelp, this can be done by catching the bat quickly and throwing it into the range of the plant. If slugcat grabs a batfly with multiple others attached to it, they may have a small delay before detaching from the stack. This can be useful to gather large quantities of batflies.

Trivia

 * Most creatures in the game, such as Lizards, do not predate them, however Squidcadas, Jetfish, Pole Plants, and Monster Kelp will actively hunt them.
 * Despite being counted as meat and counting towards The Hunter achievement, they are only worth 1/4th a pip of food to The Hunter.