Daubentonia- Aye-Aye

[Normandem]

Aye-Aye

A bit of a weird suggestion but it's a creature that could be very useful in PVP and PVE. The Aye-Aye is a modern lemur but it had a giant extinct relative. In Malagasy folklore, aye-ayes forewarn death. This, and their unusual way of feeding (tapping on logs to find insects) could make for an interesting and useful tame on the Arks.

While it looks like a foest creature they can also live in the deserts- the spiny forest of Madagascar is one of the coolest desert environments. It's a fun addition to caving as Scorched definitely has the best maps in the game.

 

Background

The giant aye-aye (Daubentonia robusta) lived until around 1,000 years ago in Madagascar. Under the cover of darkness it would search for fruit and insects. The latin name for the Ark’s aye-aye could be Daubentonia perititafulgor (meaning mesmerising glare aye-aye).

Its modern counterpart, the aye-aye, is now endangered. It is the target of Malagasy superstition; it is believed that those pointed at by an aye-aye will soon perish. This, coupled with its creepy appearance and large, nocturnal eyes, are a fantastic inspiration for Ark’s own version of this evolutionary experiment.

Dossier

Wild

While the Arks are ruled during the daylight by towering reptiles and fierce predators, Daubentonia perititafulgor has made a life for itself under the cover of darkness. While you’re unlikely to see an aye-aye, you may hear them tapping trees for insects with their freakishly long fingers.

Aye-ayes prefer to hide away from combat, but when cornered can stun a would-be attacker with a hypnotic glare for long enough to retreat to the treetops. I have seen a dinosaur as large as a Carnotaurus be frozen in place by a spooked Daubentonia. If you can approach an aye-aye without startling it then you may be able to tame its favourite food, honey.

Domesticated

While not the most appealing-looking creature on the Arks, aye-ayes make for intelligent and loyal pets. They can collect berries, sap and honey from the comfort of a human’s shoulders and are happy to share their food. For the more sedentary tribes, they can latch onto trees or beehives and gather sap or honey respectively.

Daubentonia’s unique set of talents can provide valuable support to any tribe. During the night, their stunning glare can be used just as effectively from the back of their tribemate. I have seen a tribe keep aye ayes inside their homes to deter intruders. Their enhanced senses allow them to detect nearby aggressors, even in caves.

Wild Behaviour

-          Spawns in trees (or the bee canyon) and only leaves them if disturbed. Will return to the trees once safe

-          Defensive temperament- if the player ventures too close they can stun the player with a hypnotic glare, similar to a mesmer in Subnautica. Unlike the mesmer however, this is only to allow the aye-aye to flee

Taming

-          Passive tame

-          Approach the tree wearing ghillie armour or after consuming cactus broth

-          Throw down giant bee honey- the aye-aye will leave the tree and can then be passively tamed with honey, sap or berries

Utility

Shoulder mount-

o   When on the player’s shoulder will passively (slowly) collect berries, sap and giant bee honey from nearby nodes

o   When the player’s hunger is below 85% the aye-aye will automatically feed the player berries (except stimberries or narcoberries)

o   Can detect nearby enemies

o   Can stun nearby enemies

Enemy detection-       

o   Similar to a parasaur, but smaller range. Still works when on the player’s shoulder, useful when caving

Resource gathering-

o   When thrown can latch onto any surface

o   If thrown onto redwood trees will passively gather sap slowly

o   If thrown onto beehives will passively gather giant bee honey (but more slowly than a tamed hive)

o   Weight reduction of 75% for berries, honey and sap

Stunning-

o   Can stun enemy players or non-ridden dinosaurs

o   Slow recharge and only affects one enemy at a time to stop from being way too overpowered

o   Recharge must faster at night time, allowing a single target to be stun locked

o   Works on all creatures up to drag weight of a carno

o   Blocked by the effect of charge light or night vision goggles

 

[Normandem]

Here's the wikipedia link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_aye-aye