Shibalbat began as a flightless, climbing bat design, not dissimilar to the New Zealand lesser short-tailed bat, which is capable of flight, but spends much of its time hunting on the ground. One contributor suggested mixing design elements of South American statue with the bat, and after the initial design, another suggested that Shibalbat should have lava inside it. It was then decided that Shibalbat would be a living statue, and engage in battle only after interacting with the Pokémon at night.
Additionally, Shibalbat's concept as an inanimate stone statue with bat wings that comes to life at night is inspired by gargoyles, which are in turn based on real-life gargoyle grotesques.
Name origin[]
Shibalbat's name is a combination of a corruption of Xibalba, the name for the underworld in Maya mythology, and bat.