Atok
The great Atok, snake of desert and mountain, whose skin is black upon birth, red as it grows, and finally flares the orange of the desert ; the powerful serpent who is born in the dry crags of the highest mountains but upon birth makes its way down into the scorching heat of the high desert, only to travel back up the mountain years later to die. The Atok, whose eyes are bottomless black depths and whose tail is ringed in brilliant shades of dazzling colors; skin made to heal humankind, tail made to bless.~ from "The Molting of Tazhanakwa"
Basic Information
Anatomy
Atok are medium-to-large snakes, with adults reaching around 1-2 meters in length. They are completely black when born, matching the color of the mountain rocks. As the snake matures, it will lighten to a deep red color and then to a dark orange to camouflage it in the desert. As its color lightens, small black stripes will begin to emerge along its body. They can also change color to some degree, becoming more light or dark depending on various circumstances.
Atok can be easily identified by the two small black markings on its head that look like horns and its overly large rattle. They have a solid black tail area just before the rattle, as opposed to rings or stripes. The rattle itself, however, is varied shades of red, orange, and yellow. When the snake vibrates its tail, the segments click together to produce the buzzing rattle sound they are known for.
The snake's appearance is often shiny or glossy, due to a lack of ridge (keel) on each scale.
Genetics and Reproduction
Atok mate at the end of Summer and then enter a period of brumation (hibernation) for the Winter months. They often gather together for brumation in large numbers, huddling together inside underground dens located in the foothills of the Tamitpixqua.
The males may fight each other during the mating season in competition over females. These fights are known as "fire dances" and consist of the two males intertwining their rattles, and jabbing each other with their heads and fangs.
Atok are ovoviviparous (give birth to live young after carrying eggs inside). Females can store semen for months, which permits them to mate during the summer, but not fertilize the ova until the following spring. They give birth to 9 snakes at a time.
Atok take many years to mature, and females reproduce only once in their lives. After being inseminated in the Summer and spending the Winter in brumation, a female Atok will travel, for the only time in her life, back up into the mountains. During this journey, the eggs are growing inside her, using up all the nutrients and moisture in her body. When she reaches the birthing grounds, the eggs have hatched and the young are ready to be born. She sheds her skin one last time, revealing a solid black body because of the lack of nutrients needed to create the pigments necessary for other coloring. As her body prepares to die, it also sheds its rattle. Finally, the baby Atok are birthed into a small nested area, surrounded by their mother's much larger corpse, a slight protection from predators and the elements until they are ready to leave the nest.
Growth Rate & Stages
Growth rate is slow for Atok. Both males and females reach maturity at around 9 years old. At this time, males can become sexually active, although it is normal for them to wait a few more years. A female will not become sexually active until she is around 20 years old, and will mate only once in her life before dying in the process of giving birth.
All Atok are born in the mountains at the end of Spring, and spend the next 3 months of Summer making their way down into The Atmax and The Atmax where they will spend the majority of their lives.
Both males and females climb back into the mountains to die - the only time they return to the high peaks. Females do so as part of the birthing process, while males will seek out their birthing place when they are ready to die. All Atok seek to die in the same place they were born.
Ecology and Habitats
An Atok begins and ends its life in the Tamitpixqua but spends most of its time in the desert and mesas of The Atmax.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Atok eat mice, rats, small birds, and other small animals through hunting in holes or lying in wait.
Biological Cycle
The tip of the tail of a newborn Atok ends in a smooth rounded, slightly pear-shaped, "button," which is the first segment of the future rattle. As the young snake grows it sheds its skin, usually several times a year. Each shed skin adds a new, loosely overlapped and interlocked segment to the rattle. A young snake sheds up to 10 times a year, while a mature adult may shed only once per year.
Additional Information
Uses, Products & Exploitation
The shed skins of Atok have many medicinal uses from curing skin disorders to helping regulate digestion. The skin is sometimes used in its entirety, laying it on the body of the person being treated. It is also ground into a powder which can then be ingested through food or water.
The rattles of mature Atok are extremely valuable and highly sought after. The small keratin rings, once polished and shaped, are considered the height of beauty for jewelry and fashion. There are even some nimble-handed sculptors who are able to carve miniature works of art out of Atok rings.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Atok have two organs that can sense radiation: their eyes, and a set of heat-sensing "pits" on their faces that enable them to locate prey and move towards it, based on the prey's thermal radiation signature.
Their eyes are well adapted for nocturnal use and they do have some color vision, but they lack the ability for sharply focused images and thus rely heavily on their other sensory organs for information.
Like all snakes, Atok have an exceptionally keen sense of smell. They can sense olfactory stimuli both through their nostrils and by flicking their tongues.
Also like all snakes, they lack external ear openings, but are capable of sensing vibrations in the ground through their body.
Atok are extremely venomous and should be avoided at all costs.
Scientific Name
Reptilia
Lifespan
20 years
Conservation Status
Atok are sacred throughout the island. It is forbidden to kill one for any reason unless you are a licensed "culler" in Tayon Ke.
Average Length
1-2 meters
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Black at birth, fades to deep red as it ages and then to a dark orange with black stripes; a black base just before the rattle and black markings on the head that look like horns; the rattle is bright rings of reds, oranges, and yellows.
Geographic Distribution
Comments