chok armor

Although the chok have been known to Vastlanders since at least 1500 Vol, it was only recently realized that their outer shells, long believed to be an epidermis like skin or scales, is in fact a species of invertebrate animal in a symbiotic relationship with the chok. When the chok are on land, the armor is rigid enough to support their weight. When observed underwater, the chok can change shape drastically, without damaging their armor coats. They are spherical or egg-shaped when at rest, dart-shaped when in motion.

Basic Information

Anatomy

An individual organism is almost too small to see. It resembles a plant more than an animal, with feeding fronds that protrude from a hard shell. When out of the water, the armor organisms are dormant, and the armor has a finely textured feel. Immersed, they open out their fronds, giving the chok a slightly furry appearance.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Chok armor eats organic particles suspended in the ocean water.  The chok "feed" their armor by swimming slowly in a tumbling fashion, so that each part of the shell spends some time at the optimum angle to the water flow.

Additional Information

Domestication

While the armor cannot be considered domesticated in the traditional sense, the relationship between the chok and their armor is most akin to the relationship between farmers and livestock.  The chok themselves are predators and scavengers, but expend considerable energy looking for nutrient-rich waters to keep their armor healthy.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

The armor organisms anchor themselves into a substance secreted by the chok that hardens into a substrate. As sections of the armor die, the substrate flakes off. The chok collect these hard pieces and use them to communicate by tapping, hitting, and grinding them together.

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

In the mutualistic relationship, the armor organisms protect the chok, and in exchange get a ride to new sources of food and escape from predators.

Discovered by

Haftera Djuur