taliapetenar (/.tɑ.li:ɑpɛ'tɛ.nɑr/)

As the largest animals on Kot Petaszi, szageki have no predators as adults, but their nests are vulnerable to a snake they call taliapetenar, which translates to "egg-eater" in Oceantongue.  In the northeast canyonlands, the szageki colonies exist in an uneasy equilibrium with the taliapetenar.  In each breeding season, the szageki lay more eggs than are needed, and colony nest keepers arrange the eggs so that the extra are on the outside, to decoy the taliapetenar.  When one is sighted, the nest keepers raise the alarm, but otherwise do not attack.  To the szageki tribes in the southwest, the taliapetenar are a far more serious threat.  Tribes do not have the resources to lay superfluous eggs.  In the event of a raid on the nest, tribal keepers will attack the predators if no hunters are nearby, sometimes losing their lives in defense of the eggs.

Basic Information

Dietary Needs and Habits

The taliapetenar diet depends on their primary habitat.  Those in the northeastern part of the range prey mostly on birds that nest at higher altitudes.  They are ambush predators, lying in wait in the scrubland where the birds forage.  When szageki lay their eggs, the taliapetenar migrate to the canyons and switch to a more active feeding pattern.  Szageki eggs are larger and easier to digest, have softer shells, and can't flee, making it worth the extra energy expended in raiding the nests.  Populations in the rock and desert region farther to the south and west rely more on this strategy, becoming dormant outside of the szageki nesting season.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Taliapetenar are found in the Neszekotalo Basin on the island of Kot Petaszi, mostly in the northeastern canyon areas.  They are as susecptible to overheating as szageki are, and have difficulty crossing the unsheltered desert sands.  Nevertheless, there are some established populations in the scattered rock formations in the southwest.  These are more aggressive, since they cannot rely on birds as a source of food, and the szageki tribes are more protective of their eggs than the szageki colonies.