Shy but deadly, Tagalos are commonly found in rocky areas, where they spend much of the day sunning themselves on warm stone. Most creatures know to give these venomous snakes a wide berth. Their sharp fangs can deliver a potent, paralyzing toxin. As their digestive process is slow, they hunt only once a week, but they are careful and cunning predators. Using their forked tongue to scent and their specialized heat vision to see, Tagalos stalk small animals from on top of rocks, under bushes, and even in trees, often dropping down upon their unsuspecting prey. Tagalos are capable of gliding forward or backward as the need arises. The eye-like marking near the tip of their tail serves to confuse prey and predators. Juveniles usually crawl backward and will dart forward with a burst of speed to capture prey or evade danger.

The creatures that dwell in this rather desolate world still display some diversity in appearance, eating habits, and social behavior. Whether they have fur or feathers, skin or scales, their unique genetic makeup allows for a variety of colors and markings within each species. Despite limitations in food sources, herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores are all present in the food chain, and each species requires specialized care within a laboratory. Although the artificial setting of housing units and breeding pods precludes most opportunities to study true interspecific behavior, the interactions within and between species has been studied extensively in the wilderness by scientists daring enough to venture beyond the outpost’s walls.

Creature Notes

• Aithusa is a tagalo that I had the most success with taming and befriending, she is the only tagalo in my possession that I allow out, though she only sticks to her favorite basking spot on the dead tree.
• When not basking under the headlamp of her tree she can be found hiding in her enclosure.
• She often just periscopes and watches people work around her, she loves watching people do strange things such as playing instruments or cleaning her tank.
• She does allow her caretakers to handle her and doesn't often show any aggression unless it is around time to be fed, she has never bitten anybody, though she did try multiple times when she was young or spooked.