|
Calcarisaurus
| |
|
| |
|
Name:
|
Calcarisaurus ieiuniosus
|
|
Abilities and Weapons:
|
armour, spikes
|
|
Occupation:
|
Foraging mesopedator
|
|
Home:
|
Skull Island
|
|
First Appearance:
|
"The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island" (from 2005)
|
|
Diet:
|
Carnivore
|
|
Size:
|
Length: 1.5-2.1 meters
Weight Estimated: 75-90 kilograms |
|
Status:
|
Rescued from extinction during the 1938 expedition on Skull Island.
|
Calcarisaurus (Calcarisaurus ieiuniosus, meaning Hungry Spur-lizard) is an armored, spiked, tuatara/thorny devil-like squamate from the lowlands of Skull Island. It measures 5-7 feet long (1.5-2.1 meters).
Description[]
The thorny devil-like Calcarisaurus is a small, thorny reptile with a near impregnable hide. Despite its small size, few bigger predators bother the plucky little tank out of respect for its battery of spurs, which cover almost every surface of its body. A secreted irritant along the edges of Calcarisaurus spurs help to drive home its message of inedibility to the curious or stupid.
Such a solid defense grants Calcarisaurus impunity to wander the island without fear of molestation by carnivores. As a result, its eyesight and hearing are poor, having little need for those senses to alert it to danger.
Smell is the principal sense of Calcarisaurus and it is used to track down small lizards, rodents (like Skull Island rats), and large invertebrates in the scrub and other open regions. Centipedes are a particularly favored prey and are excavated from their burrows by Calcarisaurus with its strong digging claws. The bites of the Skull Island centipedes do not worry the ankylosaur-like reptile.
One larger predator alone is a threat to Calcarisaurus: Venatosaurus, intelligent and adaptable, it has developed strategies for flipping its prey to expose the vulnerable, less heavily armored underside, restricting Calcarisaurus to regions where the greater predators seldom roam.
Trivia[]
- It is unknown what type of lizard it is, although it is likely a form of veranid due to its size.
- The lizard fills a niche equivalent to that of the ankylosaurids through convergent evolution.