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Foetodon

Foetodon

Name:
Foetodon
Abilities and Weapons:
Strength, Speed, Senses, Tail, Sharp Teeth, Sharp Claws, Swimmer, Climber, Jaw Strength
Occupation:
Ambush macropredator
Home:
Skull Island
First Appearance:
King Kong (2005 film)
Diet:
Carnivore
Size:
Length: 4.5-6 meters
Height: 1.5 meters
Weight: 2 tons
Status:
Rescued from extinction during the 1938 fall exploration of skull island.


Foetodon ("cruel stinking tooth") is a large, bulky, lizard/crocodilian-like notosuchian from the jungles of Skull Island that relies on ambush. It measures 15-20 feet long.

The giant, broad-bodied Foetodon is a surly jungle predator and scavenger, well-adapted to life prowling leaf litter-chocked forest floor. Scutes along its back betray the species common ancestry with crocodilians, but the snout is short and heavily reinforced for bone-crushing and brutal territorial confrontations.

Ecology[]

Both an ambush predator and a scavenger, Foetodon is found on the litter-strewn jungle floor, usually near game trails, where it will gladly take anything offered. Foetodon will also eat carrion, and will dig into mounds of leaf litter in search of large invertebrates. Young Foetodon live in lakes and streams until large enough to safely venture out onto land and into the jungles.

Personality/Motivation[]

Foetodon has typical animal motivations. Like most of the predators on the island, it will abandon its meal to chase fresher meat.

Abilities/Tactics[]

KK Foetodon 1

A Foetodon feeding on the carcass of a dead Ligocristus.

Foetodon will usually scrape out a hollow near a game trail or will burrow into mounds of litter, lying quietly for a prey item to appear. One quick lunge and a bone-crushing bite later, and Foetodon usually has its meal. Its thick hide acts as an armour, it has a strong sense of smell which helps it in hunting prey. The World Of Kong Book gives it 5/10 running, 1/2 leaping, and 4/8 swimming.

1236192885 New Dino Attack web

The Foetodon has poor eyesight, but, as a solitary ambush predator, this does not impede its success. Lying concealed beneath leaves in excavated scrapes along the edges of game trails, the predator will wait patiently to ambush oblivious prey using the path. Most often these are small herbivores (like Pugiodorsus, tree-tops or one of the large flightless birds like Hylaeornis) caught unawares as they pick their way along the path, but a Foetodon takes virtually any prey available, even Ligocristus, young Kongs and Avarusaurus. The boorish carnivore cannot afford to be choosy. It's attitude is one of "bit first and ask questions later". As such, much depends upon the effectiveness of the first, powerful bite.

A Foetodon's physiology is geared toward small bursts of activity with long periods of rest in between. When lunging, it can do so with frightening speed and power. The massive jaws exert a staggering pressure, enough to crush bones and cripple, thereby ensuring that even if it fails to kill or secure the prey with the first bite, the wounded victim is unlikely to be able to escape.

The species has an excellent sense of smell for tracking wounded prey. It also uses its keen nose to grub out invertebrates living amid the thick leaf litter. This veritable sea of decomposing vegetable matter can be many feet deep and hide all manner of small snacks to interest a hungry Foetodon. Indeed, the young live exclusively on these morsels while still small and conceal themselves in the detritus and in marshes from larger predators, including cannibalistic members of their own kind.

The adults themselves can have predators, like V. rexes.

Appearance[]

Foetodon5 (1)

Foetodon has a similar appearance of a Notosuchus (a close relative of crocodiles), although much stockier. It reaches a length of 20 feet, with a broad build and mottled grayish skin, and weighs up to 2 tons. The height of the Foetodon is 5 feet. The face and jaws of Foetodon are often covered in blisters from infections picked up while foraging in the leaf litter. Like a Komodo Dragon, the mouth, claws and tail are the main weapons. Because of its natural infections, a bite from the Foetodon can spread some serious diseases. 

History[]

Ann Darrow ran through the hot steaming jungles of Skull Island, she stops to catch her breath, sweating profusely due to the warm tropical climate, she wipes mud off of her bare feet but was startled by some creature noises in the distance. Ann sprinted off again until she came upon a Foetodon feeding on the corpse of another creature. She slowly backs away not attracting its attention, careful not to tread on any branch with her bare feet. Having successfully avoided the creature, Ann tried to make her escape, but was spotted by a second Foetodon. The Foetodon then chased Ann through the jungle, fortunately for Ann the Foetodon got stuck between the trees, she keeps running & hides inside a hollow log. Ann stops, panting for air, sweating profusely due to the hot wet muggy climate, she sighs in relief having escaped.

Ann then notices she’s lying on something smooth and scaly, Ann's eyes widen as she sees massive Madtsoia python crawling towards her, it investigates Ann, coming face to face with her, Ann is petrified, the Python gazes into her eyes, Ann is transfixed, she feel's something on her back and looks over to see, the snakes tail slithering over her shoulder, the python has her completely hypnotised so she puts up no resistance as it slowly wraps it's tail around her neck, the hypnotised Ann looks down her body, the snakes coils begin to wrap around her entire body.

Ann is helpless, hypnotised as muscular coils envelope her from neck to feet, Ann is immobilised, once she's completely wrapped up, the python begins to constrict and suffocate her. Ann clenches her feet, starts wheezing for air, and with her air ways constricted she struggled to scream for help, tears begin to streak down her face, Ann knows that; she is not going to be saved and is going to eaten alive, the python waited for Ann to breathe out and then squeezes tighter, and tighter, crushed, Ann is slowly asphyxiated, she falls unconscious.

The Madtsoia begins to swallow Ann head first, as it continues to devour her it paused for a moment, sensing something. The Python quickly regurgitates Ann and uncoils itself around her body, it slivers off into hiding after being spooked, Ann regains consciousness, coughing violently after being asphyxiated, covered in saliva which she attempts to wipe off, she runs out of the log; but hears something large breathing behind her, she slowly turns and to her horror sees a Vastatosaurus rex looking at her. Ann runs for it, the huge inbred Tyrannosaur begins to chase her through the jungle, she avoids it's attempts to snap her up, even causing it fall; into a ravine, Ann runs along the side of the edge while it continues to pursue her below, as the chase goes on the Foetodon from earlier appears, it (initially) is set upon Ann; but quickly begins to flee at the sight of the V-Rex, the Tyrannosaur turns its attention to the Foetodon, Ann slips and slides down a muddy slope, she gets up and continues running before tripping on a huge log, she then lies down and hides, the V-Rex pins the Foetodon under it's huge foot and bites down crushing it under it's immense jaw pressure, it then picks up the corpse and wanders off to enjoy its meal, unaware of Ann's presence nearby.

With the Rex gone, Ann breaths a sigh of relief and starts to crawl along in case anything else notices her, she then hears loud breathing once again, she looks behind and sees another Vastatosaurus, this one being the mother/sister of the one who chased her, it attempts to eat her, but she lies flat on the log, leaving it unable to reach her, the inbred Tyrannosaur then knocks to log to make her fall off causing her to scream, the scream brings Kong to her rescue who fends off the female V-Rex but also attracts the attention of its child who finishes its Foetodon meal.

Skeletal Adaptations[]

Foetodon2

No longer a water predator like its distant ancestors, a Foetodon relies upon the power of it's strong, high-mounted back legs to propel it forward when striking. Because juvenile Foetodon still spend much of their lives in water, a large, powerful, broad tail, like a crocodile's is retained in the larger land-based adult. Foetodon sometimes suffer from a disfiguring infection picked up from the leaf litter. So virulent can the infection become that even the bones of the reptiles frequently bare cruel scars.

Youngster survival[]

Using the shallow ponds as nurseries, baby Foetodon swim among the weeds, hunting invertebrates and swamp-wings; until old and large enough to survive ashore. During their infancy they are often prey for wading birds, the sharp pickax-like bills of herons like the great grey heron making short work of their leathery armor. The tables will be turned when the infant reptiles are grown.

Juvenile Foetodon are also common prey to young Piranhadon, snapped up as they float on the surface in their nursery groups.

Trivia[]

  • There were no Foetodon in the video game adaption, for an unknown reason.
  • Along with the Venatosaurus, the Foetodon were the replacements of the Teratornis from the 1933 film (since they all scavenge on meat).
  • "Doug" from Godzilla vs Kong may be a referance to the Foetodon.
  • Foetodon resembles Postosuchus, and may be based on the animal.
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