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Terapusmordax

Terapusmordax WoK

Name:
Terapusmordax obscenus
Abilities and Weapons:
Sharp Teeth, Talons, Wings, Keen Senses, Good Eyesight, Stamina
Occupation:
Pursuit generalist
Home:
Skull Island
First Appearance:
"King Kong" (from 2005)
"The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island" (from 2005)
Diet:
Omnivore
Size:
Length: 0.9-1.2 meters
Wingspan: 2.4-3 meters
Weight Estimated: 12.8-18.6 kilograms
Status:
Escaped when Skull Island sunk into the ocean


Terapusmordax obscenus ("filthy pungent-bat") is a huge bat-like flying rodent and possibly one of the largest flying mammals of all time. It is the largest member of the Volucerattidae, the family of winged rodents peculiar to Skull Island, and the convergent replacements to both bats and pterosaurs. It has a body-length of 3 to 4 feet (0.9-1.2 meters) and a wingspan of 8 to 10 feet (2.4-3 meters).

Description[]

Despite superficially resembling a mixture of a bat, a sphynx cat and a naked mole rat, Terapusmordax belonged to a family of flying rodents named Volucerattidae, which also contained Volucerictis and the Howlers. Terapusmordax, in particular, was the largest of the family.

Feeding[]

It feeds on almost anything, including birds, lizards, rats, small dinosaurs, other flying rats, and even Humans on rare cases, plus carrion. But unlike the rest of its carnivorous kind, it is especially omnivorous; it will eat fruits and nuts. Their common prey are their smaller relatives, Volucerictises, and the flying theropods Vultursaurus, which they catch at dusk. Like its smaller and wingless counterpart, the naked mole rat, Terapusmordax is totally hairless, with translucent naked skin and strong bones for its size.

Lifestyle and Abilities[]

A highly agile flyer, they are able to easily keep up with much smaller birds and flying rats. They dwell in huge upland caverns, roosting there by the hundreds in colonies ruled by the elder females. The males live in small colonies of a dozen or so and fight constantly among themselves, with injuries and death to infection common. The most notable feature about the Terapusmordax is its eye-watering stink. Its waste contains chemicals that cause an incredibly pungent reek, and since waste often is caked and smeared on the animals, they also tend to smell, regardless of where they go. Interestingly, this smell serves to keep predators away, as it is far too strong for many to deal with.

History[]

A swarm of Terapusmordax was awakened by Kong in the ape's lair when the giant ape found Jack Driscoll attempting to steal Ann Darrow from him. Ann becomes free from Kong's hold on her while the great ape is distracted as the Terapusmordax proceeded to attack Kong. However, as she and Jack escaped by climbing down a nearby vine by the cliff's edge, Kong prevents them from leaving by pulling the vine up towards him with several Terapusmordax circling around the fleeing humans. Jack grabbed hold of the wing of an attacking Terapusmordax and escaped with Ann. Several of the flying rodents followed them until Jack and Ann fall into a river below.

In The Game[]

Tm1

A Terapusmordax in attack positon, Peter Jackson's King Kong game

Terapusmordax appear in the King Kong video game as very common enemies, and with more diversity. It is shown that they follow large blue-skinned Queens, and like also in the movie, they are extremely dangerous, and would hunt for Humans if ever spotted. The queens are also capable of carrying a human aloft, as demonstrated with Carl Denham and Ann Darrow.

To Jack, they can vary from very small pests to larger predators that attack by swooping towards him and swiping their clawed feet. Jack can also take advantage of killing any bats for acting as a distraction against other predators Jack and his friends come across, such as luring V-Rexes away from friends.

To Kong however, they are small pests that can nonetheless swarm in large numbers around him, even managing to latch on and bite. Repelling any bats will discourage them from latching onto Kong, plus any that are grabbed can be bitten to death or thrown at others.

In some instances they've been shown stealing from Venatosaurus, and if caught by the dromaeosaur, were often killed.

Gallery[]

Appearances[]

King Kong (2005 film)

Peter Jackson's King Kong The Official Game of the Movie

Skull Island: Reign of Kong

Trivia[]

  • Terapusmordax appears in the Universal-Studios web-series Myth Explorer.
  • The Terapusmordax were the replacements of the Pteranodon from the 1933 film.
  • There is also a tailless type that can be found roosting around Kong's lair.
  • Terapusmordax appears in King Kong (2005) where a swarm of them attack King Kong when Jack is trying to save Ann.
  • Terapusmordax also appear in the new ride Skull Island: Reign of Kong in Islands of Adventure. It attacks several explorers and one Terapusmordax abducts one of the explorers. The Terapusmordax carries the explorer to the chasm which the explorer grabs her machete and cuts off the left leg of the animal. The Terapusmordax then lands in the mud and is trapped and was devoured by two Carnictis.
  • Like most flying creatures, it is highly likely that the flying rodents survived the sinking of Skull Island without human intervention.
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