Vastatosaurus rex

Vastatosaurus rex

Name:	Vastatosaurus rex
Abilities and Weapons:	Strength, feet, speed, stamina, senses, tail whip, sharp teeth and bite
Home:	Skull Island
First Appearance:	"King Kong" (2005 film)
Diet:	Opportunistic carnivore (both scavenger and predator)
Status	Became extinct when Skull Island sunk into the ocean
Species:	Tyrannosaurid
Physical characteristics:	Imposing size, grey, pebbly skin, irregular/ingrown teeth

Vastatosaurus rex ("ravager lizard king") was an extremely large species of theropod dinosaur that was found on Skull Island prior to it's collapse. The animal is described in the book "The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island" (2005).

Vastatosaurus rex was an antagonist in King Kong. An evolved descendant of the ancient Tyrannosaurus rex that lived after the Cretaceous period, this species was the largest terrestrial predator found on Skull Island, reaching a length of 40-50 feet. The weight of the Vastatosaurus rex probably outclassed its predecessor, the Tyrannosaurus rex. Despite their size, they could break into surprising bursts of speed, often achieving speeds of 25 mph over short distances.

Vastatosaurus rex was fictionally hypothesized to be what the Tyrannosaurus rex could have become if it were allowed to evolve unabated after the past 65 million years. Their advancement could be due to the vast abundance of large prey, the rarely changing environment of the lush Skull Island and warm, humid climate similar to the Cretaceous period. Like their prehistoric relatives, V. rex had little competition for its position as the top predator of its ecosystem.

The Vastatosaurus had developed many unique features over the 65 million year time gap, but they still retained several recognizable similarities to their Cretaceous cousins. Vastatosaurs had large heads that evolved over time to be thicker and bulkier, giving them extra protection, and its overall leather-like hide reduced physical injury from hunting if its choice of prey was smaller than itself. Its gaping mouth was its main tool for hunting, filled with large teeth that were constantly being regrown to replace those lost in conflict. Unlike most theropods, the Vastatosaurus had overlapping peg-like teeth. Their heads were shorter and more compact than that of their ancestors, intensely reinforced with thick bone. As the primary weapon of the animal, an individual Vastatosaurus head was often distinctive, being covered with scars and callouses from rivals. Abnormal bone growths from old battles with prey, other predators, rivals, or even mates were not uncommon. A narrow, short rib cage and a large gap between the ribs and hips allowed V. rexes surprising flexibility for animals of their size, a necessary adaptation to survive amongst the towering trees and broken terrain of Skull Island.

The Vastatosaurus rex had a limited but notable ability to problem solve. The species displayed enough ingenuity to knock down large objects obstructing its path toward smaller prey that tried to conceal themselves between them; if such prey still held its interest, the dinosaur would also try it.

Abilities and Weapons

Strength, Durability, and Stamina: Their large size contributed to their paramount strength, enabling them to withstand and match King Kong's strength. Their stout build and frame had made them extremely durable, able to shake off King Kong's powerful punches several times as well as his grapples and throws. They were also capable of surviving falls from great heights and were quite capable in traversing vertical landscapes for such large animals. The most fearsome aspect of theirs however was their seemingly limitless stamina, able to enter a burst of acceleration and maintain speed, covering distance tirelessly and lasting several minutes in a full fledged fight with an adult Megaprimatus kong. Quick on their feet, they were shown to at least be able to keep up with Kong. They also seem to be more than capable of keeping up with human beings who are in a reasonable state of fitness such as Ann Darrow and likely the Natives on Skull Island had they ever ventured from the Wall. Most notable is that despite their massive bulk these animals were capable of leaping onto prey or foes as shown when a full grown bull V.rex leapt onto Kong's back. It was virtually impervious to bullets from several rifles and machine guns (though these were from the 1930's), in fact it seemed that several rounds of fire only agitated the beast with no signs of injury, pain, nor any sign of fatigue or withdrawal of it's assault, same with spears.

Weapons: Their heads were very large in proportion to their overall body, with powerful jaws lined with brutish teeth ready to shred any and all that it targeted. The head was also incredibly thick and capable of taking multiple blows from a full grown Megaprimatus kong and was probably also used as a ram against enemies. As with their Mesozoic ancestors Tyrannosaurus rex, V.rex's jaws were their main form of attack, capable of killing prey with ease. The jaws of V.rex were shown to be much more robust in comparison to even Tyrannosaurus and the teeth much shorter. They were known to have bone shattering bites just like their predecessor and the bite force of a V.rex could reasonably be hypothesized to even exceed the Tyrant Lizard King's. The tail was also extremely durable, capable of whipping motion that could easily shatter bones or outright kill their target. It's hind legs were also very capable and sturdy, lined with rough but sharp claws. The feet also appeared capable of gripping objects similar to a raptorial bird, as shown when one leapt onto Kong. Despite these fearsome anatomical traits their tiny arms ultimately hindered their capability to stand against King Kong's long, powerful arms.

Senses: The true extent of their sense is debatable at most as their behavior seems to change dramatically from searching their prey to pursuing them. Their sense of smell, while in a less aggressive state seemed to be limited to a certain extent, much akin to their vision as they were shown to have difficulty in locking onto minuscule preys on said instance. Nevertheless, once they have acquired their prey, they would pursue them endlessly with great precision to the tiniest of cracks.

Intelligence: Their intelligence seemed to be somewhat limited but not entirely primitive. They were shown to be quite capable of simple deduction via instinct as evident in how one V-Rex was able to understand its duel standpoint with King Kong and the ultimate price of winning that duel. Furthermore they were shown to be very cooperative with their own species under certain instances, capable of hunting together with great synergy. Ultimately however, they were driven by their insatiable hunger and predatory instinct and in normal circumstances this sort of behavior was not usually typical.

Known Victims

Ann Darrow (Attempted but failed due to Kong's intervention)
Most likely an unknown number of Megaprimatus kong individuals (both juveniles and adults)
Foetodon ferreus
Lumpy (Game)
Brontosaurus (Game)
Ben Hayes (Game)
Venatosaurus (King Kong 360 and Reign of Kong)
Unknown if it killed Choy and Preston (Game)
Will kill Jack if too close or Carl and Hayes if unprotected (Game)

Appearances

King Kong (2005 film)
Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie (2005)
King Kong 360 (Universal Studios Hollywood)
Reign of Kong (Islands of Adventure Orlando)

Game Levels Appearances

Trivia

The V-rexes were not designed to be an accurate representation of dinosaurs continuing to evolve in an isolated environment, but were instead designed to be the "scariest thing Kong could fight".
The V-Rex appeared on the DVD cover to "Last Day of the Dinosaurs".