|
Asperdorsus
| |
|
| |
|
Name:
|
Asperdorsus bellator
|
|
Abilities and Weapons:
|
strength, feet, speed, stamina, senses, tail whip, head butt
|
|
Occupation:
|
Browsing primary consumer
|
|
Home:
|
Skull Island
|
|
First Appearance:
|
"The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island" (from 2005)
|
|
Diet:
|
Folivore but opportunistically Frugivore
|
|
Size:
|
Length: 10.9-12.8 meters
Weight Estimated: 12.5-18 tons |
|
Status:
|
Saved from extinction during the 1938 expedition on Skull Island.
|
Asperdorsus bellator ("rough-back warrior") is 36-42 feet long (10.9-12.8 meters) species of small-sized sauropod dinosaur that is found on Skull Island. The animal is described in the book "The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island" (from 2005).
Facts[]
Second only to Brontosaurus in size are the giant Asperdorsus, narrow-bodied, long-necked, armored, spiked diplodocoid sauropods of the deep jungles of Skull Island. Although 'giant' in only relative terms as at 12.8 meters long, it is remarkable diminutive for sauropod standards. Cousins of the more heavily built Brontosaurus, they are tall and limber-necked. Sticking to the thick, wooded regions, Asperdorsus are browsers of midlevel foliage that is out of reach for most other terrestrial plant-eaters of the jungle. Their narrow draft allows these giants to maneuver adeptly between the twisted and densely packed trees, despite their great size.
Asperdorsus have an excellent sense of smell, guiding them to their favored food in the relentless dark beneath the jungle canopy. Their small heads are tooled with snipping and grinding teeth. The Asperdorsus has a fondness for several small fruits that ripen at different times of the year, so their slow and meandering migration through the forest follows an annual rhythm as dictated by fruiting times.
Hard osteoderms stud an Asperdorsus’s rough hide, and their rigid dorsal spines are hard enough to impale clumsy enemies. Thick armor and their sheer mass puts them out of the weight class of most predators, though Venatosaurus and Carvers are game. Both predators are sufficiently armed and cunning enough to try, but even these dangerous killers are wary of the long tail of an Asperdorsus, which is capable of breaking bone with a powerful enough blow.
Solitary for most of the year, in the breeding season Asperdorsus locate one another with low frequency rumbles that they produce in their stomachs. Males do their best to impress females by leveling small areas of jungle, using their tails to thrash and shred underbrush vegetation and push over small trees. In this clearing, they stomp and rumble, crashing about to make as much noise as possible. Females are drawn to the biggest and most destructive performers, seeking the strongest males to father their offspring.
Skeletal Adaptations[]
Skeletal structure of Asperdorsus.
Less heavily built than the giant Brontosaurus, Asperdorsus have long limbs and high bellies compared to their open lowland kin. This gives them plenty of clearance when moving through thick vegetation. Narrow in cross section, they have long tails to balance their elongated necks.
Trivia[]
- Its heavily armoured scutes and spiked appendages is also seen among several smaller-species of sauropods which need those adaptations to compensate for their smaller size, of which Asperdorsus clearly mimics.