Notorious for being seen as the most dangerous animal of Skull Island, the skullcrawlers are almost as famous as Kong. The giant varanids are able to tunnel through soil and the island's limestone deposits alike, using both their powerful claws as well as their hardened heads with its characteristic mask to penetrate the ground, softening the limestone up with regurgitated stomach acid if needed. The tunnels stretch under most of the island and occasionally destabilize structures, leading to their collapse.
The skullcrawlers leave the tunnels only to hunt, which happens frequently due to their overcharged metabolism. They seem to be a very recently evolved species with their metabolism being a mutation that hasn't been properly selected against yet. The short time of their existence was still enough to devastate Skull Island's ecosystem, leading to the extinction of several megafaunal species, including the large surviving ceratopsians whose bones had been found inland. Skullcrawlers hunt a large number of different prey species, ranging from animals the size of sheep to those bigger than themselves, with small animals being snatched up with their tongue and swallowed whole. It has been observed that larger prey is sometimes dragged down into the tunnels, possibly to feed younger conspecifics (albeit some theorize the food is for even larger "queens").
Second-most famous island inhabitant is done now. Now, since I have read the comic, the creatures exclusively from there will be done as well, since their designs are no less derpy than the movie creatures.
Changelog:
-Longer torso, to stuff more food into.
-Thicker front legs with digging claws in a sprawling posture, which suits the limb configuration better. Also, a different gait to go along with it.
-Different tongue, which would be more efficient to use for catching prey rather than just wrap around.
Transparent back skin that showst he spine and ribs changed into patterned scales, since skin and muscle wouldn't be transparent at such a size.
The skullcrawlers leave the tunnels only to hunt, which happens frequently due to their overcharged metabolism. They seem to be a very recently evolved species with their metabolism being a mutation that hasn't been properly selected against yet. The short time of their existence was still enough to devastate Skull Island's ecosystem, leading to the extinction of several megafaunal species, including the large surviving ceratopsians whose bones had been found inland. Skullcrawlers hunt a large number of different prey species, ranging from animals the size of sheep to those bigger than themselves, with small animals being snatched up with their tongue and swallowed whole. It has been observed that larger prey is sometimes dragged down into the tunnels, possibly to feed younger conspecifics (albeit some theorize the food is for even larger "queens").
Second-most famous island inhabitant is done now. Now, since I have read the comic, the creatures exclusively from there will be done as well, since their designs are no less derpy than the movie creatures.
Changelog:
-Longer torso, to stuff more food into.
-Thicker front legs with digging claws in a sprawling posture, which suits the limb configuration better. Also, a different gait to go along with it.
-Different tongue, which would be more efficient to use for catching prey rather than just wrap around.
Transparent back skin that showst he spine and ribs changed into patterned scales, since skin and muscle wouldn't be transparent at such a size.
Category All / Fanart
Species Reptilian (Other)
Gender Any
Size 1280 x 754px
Listed in Folders
Ate all the giant monkeys save for one, which makes the species functionally extinct.
Oh wow! I really love this design! I like these meatier arms compared to the thinner, bird-like arms in the movie!
Much nicer looking.
I finally saw the movie myself and you're doing quite the justice of reforming these things logically.
In a way, these things fall into the ecological niche that the Bioraptors from Pitch Black fell into. IE: Metabolism super high being a recent thing that causes them to hunt relentlessly, thus hunting prey into extinction. In the case of the bioraptors, it turned into a cycle of long periods of hibernation followed by a mass cannibalistic feeding frenzy+breeding before going into hibernation again.
I would assume a similar fate awaits the skullcrawlers after Kong kicks the bucket...
OR
Much like the Hawkmuto species, they reproduce in large numbers because they are food for other, higher-up-the-chain creatures, such as Rodan, Godzilla, possibly Mothra, and whatever Ghidorah is.
I finally saw the movie myself and you're doing quite the justice of reforming these things logically.
In a way, these things fall into the ecological niche that the Bioraptors from Pitch Black fell into. IE: Metabolism super high being a recent thing that causes them to hunt relentlessly, thus hunting prey into extinction. In the case of the bioraptors, it turned into a cycle of long periods of hibernation followed by a mass cannibalistic feeding frenzy+breeding before going into hibernation again.
I would assume a similar fate awaits the skullcrawlers after Kong kicks the bucket...
OR
Much like the Hawkmuto species, they reproduce in large numbers because they are food for other, higher-up-the-chain creatures, such as Rodan, Godzilla, possibly Mothra, and whatever Ghidorah is.
The third option is they would evolve a slower metabolism with time, as it's a big disadvantage for themselves. A fourth option would be to leave the island and turn the rest of the world into their dinner plate.
They also start really tiny, which would make their young prey for all kinds of smaller creature, possibly even normal animals like gorgonopsids. Albeit, it seemed like the adults were more competition than prey, since they are pretty efficient fighters when in a team.
They also start really tiny, which would make their young prey for all kinds of smaller creature, possibly even normal animals like gorgonopsids. Albeit, it seemed like the adults were more competition than prey, since they are pretty efficient fighters when in a team.
Right, might have fallen into a "one animal ecological niche blanket", similar to the growth of Tyrannosaurs, where the younger rexes would be lean and fast before adolescence had them put on the severe bulk and muscles of the large theropod we're familiar with.
IE: young ones fight in packs and hunt by speed while older ones hunt solo and hunt via overwhelming strength.
Still, we didn't see any actual predators of them. Kong fought them out of the knowledge that they were dangerous, batman-ed him, and didn't want more shit to go down, but he never ate them, despite his omnivorous diet.
That said, I'm imagining that a burrowing creature would most likely be prey for an airborn animal. I could see Rodan plucking them off the same way birds pluck off lizards, as well as mothra's larva form being armor plated and sharing a similar domain, possibly even eating them until it matures.
And again, whatever the hell Ghidorah is going to be is either a rare beneficial mutation, or something so old it fits into the similar class of creatures such as opabinia and the very old cambrian creatures. But regardless, Ghidorah is something that is being listed in the cave paintings as standing atop mountains of skulls, and even in his more explained appearances, a single "feeding" session by Ghidorah results in a KT class extinction on the planet.
IE: young ones fight in packs and hunt by speed while older ones hunt solo and hunt via overwhelming strength.
Still, we didn't see any actual predators of them. Kong fought them out of the knowledge that they were dangerous, batman-ed him, and didn't want more shit to go down, but he never ate them, despite his omnivorous diet.
That said, I'm imagining that a burrowing creature would most likely be prey for an airborn animal. I could see Rodan plucking them off the same way birds pluck off lizards, as well as mothra's larva form being armor plated and sharing a similar domain, possibly even eating them until it matures.
And again, whatever the hell Ghidorah is going to be is either a rare beneficial mutation, or something so old it fits into the similar class of creatures such as opabinia and the very old cambrian creatures. But regardless, Ghidorah is something that is being listed in the cave paintings as standing atop mountains of skulls, and even in his more explained appearances, a single "feeding" session by Ghidorah results in a KT class extinction on the planet.
Airborne animals aren't really well-suited to feed on burrowers. The best way to get at a subterraneous animal is to dig it out yourself. Besides, skullcrawlers are restricted to Skull Island, which would make them very unlikely prey for the mentioned creatures. Most likely, their main predators are other skullcrawlers and they can be preyed on by mother longlegs, mire squids, sirenjaws and the whistling ants on occasion.
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