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| - The biggest terrestrial predator on Skull Island is the V. rex. Like their prehistoric fellow tyrannosaurs, Skull Island V. rexes have little competition for their spot as top predators. In spite of their size, they can turn on a surprising burst of speed for short periods, clocking up to 25 mph for limited stretches in pursuit of prey. V. rexes have developed many unique features over the 66 million years since the Mesozoic Era, but they still bare several recognizable similarities to their Cretaceous ancestors. V. rexes have large heads, filled with long teeth that are constantly being regrown to replace those lost in conflict. Their heads are intensely reinforced with heavy bone. As the primary weapon of the tyrannosaurine, an individual V. rex’s head is often distinctive, being covered in scars and calluses. Abnormal bone growths form from old battles with prey, other predators, rivals, or even mates. Narrow, short ribcages and a large gap between the ribs and hips allow V. rexes surprising flexibility for animals of their size, a necessary adaptation to the broken terrain of Skull Island. Their forelimbs are small in comparison with the rest of their bodies, not growing as fast as the rest of the animal so that by adulthood this disparity in spite of their size is strikingly evident. Early tyrannosaurids had only two fingers on their forelimbs but Skull Island V. rexes have three. When dragging carcasses, the tiny arms help pin the meat against the body and prevent it swinging around. While juvenile V. rexes tend to cluster in the thick jungle interior, the large adults hunt mostly in the open areas of the lowlands where they can move freely. Large males seek the most open territories while mature females usually stake claim to areas on the fringes of the thicker forests where they can find hidden nesting sites. Fiercely territorial, adult V. rexes suffer no rival encroachments on their hunting grounds. Territorial boundaries are regularly marked with urine, and dawn roaring will reinforce claims to land. Neighbors can tell much about the physical condition of the owner of a territory from the smell of its urine and the sound of a roar. Displays and scenting minimize potentially dangerous confrontations between individuals of different sizes. Occasionally disputes between evenly matched V. rexes can erupt. With the threat of serious injury, these confrontations are usually resolved with intense roaring matches in which each individual attempts to intimidate the other into giving way. However, when this fails, violence ensues. Older V. rexes bare the crisscrossing scars of many such fights. Exceptions to their solitary existence are made in the breeding season. Males will leave their hunting grounds to seek out females in season. If the female is receptive, she will accept the male, and the couple might stay together, hunting in her territory for several days before she tires of him and sends him on his way. Adolescent V. rexes (seeking to hone their hunting skills) will sometimes follow adults at a safe distance during the mating season, watching and occasionally stealing meals from unguarded kills. Taking advantage of the season of nomadic adult males, bold adolescents might move in to claim currently undefended territory as their own. V. rexes are capable of tackling very large prey species, but their massive size is often employed to intimidate smaller carnivores like Lycaesaurus into giving up their kills. While effective hunters, a meal is safer to obtain by simply appropriating someone else’s carcass. V. rexes have intensely acidic stomachs, capable of processing even the most rancid rotting meat, a feature that serves the species well as heavyweight scavengers. Their massive jaws can exert astounding pressure, shattering bones to expose the rich marrow less robust predators are unable to reach. As hunters, V. rexes tend to employ ambush tactics, using cover in and around waterholes or forested areas to surprise prey, like Malamagnus and even Foetodon. Ligocristus are the primary prey of adult V. rexes, being the most abundant. Ferrucutus, Pinnatono, and Brontosaurus are more dangerous prospects; however, if a young or sick individual can be separated from the protection of the herd it can be an easy kill. Any smaller species are likely game, though most are too small to provide more than a snack. The greatest challenger for the hunters lies in not being spotted by prey. Adult V. rexes are dark in coloring and, despite their size, can be surprisingly stealthy, using shadows near the fringes of scrub, rocky outcroppings, or ruins to hide their approach. Their black scales also aid V. rexes in warming up quickly in the mornings, boosting their energy levels to gain an advantage over still sluggish herbivores (despite many being warm-blooded).
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