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FILE: ASPERDORSUS BELLATOR

name meaning in Latin: ROUGH BACKED WARRIOR

TAXONOMY
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Superoder: Dinosauria
Order: Saurischia
Suborder: Sauropodomorpha
Family: Diplodocidae
Subfamily: Diplodocinae
Genus: Asperdorsus
Species: Asperdorsus Bellator

Length: On average 42 to 56 feet long (12.8 to 17.1 meters in length)
Height: On average 25 to 35 feet tall (7.62 to 10.7 meters in height)
Weight: On average 35 to 50 tons (31700 to 45360 kilograms in weight)
Ecological Niche: Midlevel browser of the foliage of the thickly wooded jungles and forests of skull island with it primary being a dual folic ore and frugivore
Danger Level: Low generally are very passive due to their defenses guaranteeing them from most of the skull island predators but when threatened or it’s young are in danger will whip its tail with spikes at a attacker or rise up on its feet to crush down on them
Life expectancy: 80 to 120 years
Sexual Maturity: 10 to 15 years for both sexes

“ Now while the brontosaurus and the titanosaurs may be the most prominent of skull islands sauropods the truth is they are only a few actors in a much bigger cast as sauropods can come in all sorts of variety’s bith during the Mesozoic and here on this absolute danger of a island. Asperdorsus represents one of the more extreme cases of how so much danger and threats here can cause animals that typically had no form of predators to develop body structures that seem to the uninformed something out of a story from myth were it not for the fact that when it does get aggressive it’s mostly to scare other animals away just so it can actually eat in peace. “ David Lanks” Foundation paleozoologist on sauropods regarding the asperdorsus 2006

While the Brontosaurus Baxteri is the most famous sauropod dinosaur of skull island its not the ONLY member of its group present upon the hidden landmass. On The island thanks to its constant geological surfing across the globe the isle of the skull has been to every major habitat across planet earth in the history of life as we know it. When exactly Sauropods as a group got established on skull island is still in the modst of being discovered due to new bonebeds being dug up however what can be stated is that prosauropods from the late triassic and early jurassic did exist on skull island and to an extant still exist in small isolated populations however it was during the late jurassic period that skull island would really begin to develop its first massive dinosaurs with fossils found in the bone beds correlating exactly to species found within the jurassic deposits of the morrison formation in the Western United States of America where it is believed that skull island, due to its ability to be the size of key west on the outside but as big as france the low countries and the german rhineland, on its ever nomadic geologic surfing across the globe is believed to have formed a river system to allow it to reach the inner part of late jurassic north america.

Here in the fertile plains of what would one day become Wyoming and Colorado Skull island traveled in a anomalously generated river formed by which was , due to its anomalous nature, able to go into the continent and allow animals and flora of all kinds to arrive onto it letting them in and allowing nothing back out before it would leave the continent and back out into the global ocean with it believed it did this every 1 to 10 thousand years or so meaning it was able to visit so many times and for specific intervals that proper animal populations were able to establish onto skull island. It was during this time that skull island would acquire its first large dinosaurs with fossils of north american Brachiosaurus, Allosaurus, Stegosaurus, Dryosaurus, Camarasaurus, Torvosaurus, Apatosaurus, Ceratosaurus, Camptosaurus and Barosaurus from the morrison formation specifically having been found to have arrived on skull island where they integrated themselves as the first group of dinosaur fauna on the island before they would change and adapt and evolve over time as the mesozoic progressed until the present day where most of the former jurassic dinosaurs save a select few were uprooted from their original niches by more advanced cretaceous dinosaurs. However amidst the many changes that would occur for the dinosaurs of the jurassic period who arrived on skull island two particular types would emerg not based off species but rather ways of life. The first were sauropods who adapted by being able to become viviparious or birth live young significantly reducing infant mortality and focusing instead on raising young in complex family herd groups with this group including the Brontosaurus Baxteri as its primary breakthrough animal in terms of success. The other kind were for the most part direct contrasts to the live birth sauropods as these types still maintained the ability to lay eggs but instead focused on more extreme body adaptations to survive with one of the most peculiar of this group being the ASPERDORSUS BELLATOR.

Measuring from near 40 to over 55 feet long were it in the mesozoic era the asperdorsus would be considered a pretty normal sized sauropod for the time period but on skull island its considered a small one as overall it generally is only half the length, width and weight of a normal Brontosaurus Baxteri. The reason being for this vast difference comes in the territory it inhabits as unlike the brontosaurus the asperdorsus is a animal perfectly suited to life in the dense and dangerous landscape of the islands forest and thickly wooded jungles. Asperdorsus while certainly large was actually one of the few animals that was never found by the Foundations for near 60 years exploring skull island as its scarce nature and overall preference for the deep interiors of the island meant it wouldnt be until the advent of widespread civilian thermal imaging cameras in the 1990s when it was finally officially discovered in 1993 over 60 years when the foundation conducted its first expedition upon the island. Once we did we were very astonished at the sight as the notion of such a massive animal going unnoticed for so long compelled the researchers of the time to seek answers and thankfully unlike many other skull island animals who all required decades of research to uncover their full origins the discovery of the Asperdorsus happened not to long after the very first skull island bone beds were discovered in the late 1980s meaning we were able to use genetic analysis and fossil material to unravel the origin of asperdorsus by the beginning of the 21st century and was one of the first animals to be properly examined in skull island's fossil record.

Through what was uncovered the asperdorsus is believed to be a evolutionary descandant of the north american jurassic sauropod diplodocus which was one of the most common of the large sauropod species found in the late jurassic morrison formation and included some of the most physically longest sauropod dinosaurs that were chracterized by having long tails that could move and crack at predators like a whip on 4 strong legs that could rear up and be used to push down trees to get at vegetation other animals had no access to and also use their immense weight to crush any reckless predators underneath into a red slurry. It is believed it was part of the first group of large dinosaurs to arrive on skull island as no other large sauropods had yet filled in the niche as they were very common animals in the morrison formation and didnt take long before filling niches in open praires, marshlands bordering forest and finally dwelling in the dense and thick jungles where the modern asperdorsus would evolve. Initially when other sauropod groups began to arrive on skull island the diplodocids for the most part avoided competing with them as they fed primarily on mid level vegetation above the areas where the skull island stegosaurs of the jurassic and early iguanodontids ate but below that of the other sauropods like the future brontosaurus baxteri and brachiosaurs who themselves would go on to dwell in the eventual redwood forests of skull island.

Instead the diplodocids reigned as the most widespread sauropods throughout much of skull islands jurassic period managing to avoid competing with other herbivores by feeding in areas that they were unable being very widespready before it would then end as they would be forced to other niches when skull island began begin populated with more advanced carnivorous dinosaurs and other animals that the diplodocids never had to contend with in the jurassic including the megaraptorans, emerging Venatosaurs, newly born Skull crawlers, relentless gorophaganxes, stealth based Carnotauruses and the animals that would one day become vastatosaurus Rex all bearing killing styles that the diplodocids even with their size and weight couldn't properly counter as compared to other sauropods their necks were fairly stiff and didnt move all that much away from the groud meaning its only options for keeping its head out of reach from a predator was by swinging the whole body in a clockwise or counterclockwise manner that for one predator such as a allosaurid or ceratosaurid would be enough but compared to the numbers and coordination of the venatosaurs or the power and strength of two adult V Rexes meant the diplodocids were forced out of their niches and into more specialized roles with the brontosaurus baxteri filling their place on the open areas of skull island with the only diplodocids that still exist on skull islands open areas numbering 8 species in total all of which are found only in specific areas scattered about across the landmass.

The jungles however were a completely different story. See in the jungles of skull island the diplodocids that migrated there had to adapt more quickly as even during the jurassic period the jungle canopies were a den for leaping and dropping ambush predators which at the time consisted of various giant tree spiders that could hunt small to medium sized dinosaurs, massive centipedes that had venom potent enough to kill most large animals, tree climbing theraspids and crocodile relatives all of which could easily sneak up and leap onto the exposed necks and backs of the long sauropods and be uttely unstoppable. For all intents and purposes reallistically their story should have ended their were it not for the very thing that would help to create the modern asperdorsus.....THE BONE FRUITS. Despite the name bone fruits are fruits found in the jungles and forests of skull island that through anomalous means develop enzymes that simulate very large developments and growth for vitamin C and K in the bones and skeletons of any land dwelling vertebrate in the jungle without any ill effect or bone cancer but instead amplify the further enhancing of any organisms skeletal structure. Visually speaking ANY fruit that grows in the forests of skull island has the capacity to become a bone fruit over time and recorded instances have included Oranges, Bananas, Plaintains, Prunes, Grapefruits, Strawberries, Papayas, Pineapples and Guavas all of which are found on skull island. It is not necessarily restricted to these fruits as technically any edible plant matter can have this anomlous quantities its just these are the most likely and common ones to be able to become a bone fruit.

Back onto the topic it is believed that during the jurassic period the bone fruits emerged and were hypothesized to give off a very pleasing scent that could be smelled by the jurassic sauropods with the only issue being they were so deep in the jungles and forests other sauropods were so big they would accidentally crush and stomp the fruits before they could eat them. All EXCEPT for the diplodocids who do to their long necks and flat bodies could easily maneuver through the dense forest while not clearing as much area and would finally get their first taste of the jurassic bone fruits and would settle in the thick wooded areas of skull island and feast on them along with supplements of leaves as well that also had vitamins essential for the animal. Thus the ancestors of asperdorsus would fully settle to being inhabitants of the skull island forests where their bodies would begin to change to suit their new life style. The first change being their skeleton which over millions of years of eating bone fruit increased the overall strength,density and weight of their skeletons going from to being near 50 tons in weight at thier maximum with the first change being that their legs overall extended but widened in circumference as their toe bones at the end barring their claws, which extended out of the body and either to the sides for the front legs or facing forward in the back legs, became more pillar like in structure.

The reason for the first change was because the sheer dense nature of skull islands forest meant that having their bodies low to the ground meant being more vulnerable as climbing over the myriad of collapsed trees, jutting rocks, massive and poisonous fungi and finally various predators that hid in the folaige dense brush that could leap from below the animal and cut and slice open the more vulnerable belly to kill the animal via shock and blood loss meant their bodies shifted to being more high off the ground to the point that any ambush predator that lunged would only be met with nothing but the strong and sturdy legs of the asperdorsus which are more than able to kick them with enough force to shatter and crush bone and kill any would be assailant. This however was not without a cost as the main reason diplodocid sauropods were so low to the ground was because their tail and necks were so long the weight they both had needed to be equally distributed or else the animal would become imbalanced and fall over so as the asperdorsus got longer and taller legs the neck and tail of the animal shortened yet strengthened to make up by allowing the neck and tail to be more sturdy and stronger and focus the animals weight in the center of the body instead of being evenly distributed across the bredth of the sauropod meaning that length wise its actually half as long as its ancestor diplodicus but is MUCH more heavier in comparison

Ultimately the advantages outweighed the costs as a shorter neck and tail meant they can more easily maneuver through the dense assortment of trees in the wooded areas of skull island that would have been more time consuming and diffult for longer necked sauropods but for them was practically like breathing. But despite the change in their body plan they never lost the two most signature abilites of their genus that being the ability to rear up on its hind legs and the ability to use its tail like a whip. For the first trait their hips in conjunction with the supplemental bonefruit meant they could strengthen and be able to endure and withstand much more stress than their ancestors did meaning they were able to push down even bigger trees than what thier jurassic forefathers were capable of but this trait also meant the force of them slamming down with their feet was also much stronger as well with a well placed stomp upon their skull being enough to outright kill any animals it encounters in its native habitat. Their second trait is their tail which due to having to be shortened meant more muscle got bundled up and focused in the tail to allow it to move it with more force in it that while not the outdated notion of diplodocus tail whips beaing able to break the sound barrier are more than enough to wack and break bone were it not for the fact the ends of their tails alonge with the entire upper part of their body is covered in bony keratin covered spikes that gives them the name of Rough back.

When the asperdorsus was first observed by foundation field explorers on skull island the only known sauropod dinosaur at the time of its discovery with spines on its back was the south american Amargasaurus which had been dug up only 9 years prior in 1984 and was originally believed to have been a close relative before genetic analysis proved otherwise along with the later discovery of a amargasaurid sauropod on skull island some time after its discovery. However unlike amargasaurus the spikes on asperdorsus run across the entire back of the animal as well as the underside of the neck and the tail which through dissection upon acquired bodies for autopsy appear to be derived from the small keratinous spines diplodicus had originally. Over millions of years on skull island as it began to further call the forests and jungles its main habitat it meant it now needed to defend itself from attacks from above and below in the tree branches from the various arborial hunters that could easily take it by attacking the more vulnerable upper neck or from below from pack based hunters. Thus when they began to eat the bone fruit over the course of millions of years the evolution of the asperdorsus focused on extending and largening the spikes making them grow in size with the smallest ones being as long as a human hand while the biggest ones can exceed the height of a normal man from head to toe. Internally the spikes are not actually apart of the animals skeleton but rather are attached by a complex system of muscles, nerves and cartilage that while able to keep the spikes in place especially when it is being attacked can, using nerve signals from the animal's brain, actually move to some extant when traveling through the forest meaning they can bend down and go against the animals side so they arent able to get caught on any vines or thick branches in the forests during its movements.

However the spikes themselves are at their core hardened bone covered in multiple layers of keratin that harden over the center mass with it being seen that they continously grow throughout the course of the animal's life with them even being able to heal itself gradually should the spikes get chipped or broken in a fashion like human fingernails do when they get chipped. In terms of physical toughness through experiments conducted on the spikes from autopsied bodies the spikes evolved to be strong yet flexible as internally they are hollow enough for air and blood to flow through with the bone marrow along with a complex system of nerves that in conjunction with the brain signals of the asperdorsus can allow them to moved them into various different positions but normally are seen pointing straight up. However because of how deadly the forests are the spikes would also slowly spread to the underside of the neck and the tail to allow also a spiked defense against any animals hiding in the leaf litter or bushes of the forests. The only place that is exempt of spikes is the underbelly as mainly to allow the animal to lay down and sleep without having to lay on its sides which would make it vulnerable to being attacked and since its so high off the ground most small to medium predators cant leap high enough to slash or bite the underside and the asperdorsus itself would never allow any predatory animal to get near it without potentially stomping on it.

Spikes however are not the only defense asperdorsus developed as along the upper portions of its body it also developed a thick layer and coat of osteoderms across itself ranging in size to around a U.S. penny to a skate board in width. The main reason is that because of having only one long line of spikes it meant the sides were more exposed and thus from eating bone fruit it built up a armored sheath across its upper body specifically from the start of the tail to half way up the neck as those areas dont usually fall into a preferred bite area for a carnivore as the spikes on those ends can easily penetrate through the skull of any thing that tried to bite it. For the legs they also dont have osteoderms as mainly the legs are strong and hard enough that they can tank anything save for the most extreme possible force imaginable which is only possible via tripping the animal over a deep drop or a bite from a adult vrex which is very rare as the animal will always keep itself away and swing its tail. But back to the osteoderms since they are clustered together it means that if a animal like say one of the numerous big cats or giant tree spiders of skull island managed to avoid falling onto the spikes they wouldnt be able to latch on as the bones are tough and difficult to stab and break with most claws with the asperdorsus more than able to shake them off and make them fall to the ground where they will meet their end via getting crushed by its massive legs.

In fact despite being herbivorous the asperdorsus is very surprisingly intelligent for its size as the amount of vitamins and enzymes in the fruits and leaves it eats coupled with the anomalous energies of skull island means that it actually has become smart enough to know what its weaknesses are and how to cover them more effectively. As an example because of how easy it is for animals to hide in the tress whenever it finds a area of edible leaves and fruits what it will do first is use its immense size to rear up and push down any other trees in the vicinity clearing it to deprive as much an area for ambush predators as possible so if they tried to sneak up the asperdorsus would be able to fully see it coming and defend itself. as well as defense the asperdorsus is able to use its immense size to its full advantage by being able to push down large boulders or trees to be able to walk over ravines or rivers to access better feeding grounds for it as well as unintentionally creating safe routes for animal to travel to and from areas without having to worry about falling into either the rivers or ravines. In fact to further aid it the asperdorsus also convergently evolved special pads on its feet to feel vibrations like a modern elephant where it can feel the shape and layout of the earth and use the information gained to be able to more carefully step its way throught uneven and sometimes unstable areas of the forest floor as well as feel what animals are nearby and if they are friend or foe.

Combat wise the asperdorsus is able to hold its ground as its wide legs enable it to move around rather easily to spin and face any attacking predator with minimal issue. Normally if its in a cleared out area made by it will stomp and move about to face and use its fail as a primary as since its control over its spikes are tuned enough to allow it to become like a double sided thagomizer structure similar to a stegosaur but with spikes also on the bottom of the tail along with the top ones. Thus combined with the asperdorsus ability to snap its tail like a whip means the spikes can impale and outright kill small pack based predators but can be used to stab into the head or eyes of large carnivores. Even if the end was bitten the bones are strong enough that they cant be torn off without excessive force which is still very risk as the spikes can penetrate through the flesh of the mouth and even bone where it can stab into the brain making biting the end of the tail very hish risk lest they are a animal like a fully grown v rex who is big enough to bite the tail at the right angle to avoid getting impaled through the head. Thus the primary way a asperdorsus is normally killed is by either carefully coordinated teamwork to whittle it down bit by bit by the venatosaurus or carvers or pure brute force to knock it on its side and bite the underside such as the V rex or Gorophaganax or the large megaraptorans.

Normally however the asperdorsus only has to worry about pack hunting animals as it being a forest animal has translated into having its scales become a deep green color with it darker on the top and lighter on the bottom meaning unless you had a thermal imaging camera it would be very difficult to spot it as it can surprisingly make very little noise. In fact to further help it stay hidden it is also known to rummage its spikes through low lying vines, creepers and bushes and branches and have them stay on it to create the image of dense foliage and uses it to sleep by lying in a dug out area courtesy of its massive legs before gently lying down with bushes all around it and that on its spikes to stay out of sight and have the only part exposed be its sharpened edges jutting outward to give off an illusion of sharp rocks or splintered wood to the unaware. Thus its not uncommon to encounter asperdorsus with bushes or vines or plants on its spikes and sometimes will allow plants to grow arround them to further give off a illusion and even serve as a place for small animals to make nests in including birds, small dinosaurs, rodents, lizards and monkeys as only a few examples of the passengers that can be seen taking up residence.

Encounters with massive carnivores like the Vrex generally are pretty rare as typically asperdorsus live in forest too dense for a vrex to easily move its weight around thus the only reason a asperdorsus may encounter a large theropod is because it left its original range for more fruit and got senses by the vrex by accident or a vrex was stubborn enough to try its luck in the more crowded and clustered forests with the survivor of each encounter depending entirely on where they are at in a area where a vrex can easily move around it usually is able to knock over the asperdorsus on its side and finish it off but in a dense forest the asperdorsus wins by using its spikes and the v rexes immobility to spike and stab its head in the brain area to kill it. But generally a vrex has no incentive to hunt a asperdorsus when there is much more easier prey to hunt such as the ligocristus and asperdorsus typically never leave their range unless resources are low and new feeding grounds have to be sought out meaning a fight between the two is a very rare occurence with only 10 over the past 30 years ever been witnessed by the foundation which are all recorded and in the foundations video archives on skull island if your clearance is high enough.

Thus the asperdorsus is one of skull islands select few animals that for a select number of predators like the venatosaurs and carvers can live relatively peaceful lives with their orientation for eating mid level plants and fruits meaning it can avoid competition with other large herbivores in its habitat meaning aspertorsus is quite tolerant of other herbivores inclduding the small and agile pugiodorsus who serve as look outs for one followed by sylvaceratops who are also very gracile and able to be alert and even the descendant of stegosaurus and kentrosaurus atercurisaurus which the asperdorsus is seen being alongside whenever it ventures into the fern valleys and plains and forests that its ancestor diplodocus used to share back in the jurassic period with stegosaurus showing how their niche partitioned coexistence still continued even to the present day. For other species of sauropod it normally can tolerate them as long as they feed on higher vegetation levels than it does but for ones that dont it can depend on what their diet is. for sauropods that eat different things than the fruit and leaves the asperdorsus eats it will usually allow it as its not competeting agaisnt. For ones that do and are more generalist is when things can get tense.

Asperdorsus due to millions of years of eating fruits that bone increased its bone strength as well as its intelligence means it has developed means to ward off competitors. The most peculiar is that due to eating specific fruits and vegetation it has like ruminant cattle developed a mutli chambered stomach for digestion but do to its complexoty can be used to generate intense and powerful rumbles and bellows that can be used to disorient and make other sauropods go away do its piercing nature being unbearable for other sauropods than it as its ear drums have adapted to being able to handle the sound with those who have heard it comparing it to a long and drawn trumpet being played through a megaphone at the loudest possible setting with it being louder the closer you are to it and capable of actually causing the ground in the area to shake a little from the sonic vibrations that can knock over rocks as big as a trashcan. Meaning that fights with other sauropods rarely occur as the only worst enemy of a asperdorsus is another asperdorsus which can be a long and drawn out and bloody affair for both parties. However normally because of a Asperdorsus' incredible sense of smell it normally will be able to sense another of its kind in any area it comes into that one.

Which brings us to the way their species as a whole interacts with one another. Surprisingly when it comes to members of its own species that arent related to the animal directly or is a mate generally asperdorsus is a very solitary animal as due to its nature as a forest animal necessitating individual survival it means it has way less social behaviors than the widespread and larger brontosaurus of the open plains. The only exception is during the breeding season when the males will use their chambered stomachs to emit enticing low frequency rumbles to attract females which is followed by clearing a certain area of forest it is in by making various loud and powerful stomps along with pushing down trees to create as much noise and destruction possible where the females will chose the ones who did so the best and most destructively to a area as a mate where they will do so thanks to their spikes being able to fold to allow them to do so without stabbing themselves on one another.

After this the asperdorsus pair will mate for life and live together and raise their young as one with a nest as they still lay eggs unlike the brontosaurus but have developed a unique survival strategy. The eggs will be a green color and the parents will place various poisonous plants over the nest which for any nest raiding animal will be very noxious and cause them to not bother with it but for the asperdorsus and the eggs are entirely unfazed by it. Thus asperdorsus have very low mortlity rates as eggs but will spike once they hatch as they dont have spikes as infants and gain them over time making most asperdorsus deaths occur as defenseless youngsters. As some form of counter the youngsters are born in a green pattern to allow them to blend into plants as well as developing a habit to eat poisonous plants when they are young so that they can avoid being eaten by simply smelling like it and will typically go unnoticed but when in the open make for a hefty snack for any animal that can get it. After they survive this they will leave the bushy areas their parents nested them in and will strike out on their own as miniature adults feasting off fruit that fall to the ground or that which grows in ground level bushes before advancing to the types eaten by their parents

But despite their many advantages the suffer a critical issue in that they cant swim. Due to their high bone density coupled with their greater weight typically asperdorsus will sink rather than float boyantly in a large body of water. meaning they are very vulnerable to being attacked by aquatic predators who are able to easily swim and attack the exposed underside with the sauropod being entirely defenseless. However this weakness is very specific as asperdorsus always frequent in areas of forests where bodies of water arent deep enough to full submerge them and the only reason something like it can occur is because of them in search of food when they are desparate but for most circumstances when it encounters a deep river it can cross to another side it will first attempt to find a large enough boulder or tree and push it down to halfen the gap and reduce the actual danger before finishing it off by swimming to other side half way there. but if that isnt possible a asperdorsus is a very methodical and patient and will gladly walk along a rivers length until the distance is close where it can safely move to the other side.

Finally we come to their relationship with humans. Because of how dense and dangerous the inner jungles and forests of skull island are no permanent settlements have ever encountered a asperdorsus as their so quiet and nomadic it means most humans who have lived on skull island have never encountered a asperdorsus in their life time. The only exceptions being the descendants of the original skull island civilization who encountered them when their cities were built near their areas. In the mythology of them because of the reclusive nature of the asperdorsus not much is really present for the animal in the greater mythology with only one story which is itself fairly conflicting according to the natives themselves. From what has been gathered the asperdorsus was said to a be man who was a great warrior but no longer wished to fight for multiple conflicting reasons. But in brief synopsis the warrior would then pray to the gods asking for a way to live his life peacefully without having to defend himself where it is then stated to lead to either a tournament,challenge, test or all 3 that resulted in him finding bone fruit that asperdorsus eats that was able to allow him to change into a asperdorsus at will granting him what he wanted. Then it is stated that the warrior able to shift between his state as a man and one as a beast would go on to have many wives and father the asperdorsus species as a whole explaining how they came to be. while short it by the standards of skull island storytellers is very obscure and not many know it save for the general narrative with any other details lost to the ravages of time.

In conclusion asperdorsus represents the other side of skull islands sauropods who focus instead on having a unique adaptation and using it to become almost free of any predators because of how overall risky it is to just try to bite it. but at the end of the day no matter how its spun skull islands dinosaurs arent extreme because of a monstrous but because of their environment demanding them to step up if it wants to survive.

HELLO EVERYONE! theperson7 here bringing you another skull island profile this time the reclusive asperdorsus. Now this dinosaur was very tricky for me as i genuinely was stuck at how to fit it all in due to the drawing being bigger than the paper I was sketching on but managed to finally get it by drawing the angle coiled and justifying it by saying it could strike it like a whip. Now the first visual change I made was the addition of more spikes since in my mind having a vulnerable section of your body in a area frequented by leaping ambush predators doesnt make sense to me thus I went for spikes all across the animals back and tail and neck and undersides except the belly so that it could lay down to sleep. For in universe lore i made the asperdorsus an animal that wouldnt be discovered until modern thermal imaging cameras came to be and more safer means of traveling into the skull island interior were developed by the foundation in this world I have made to really help emphasize this as an animal that really isnt seen often by humans. The second change was explaining their ancestry and why they went to live in the forests to ground more realism on them as well as to explain why their neck is shorter due to wanting to fit all of the animal on my paper. The other piece is that the diplodocids used to be the most prominent sauropod group on skull island due to them in real life being very common sauropods and made it true for skull island before they got gradually forced into different niches to the point the brontosaurus baxteri took its place as the most widespread sauropod on skull island. And finally i added in a bunch of other details to really flesh it out including it not being able to swim due to its bone density causing it to sink to add further realism to an animal such as this. But overall I hope you like this deviation and be sure to tell me what your thoughts, opinions or things are you have on this down below and leave a favorite so have a nice day wherever you are.

Description
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FILE: ASPERDORSUS BELLATOR

name meaning in Latin: ROUGH BACKED WARRIOR

TAXONOMY
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Superoder: Dinosauria
Order: Saurischia
Suborder: Sauropodomorpha
Family: Diplodocidae
Subfamily: Diplodocinae
Genus: Asperdorsus
Species: Asperdorsus Bellator

Length: On average 42 to 56 feet long (12.8 to 17.1 meters in length)
Height: On average 25 to 35 feet tall (7.62 to 10.7 meters in height)
Weight: On average 35 to 50 tons (31700 to 45360 kilograms in weight)
Ecological Niche: Midlevel browser of the foliage of the thickly wooded jungles and forests of skull island with it primary being a dual folic ore and frugivore
Danger Level: Low generally are very passive due to their defenses guaranteeing them from most of the skull island predators but when threatened or it’s young are in danger will whip its tail with spikes at a attacker or rise up on its feet to crush down on them
Life expectancy: 80 to 120 years
Sexual Maturity: 10 to 15 years for both sexes

“ Now while the brontosaurus and the titanosaurs may be the most prominent of skull islands sauropods the truth is they are only a few actors in a much bigger cast as sauropods can come in all sorts of variety’s bith during the Mesozoic and here on this absolute danger of a island. Asperdorsus represents one of the more extreme cases of how so much danger and threats here can cause animals that typically had no form of predators to develop body structures that seem to the uninformed something out of a story from myth were it not for the fact that when it does get aggressive it’s mostly to scare other animals away just so it can actually eat in peace. “ David Lanks” Foundation paleozoologist on sauropods regarding the asperdorsus 2006

While the Brontosaurus Baxteri is the most famous sauropod dinosaur of skull island its not the ONLY member of its group present upon the hidden landmass. On The island thanks to its constant geological surfing across the globe the isle of the skull has been to every major habitat across planet earth in the history of life as we know it. When exactly Sauropods as a group got established on skull island is still in the modst of being discovered due to new bonebeds being dug up however what can be stated is that prosauropods from the late triassic and early jurassic did exist on skull island and to an extant still exist in small isolated populations however it was during the late jurassic period that skull island would really begin to develop its first massive dinosaurs with fossils found in the bone beds correlating exactly to species found within the jurassic deposits of the morrison formation in the Western United States of America where it is believed that skull island, due to its ability to be the size of key west on the outside but as big as france the low countries and the german rhineland, on its ever nomadic geologic surfing across the globe is believed to have formed a river system to allow it to reach the inner part of late jurassic north america.

Here in the fertile plains of what would one day become Wyoming and Colorado Skull island traveled in a anomalously generated river formed by which was , due to its anomalous nature, able to go into the continent and allow animals and flora of all kinds to arrive onto it letting them in and allowing nothing back out before it would leave the continent and back out into the global ocean with it believed it did this every 1 to 10 thousand years or so meaning it was able to visit so many times and for specific intervals that proper animal populations were able to establish onto skull island. It was during this time that skull island would acquire its first large dinosaurs with fossils of north american Brachiosaurus, Allosaurus, Stegosaurus, Dryosaurus, Camarasaurus, Torvosaurus, Apatosaurus, Ceratosaurus, Camptosaurus and Barosaurus from the morrison formation specifically having been found to have arrived on skull island where they integrated themselves as the first group of dinosaur fauna on the island before they would change and adapt and evolve over time as the mesozoic progressed until the present day where most of the former jurassic dinosaurs save a select few were uprooted from their original niches by more advanced cretaceous dinosaurs. However amidst the many changes that would occur for the dinosaurs of the jurassic period who arrived on skull island two particular types would emerg not based off species but rather ways of life. The first were sauropods who adapted by being able to become viviparious or birth live young significantly reducing infant mortality and focusing instead on raising young in complex family herd groups with this group including the Brontosaurus Baxteri as its primary breakthrough animal in terms of success. The other kind were for the most part direct contrasts to the live birth sauropods as these types still maintained the ability to lay eggs but instead focused on more extreme body adaptations to survive with one of the most peculiar of this group being the ASPERDORSUS BELLATOR.

Measuring from near 40 to over 55 feet long were it in the mesozoic era the asperdorsus would be considered a pretty normal sized sauropod for the time period but on skull island its considered a small one as overall it generally is only half the length, width and weight of a normal Brontosaurus Baxteri. The reason being for this vast difference comes in the territory it inhabits as unlike the brontosaurus the asperdorsus is a animal perfectly suited to life in the dense and dangerous landscape of the islands forest and thickly wooded jungles. Asperdorsus while certainly large was actually one of the few animals that was never found by the Foundations for near 60 years exploring skull island as its scarce nature and overall preference for the deep interiors of the island meant it wouldnt be until the advent of widespread civilian thermal imaging cameras in the 1990s when it was finally officially discovered in 1993 over 60 years when the foundation conducted its first expedition upon the island. Once we did we were very astonished at the sight as the notion of such a massive animal going unnoticed for so long compelled the researchers of the time to seek answers and thankfully unlike many other skull island animals who all required decades of research to uncover their full origins the discovery of the Asperdorsus happened not to long after the very first skull island bone beds were discovered in the late 1980s meaning we were able to use genetic analysis and fossil material to unravel the origin of asperdorsus by the beginning of the 21st century and was one of the first animals to be properly examined in skull island's fossil record.

Through what was uncovered the asperdorsus is believed to be a evolutionary descandant of the north american jurassic sauropod diplodocus which was one of the most common of the large sauropod species found in the late jurassic morrison formation and included some of the most physically longest sauropod dinosaurs that were chracterized by having long tails that could move and crack at predators like a whip on 4 strong legs that could rear up and be used to push down trees to get at vegetation other animals had no access to and also use their immense weight to crush any reckless predators underneath into a red slurry. It is believed it was part of the first group of large dinosaurs to arrive on skull island as no other large sauropods had yet filled in the niche as they were very common animals in the morrison formation and didnt take long before filling niches in open praires, marshlands bordering forest and finally dwelling in the dense and thick jungles where the modern asperdorsus would evolve. Initially when other sauropod groups began to arrive on skull island the diplodocids for the most part avoided competing with them as they fed primarily on mid level vegetation above the areas where the skull island stegosaurs of the jurassic and early iguanodontids ate but below that of the other sauropods like the future brontosaurus baxteri and brachiosaurs who themselves would go on to dwell in the eventual redwood forests of skull island.

Instead the diplodocids reigned as the most widespread sauropods throughout much of skull islands jurassic period managing to avoid competing with other herbivores by feeding in areas that they were unable being very widespready before it would then end as they would be forced to other niches when skull island began begin populated with more advanced carnivorous dinosaurs and other animals that the diplodocids never had to contend with in the jurassic including the megaraptorans, emerging Venatosaurs, newly born Skull crawlers, relentless gorophaganxes, stealth based Carnotauruses and the animals that would one day become vastatosaurus Rex all bearing killing styles that the diplodocids even with their size and weight couldn't properly counter as compared to other sauropods their necks were fairly stiff and didnt move all that much away from the groud meaning its only options for keeping its head out of reach from a predator was by swinging the whole body in a clockwise or counterclockwise manner that for one predator such as a allosaurid or ceratosaurid would be enough but compared to the numbers and coordination of the venatosaurs or the power and strength of two adult V Rexes meant the diplodocids were forced out of their niches and into more specialized roles with the brontosaurus baxteri filling their place on the open areas of skull island with the only diplodocids that still exist on skull islands open areas numbering 8 species in total all of which are found only in specific areas scattered about across the landmass.

The jungles however were a completely different story. See in the jungles of skull island the diplodocids that migrated there had to adapt more quickly as even during the jurassic period the jungle canopies were a den for leaping and dropping ambush predators which at the time consisted of various giant tree spiders that could hunt small to medium sized dinosaurs, massive centipedes that had venom potent enough to kill most large animals, tree climbing theraspids and crocodile relatives all of which could easily sneak up and leap onto the exposed necks and backs of the long sauropods and be uttely unstoppable. For all intents and purposes reallistically their story should have ended their were it not for the very thing that would help to create the modern asperdorsus.....THE BONE FRUITS. Despite the name bone fruits are fruits found in the jungles and forests of skull island that through anomalous means develop enzymes that simulate very large developments and growth for vitamin C and K in the bones and skeletons of any land dwelling vertebrate in the jungle without any ill effect or bone cancer but instead amplify the further enhancing of any organisms skeletal structure. Visually speaking ANY fruit that grows in the forests of skull island has the capacity to become a bone fruit over time and recorded instances have included Oranges, Bananas, Plaintains, Prunes, Grapefruits, Strawberries, Papayas, Pineapples and Guavas all of which are found on skull island. It is not necessarily restricted to these fruits as technically any edible plant matter can have this anomlous quantities its just these are the most likely and common ones to be able to become a bone fruit.

Back onto the topic it is believed that during the jurassic period the bone fruits emerged and were hypothesized to give off a very pleasing scent that could be smelled by the jurassic sauropods with the only issue being they were so deep in the jungles and forests other sauropods were so big they would accidentally crush and stomp the fruits before they could eat them. All EXCEPT for the diplodocids who do to their long necks and flat bodies could easily maneuver through the dense forest while not clearing as much area and would finally get their first taste of the jurassic bone fruits and would settle in the thick wooded areas of skull island and feast on them along with supplements of leaves as well that also had vitamins essential for the animal. Thus the ancestors of asperdorsus would fully settle to being inhabitants of the skull island forests where their bodies would begin to change to suit their new life style. The first change being their skeleton which over millions of years of eating bone fruit increased the overall strength,density and weight of their skeletons going from to being near 50 tons in weight at thier maximum with the first change being that their legs overall extended but widened in circumference as their toe bones at the end barring their claws, which extended out of the body and either to the sides for the front legs or facing forward in the back legs, became more pillar like in structure.

The reason for the first change was because the sheer dense nature of skull islands forest meant that having their bodies low to the ground meant being more vulnerable as climbing over the myriad of collapsed trees, jutting rocks, massive and poisonous fungi and finally various predators that hid in the folaige dense brush that could leap from below the animal and cut and slice open the more vulnerable belly to kill the animal via shock and blood loss meant their bodies shifted to being more high off the ground to the point that any ambush predator that lunged would only be met with nothing but the strong and sturdy legs of the asperdorsus which are more than able to kick them with enough force to shatter and crush bone and kill any would be assailant. This however was not without a cost as the main reason diplodocid sauropods were so low to the ground was because their tail and necks were so long the weight they both had needed to be equally distributed or else the animal would become imbalanced and fall over so as the asperdorsus got longer and taller legs the neck and tail of the animal shortened yet strengthened to make up by allowing the neck and tail to be more sturdy and stronger and focus the animals weight in the center of the body instead of being evenly distributed across the bredth of the sauropod meaning that length wise its actually half as long as its ancestor diplodicus but is MUCH more heavier in comparison

Ultimately the advantages outweighed the costs as a shorter neck and tail meant they can more easily maneuver through the dense assortment of trees in the wooded areas of skull island that would have been more time consuming and diffult for longer necked sauropods but for them was practically like breathing. But despite the change in their body plan they never lost the two most signature abilites of their genus that being the ability to rear up on its hind legs and the ability to use its tail like a whip. For the first trait their hips in conjunction with the supplemental bonefruit meant they could strengthen and be able to endure and withstand much more stress than their ancestors did meaning they were able to push down even bigger trees than what thier jurassic forefathers were capable of but this trait also meant the force of them slamming down with their feet was also much stronger as well with a well placed stomp upon their skull being enough to outright kill any animals it encounters in its native habitat. Their second trait is their tail which due to having to be shortened meant more muscle got bundled up and focused in the tail to allow it to move it with more force in it that while not the outdated notion of diplodocus tail whips beaing able to break the sound barrier are more than enough to wack and break bone were it not for the fact the ends of their tails alonge with the entire upper part of their body is covered in bony keratin covered spikes that gives them the name of Rough back.

When the asperdorsus was first observed by foundation field explorers on skull island the only known sauropod dinosaur at the time of its discovery with spines on its back was the south american Amargasaurus which had been dug up only 9 years prior in 1984 and was originally believed to have been a close relative before genetic analysis proved otherwise along with the later discovery of a amargasaurid sauropod on skull island some time after its discovery. However unlike amargasaurus the spikes on asperdorsus run across the entire back of the animal as well as the underside of the neck and the tail which through dissection upon acquired bodies for autopsy appear to be derived from the small keratinous spines diplodicus had originally. Over millions of years on skull island as it began to further call the forests and jungles its main habitat it meant it now needed to defend itself from attacks from above and below in the tree branches from the various arborial hunters that could easily take it by attacking the more vulnerable upper neck or from below from pack based hunters. Thus when they began to eat the bone fruit over the course of millions of years the evolution of the asperdorsus focused on extending and largening the spikes making them grow in size with the smallest ones being as long as a human hand while the biggest ones can exceed the height of a normal man from head to toe. Internally the spikes are not actually apart of the animals skeleton but rather are attached by a complex system of muscles, nerves and cartilage that while able to keep the spikes in place especially when it is being attacked can, using nerve signals from the animal's brain, actually move to some extant when traveling through the forest meaning they can bend down and go against the animals side so they arent able to get caught on any vines or thick branches in the forests during its movements.

However the spikes themselves are at their core hardened bone covered in multiple layers of keratin that harden over the center mass with it being seen that they continously grow throughout the course of the animal's life with them even being able to heal itself gradually should the spikes get chipped or broken in a fashion like human fingernails do when they get chipped. In terms of physical toughness through experiments conducted on the spikes from autopsied bodies the spikes evolved to be strong yet flexible as internally they are hollow enough for air and blood to flow through with the bone marrow along with a complex system of nerves that in conjunction with the brain signals of the asperdorsus can allow them to moved them into various different positions but normally are seen pointing straight up. However because of how deadly the forests are the spikes would also slowly spread to the underside of the neck and the tail to allow also a spiked defense against any animals hiding in the leaf litter or bushes of the forests. The only place that is exempt of spikes is the underbelly as mainly to allow the animal to lay down and sleep without having to lay on its sides which would make it vulnerable to being attacked and since its so high off the ground most small to medium predators cant leap high enough to slash or bite the underside and the asperdorsus itself would never allow any predatory animal to get near it without potentially stomping on it.

Spikes however are not the only defense asperdorsus developed as along the upper portions of its body it also developed a thick layer and coat of osteoderms across itself ranging in size to around a U.S. penny to a skate board in width. The main reason is that because of having only one long line of spikes it meant the sides were more exposed and thus from eating bone fruit it built up a armored sheath across its upper body specifically from the start of the tail to half way up the neck as those areas dont usually fall into a preferred bite area for a carnivore as the spikes on those ends can easily penetrate through the skull of any thing that tried to bite it. For the legs they also dont have osteoderms as mainly the legs are strong and hard enough that they can tank anything save for the most extreme possible force imaginable which is only possible via tripping the animal over a deep drop or a bite from a adult vrex which is very rare as the animal will always keep itself away and swing its tail. But back to the osteoderms since they are clustered together it means that if a animal like say one of the numerous big cats or giant tree spiders of skull island managed to avoid falling onto the spikes they wouldnt be able to latch on as the bones are tough and difficult to stab and break with most claws with the asperdorsus more than able to shake them off and make them fall to the ground where they will meet their end via getting crushed by its massive legs.

In fact despite being herbivorous the asperdorsus is very surprisingly intelligent for its size as the amount of vitamins and enzymes in the fruits and leaves it eats coupled with the anomalous energies of skull island means that it actually has become smart enough to know what its weaknesses are and how to cover them more effectively. As an example because of how easy it is for animals to hide in the tress whenever it finds a area of edible leaves and fruits what it will do first is use its immense size to rear up and push down any other trees in the vicinity clearing it to deprive as much an area for ambush predators as possible so if they tried to sneak up the asperdorsus would be able to fully see it coming and defend itself. as well as defense the asperdorsus is able to use its immense size to its full advantage by being able to push down large boulders or trees to be able to walk over ravines or rivers to access better feeding grounds for it as well as unintentionally creating safe routes for animal to travel to and from areas without having to worry about falling into either the rivers or ravines. In fact to further aid it the asperdorsus also convergently evolved special pads on its feet to feel vibrations like a modern elephant where it can feel the shape and layout of the earth and use the information gained to be able to more carefully step its way throught uneven and sometimes unstable areas of the forest floor as well as feel what animals are nearby and if they are friend or foe.

Combat wise the asperdorsus is able to hold its ground as its wide legs enable it to move around rather easily to spin and face any attacking predator with minimal issue. Normally if its in a cleared out area made by it will stomp and move about to face and use its fail as a primary as since its control over its spikes are tuned enough to allow it to become like a double sided thagomizer structure similar to a stegosaur but with spikes also on the bottom of the tail along with the top ones. Thus combined with the asperdorsus ability to snap its tail like a whip means the spikes can impale and outright kill small pack based predators but can be used to stab into the head or eyes of large carnivores. Even if the end was bitten the bones are strong enough that they cant be torn off without excessive force which is still very risk as the spikes can penetrate through the flesh of the mouth and even bone where it can stab into the brain making biting the end of the tail very hish risk lest they are a animal like a fully grown v rex who is big enough to bite the tail at the right angle to avoid getting impaled through the head. Thus the primary way a asperdorsus is normally killed is by either carefully coordinated teamwork to whittle it down bit by bit by the venatosaurus or carvers or pure brute force to knock it on its side and bite the underside such as the V rex or Gorophaganax or the large megaraptorans.

Normally however the asperdorsus only has to worry about pack hunting animals as it being a forest animal has translated into having its scales become a deep green color with it darker on the top and lighter on the bottom meaning unless you had a thermal imaging camera it would be very difficult to spot it as it can surprisingly make very little noise. In fact to further help it stay hidden it is also known to rummage its spikes through low lying vines, creepers and bushes and branches and have them stay on it to create the image of dense foliage and uses it to sleep by lying in a dug out area courtesy of its massive legs before gently lying down with bushes all around it and that on its spikes to stay out of sight and have the only part exposed be its sharpened edges jutting outward to give off an illusion of sharp rocks or splintered wood to the unaware. Thus its not uncommon to encounter asperdorsus with bushes or vines or plants on its spikes and sometimes will allow plants to grow arround them to further give off a illusion and even serve as a place for small animals to make nests in including birds, small dinosaurs, rodents, lizards and monkeys as only a few examples of the passengers that can be seen taking up residence.

Encounters with massive carnivores like the Vrex generally are pretty rare as typically asperdorsus live in forest too dense for a vrex to easily move its weight around thus the only reason a asperdorsus may encounter a large theropod is because it left its original range for more fruit and got senses by the vrex by accident or a vrex was stubborn enough to try its luck in the more crowded and clustered forests with the survivor of each encounter depending entirely on where they are at in a area where a vrex can easily move around it usually is able to knock over the asperdorsus on its side and finish it off but in a dense forest the asperdorsus wins by using its spikes and the v rexes immobility to spike and stab its head in the brain area to kill it. But generally a vrex has no incentive to hunt a asperdorsus when there is much more easier prey to hunt such as the ligocristus and asperdorsus typically never leave their range unless resources are low and new feeding grounds have to be sought out meaning a fight between the two is a very rare occurence with only 10 over the past 30 years ever been witnessed by the foundation which are all recorded and in the foundations video archives on skull island if your clearance is high enough.

Thus the asperdorsus is one of skull islands select few animals that for a select number of predators like the venatosaurs and carvers can live relatively peaceful lives with their orientation for eating mid level plants and fruits meaning it can avoid competition with other large herbivores in its habitat meaning aspertorsus is quite tolerant of other herbivores inclduding the small and agile pugiodorsus who serve as look outs for one followed by sylvaceratops who are also very gracile and able to be alert and even the descendant of stegosaurus and kentrosaurus atercurisaurus which the asperdorsus is seen being alongside whenever it ventures into the fern valleys and plains and forests that its ancestor diplodocus used to share back in the jurassic period with stegosaurus showing how their niche partitioned coexistence still continued even to the present day. For other species of sauropod it normally can tolerate them as long as they feed on higher vegetation levels than it does but for ones that dont it can depend on what their diet is. for sauropods that eat different things than the fruit and leaves the asperdorsus eats it will usually allow it as its not competeting agaisnt. For ones that do and are more generalist is when things can get tense.

Asperdorsus due to millions of years of eating fruits that bone increased its bone strength as well as its intelligence means it has developed means to ward off competitors. The most peculiar is that due to eating specific fruits and vegetation it has like ruminant cattle developed a mutli chambered stomach for digestion but do to its complexoty can be used to generate intense and powerful rumbles and bellows that can be used to disorient and make other sauropods go away do its piercing nature being unbearable for other sauropods than it as its ear drums have adapted to being able to handle the sound with those who have heard it comparing it to a long and drawn trumpet being played through a megaphone at the loudest possible setting with it being louder the closer you are to it and capable of actually causing the ground in the area to shake a little from the sonic vibrations that can knock over rocks as big as a trashcan. Meaning that fights with other sauropods rarely occur as the only worst enemy of a asperdorsus is another asperdorsus which can be a long and drawn out and bloody affair for both parties. However normally because of a Asperdorsus' incredible sense of smell it normally will be able to sense another of its kind in any area it comes into that one.

Which brings us to the way their species as a whole interacts with one another. Surprisingly when it comes to members of its own species that arent related to the animal directly or is a mate generally asperdorsus is a very solitary animal as due to its nature as a forest animal necessitating individual survival it means it has way less social behaviors than the widespread and larger brontosaurus of the open plains. The only exception is during the breeding season when the males will use their chambered stomachs to emit enticing low frequency rumbles to attract females which is followed by clearing a certain area of forest it is in by making various loud and powerful stomps along with pushing down trees to create as much noise and destruction possible where the females will chose the ones who did so the best and most destructively to a area as a mate where they will do so thanks to their spikes being able to fold to allow them to do so without stabbing themselves on one another.

After this the asperdorsus pair will mate for life and live together and raise their young as one with a nest as they still lay eggs unlike the brontosaurus but have developed a unique survival strategy. The eggs will be a green color and the parents will place various poisonous plants over the nest which for any nest raiding animal will be very noxious and cause them to not bother with it but for the asperdorsus and the eggs are entirely unfazed by it. Thus asperdorsus have very low mortlity rates as eggs but will spike once they hatch as they dont have spikes as infants and gain them over time making most asperdorsus deaths occur as defenseless youngsters. As some form of counter the youngsters are born in a green pattern to allow them to blend into plants as well as developing a habit to eat poisonous plants when they are young so that they can avoid being eaten by simply smelling like it and will typically go unnoticed but when in the open make for a hefty snack for any animal that can get it. After they survive this they will leave the bushy areas their parents nested them in and will strike out on their own as miniature adults feasting off fruit that fall to the ground or that which grows in ground level bushes before advancing to the types eaten by their parents

But despite their many advantages the suffer a critical issue in that they cant swim. Due to their high bone density coupled with their greater weight typically asperdorsus will sink rather than float boyantly in a large body of water. meaning they are very vulnerable to being attacked by aquatic predators who are able to easily swim and attack the exposed underside with the sauropod being entirely defenseless. However this weakness is very specific as asperdorsus always frequent in areas of forests where bodies of water arent deep enough to full submerge them and the only reason something like it can occur is because of them in search of food when they are desparate but for most circumstances when it encounters a deep river it can cross to another side it will first attempt to find a large enough boulder or tree and push it down to halfen the gap and reduce the actual danger before finishing it off by swimming to other side half way there. but if that isnt possible a asperdorsus is a very methodical and patient and will gladly walk along a rivers length until the distance is close where it can safely move to the other side.

Finally we come to their relationship with humans. Because of how dense and dangerous the inner jungles and forests of skull island are no permanent settlements have ever encountered a asperdorsus as their so quiet and nomadic it means most humans who have lived on skull island have never encountered a asperdorsus in their life time. The only exceptions being the descendants of the original skull island civilization who encountered them when their cities were built near their areas. In the mythology of them because of the reclusive nature of the asperdorsus not much is really present for the animal in the greater mythology with only one story which is itself fairly conflicting according to the natives themselves. From what has been gathered the asperdorsus was said to a be man who was a great warrior but no longer wished to fight for multiple conflicting reasons. But in brief synopsis the warrior would then pray to the gods asking for a way to live his life peacefully without having to defend himself where it is then stated to lead to either a tournament,challenge, test or all 3 that resulted in him finding bone fruit that asperdorsus eats that was able to allow him to change into a asperdorsus at will granting him what he wanted. Then it is stated that the warrior able to shift between his state as a man and one as a beast would go on to have many wives and father the asperdorsus species as a whole explaining how they came to be. while short it by the standards of skull island storytellers is very obscure and not many know it save for the general narrative with any other details lost to the ravages of time.

In conclusion asperdorsus represents the other side of skull islands sauropods who focus instead on having a unique adaptation and using it to become almost free of any predators because of how overall risky it is to just try to bite it. but at the end of the day no matter how its spun skull islands dinosaurs arent extreme because of a monstrous but because of their environment demanding them to step up if it wants to survive.

HELLO EVERYONE! theperson7 here bringing you another skull island profile this time the reclusive asperdorsus. Now this dinosaur was very tricky for me as i genuinely was stuck at how to fit it all in due to the drawing being bigger than the paper I was sketching on but managed to finally get it by drawing the angle coiled and justifying it by saying it could strike it like a whip. Now the first visual change I made was the addition of more spikes since in my mind having a vulnerable section of your body in a area frequented by leaping ambush predators doesnt make sense to me thus I went for spikes all across the animals back and tail and neck and undersides except the belly so that it could lay down to sleep. For in universe lore i made the asperdorsus an animal that wouldnt be discovered until modern thermal imaging cameras came to be and more safer means of traveling into the skull island interior were developed by the foundation in this world I have made to really help emphasize this as an animal that really isnt seen often by humans. The second change was explaining their ancestry and why they went to live in the forests to ground more realism on them as well as to explain why their neck is shorter due to wanting to fit all of the animal on my paper. The other piece is that the diplodocids used to be the most prominent sauropod group on skull island due to them in real life being very common sauropods and made it true for skull island before they got gradually forced into different niches to the point the brontosaurus baxteri took its place as the most widespread sauropod on skull island. And finally i added in a bunch of other details to really flesh it out including it not being able to swim due to its bone density causing it to sink to add further realism to an animal such as this. But overall I hope you like this deviation and be sure to tell me what your thoughts, opinions or things are you have on this down below and leave a favorite so have a nice day wherever you are.