Scutosaurus (SciiFii)

Scutosaurus antiquus (name meaning "ancient shield lizard") is a species of well-armored pareiasaur related to turtles and tortoises that originally lived about 254 million years ago during the earliest part of the Lopingian epoch of the Permian and was once extinct, but has been brought back through genetic engineering by SciiFii. Scutosaurus antiquus was introduced to the hunting ranch in Texas, but some escaped into the natural wilderness, thus breeding in the wild ever since. Despite its somewhat average size, it is a massively built reptile, up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) in length, having about the same weight as the North American grizzly bear, with bony armor, and a number of spikes decorating its skull. Scutosaurus antiquus is heavy, and its short legs means that it could not move at speed for long periods of time, which makes it vulnerable to attack by larger predators. To defend itself, it has a thick skeleton covered with powerful muscles, especially in the neck region. Underneath the skin are rows of hard, bony plates (scutes) that acts like a form of brigandine armor. As a herbivore that naturally lives in semi-arid climates, including deserts, it is tolerant to prolonged periods of droughts. In more arid regions, Scutosaurus antiquus wanders widely for a long time in order to find fresh foliage to eat. In less arid regions, it sticks closely to the riverbanks and floodplains where plant life is more abundant, straying further afield only during times of drought. Its teeth are flattened and can grind away at the leaves and young branches before digesting them at length in its large gut. It swallows gastroliths to digest plants. Given that it needs to eat constantly, it usually either lives alone or in very small herds, so as to avoid denuding large areas of their edible plants.
Category:Animals
Category:SciiFii
Category:Reptiles
Category:Paleozoic Park