Jumanji

Jumanji is a hidden prehistoric land in Baladora where prehistoric animals such as dinosaurs and cavemen still lived. Turok and Elizabeth visited this land and Professor Summerlee found out that dinosaurs are still living on the earth. Turok also encountered Mangani a prehistoric ape that resembles a gorilla but is the size of an elephant and would fight against any prehistoric animal with his bare hands.

## History

Not Much is known how prehistoric animals learned to thrive in Jumanji, but the history of how the valley came to be dates back into prehistory.

Parts of Jumanji was formed when land masses were forming billions of years when a small fragment of land drifted inbetween Africa and Asia becoming the country of Baladora. When prehistory began Jumanji was a refuge for a variety of prehistoric creatures. Over time, more and more species arrived either by swimming, flying, rafting, or migrating through temporary land bridges.

By the time the dinosaurs were going extinct by the meteorite, several species of dinosaurs along with few other Mesozoic animals had survived in Jumanji thanks to thermal vents that were formed in the valley when land was formed on Earth and kept Jumanji temperate and tropical, which allowed the Dinosaurs reign to continue unchanged following their arrival in the valley where they start to thrive with animals that lived before and after their 160 million year reign. At the time of Cenozoic a variety of mammals migrated to Jumanji across the land bridges that connected the valley to the rest of the world as well as large numbers of primitive humans. As the Ice Age ended the land bridges receded into the sea due to the rising sea levels, The valley’s animals life were forced to adapt, resulting in ecosystem of prehistoric life.

Additionally when prehistoric animal life was making it’s way to Jumanji, evolution in every prehistoric species were at a physical standstill and had not change and evolved over the last 500 million years. Also a massive mountain range cut Jumanji off from the rest of Baladora trapping millions of years of evolution in one single valley. At around 3100 B.C.E. during the time when Ancient Egypt was being founded, several modern humans found their way Jumanji after arriving in Baladora where they came to Baladora's hidden valley through a tunnel found in one of the mountains leading the hidden valley. Some live as tribes while some developed civilizations where they enslave the primitive humans that live there. Additionally during prehistoric times several species of upright walking ape ancestors of humans from Africa migrated to Jumanji where they used different levels of technology mostly stone or sticks before the arrival of cavemen.

Also during the prehistoric era, a species of elephant sized apes that are in the same family as gorillas evolved in Jumanji unlike other prehistoric animals in which their species were at a physical standstill. They were able to fight against even the most dangerous animals that live there including large dinosaurs. Mostly these apes are often threated as a deity to many races that live in Jumanji due to their enormous size compared to other primates of the hidden land.

## Location & Geography

Jumanji is located near deep within the jungles of Baladora and has thermal vents that allow the valley to stay warm and tropical.

## Fauna

Jumanji hosts a different variety of creatures found in the fossil record. Many of them originate from the Mesozoic era, however some of have originated from the Cenozoic era, and the Paleozoic era.

* Allosaurus
* Ankylosaurus
* Archaeopteryx
* Archelon
* Arthropleura
* Brachiosaurus
* Brontosaurus
* Brontotherium
* Cave Bear
* Ceratosaurus
* Corythosaurus
* Cretoxyrhina
* Cryptoclidus
* Deinosuchus
* Dilophosaurus
* Dimetrodon
* Dimorphodon
* Diplodocus
* Dunkleosteus
* Edaphosaurus
* Elasmosaurus
* Entelodon
* Eohippus
* Eurypterid
* Giant Ground Sloth
* Hypsilophodon
* Ichthyosaurus
* Iguanodon
* Labyrinthodont
* Megalosaurus
* Meganeura
* Monoclonius
* Ornithocheirus
* Ornithomimus
* Pachycephalosaurus
* Parasaurolophus
* Plesiosaurus
* Pliosaurus
* Protoceratops
* Pterodactyl
* Rhamphorhynchus
* Smilodon
* Spinosaurus
* Stegosaurus
* Struthiomimus
* Styracosaurus
* Terror Bird
* Trachodon
* Triceratops
* Trilobite
* Troodon
* Tylosaurus
* Tyrannosaurus
* Velociraptor
* Woolly Mammoth

## Races

The races of Jumanji are mostly primitive humans who lived during prehistoric times, however a few races are more Ape-like while some are modern humans.

Caveman - A primtive species of humans that lived in Europe 40,000 years ago. They are the first inhabitants of Jumanji and would attack and capture anyone who trepasses on their hunting grounds.

Ape Men - A race upright apes that developed into man and live in groups much like chimpanzees. An Ape Men group lives in there own territory and has there own level of technology which consists of early stone tools.

Gilak - A race of humans who live on Jumanji's open plains in huts made of grass and treat Mangani as a type of god.

## Trivia

* The name Jumanji is based on the 1981 book of the same name.