Reptilasaurs

Reptilasaurs are a group of reptiles that resemble that of dinosaurs.

They used to be reptiles from South America that carried off by the land of scales' separation where they evolved for millions of years until they became the dominant life forms on the island.

Species:

Shore Iguanodon

Bio

Shore Iguanodon are the first encounters of many of those stranded on this island, other than the hungry marine reptiles in the water. Around the size of a large cow, these often-lazy reptiles rarely move, chewing on seaweed and coral they've acquired in the water. Their time spent digesting makes them noisy and smelly, "burping" every so often in an awful bellow.

The white scales of their head are due to sneezing out salt from their deep dives for food, gradually forming a pale crown and toughening their digging horn. The older the Shore Iguanadon, the more impressive the crown.

Males have very large spines compared to the opposite sex, likely for the purpose of attracting females.

Shore Iguanodon have a close cousin that lives upon the plain land of this island, Land Iguanodon. These are smaller in size but much more colorful and aggressive.

It is speculated that these Iguanodon are descendants of Marine Iguanas who drifted upon this island millions of years ago.

Triceros

Bio

The island holds many strange specimens of gigantism, but one of the more surprising species is the Triceros and its kin. Around the size of a rhino, the Triceros is a descendant of ancient chameleons that seemingly filled the vacant niche of a large herbivore. Oddly, it's not a pure herbivore but in fact an omnivore, eating any small animals that it stumbles upon.

Inheriting the sticky tongue of its ancestors, the Triceros has developed it into a short but strong "trunk" that allows it to tug plants out by the root and eat them whole, as well as hapless creatures. Triceros also inherits the color changing capability of its relatives, used as camouflage as a hatchling and display as an adult.

The notable three horns help the animal tussle with other members of its species as well as fight off major predators. The crest protects the neck from a fatal bite to the neck.

Thyreos

Bio

Thyreos are large herbivores that wander through the island's forest to feed on peculiar roots and bunches of ferns. Other times they are wallowing in shallow pools and chewing on aquatic plants in small groups. Despite how calm they may seem, Thyreos have a bad habit of smashing anything with their tail if approached, often killing or crippling whatever dared to get nearby. This goes doubly so for mother Thyreos who defend their young with extreme prejudice.

The notably large plates along the back act as a display that makes any predator wary of the Thyreos's size, as well as to impress or threaten other Thyreos. Thyreos only start to develop these plates after a month of being born, when they are already getting too big for their mother to carry them in her mouth. The role of the plates in early life is to generally make them too hard to swallow for most predators, also so the mother can spot them in the brush.

Interestingly, Thyreos are crocodilians that have developed into primarily terrestrial herbivores. It is currently unknown if they share an origin with the saltwater crocodile descended Ruptorsaurs, or if they descend from an ancient line of crocodylomorphs."

Frilled Raptor

Bio

If the island were to have wolves, the Raptors would be those wolves. Fast pack hunters coming in a high variety (nearly all lethal) the Raptors are an ever-looming threat to anyone who ventures through these lands.

One of the most notable species is the Frilled Raptor. They are among the largest of the Raptors and perhaps most tactical. The frill that denotes them is used to surprise and shepherd prey groups towards fellow pack members, or to simply ward off threats and impress the opposite sex.

Although one might speculate that they descend from Frill-necked lizards, the Raptors actually all split from the same ancestor as the mighty Tyrants.

Forest Tyrant

Bio

*Moving further into the island, one finds the area to be dominated by thick forest with ancient trees smothered in parasitic vines and fungi, crawling with strange life. It is easy to be encapsulated by the wonders of the little things, but eyes are always watching, hungry ones.*

*The dominant predator of the land, Tyrants are large upright descendants of ancient Komodo dragons that were once stranded upon this island. Standing as tall as an elephant, these beasts are surprisingly silent, quietly watching potential prey as they stand as still as the trees, patient for unwary animals. If prey escapes from the Tyrant, it’s unlikely to give chase due to its cumbersome body. If it has bitten its target, the Tyrant will stalk its victim for whatever time it takes for the victim to succumb to the wound, tracking them by the stink of the bite.*

*Tyrants are rarely seen with others of their kind, being incredibly territorial and eager to eat smaller members of their kind. They only ever collect with other Tyrants during mating season, were males clash for the female’s interest. The largest or most tenacious males will father the next generation. Their young appear much like an average monitor lizard, hiding from predators by living an arboreal lifestyle. Mothers often have their young clutching to them for the first few months, eating parasites off her skin.*

Magnalania

Bio

Magnalania are tranky herbivores, grazing on a number of low ground vegetation in the forest and fields of the island. They are a species of prehistoric turtle, and the only living members of that family that are still alive. A mean bite, tough shell, and hefty club tail have ensured they stay alive while assaulted by various predators. They are only truly vulnerable in their youth, but in some cases large Tyrants have learned to kick over Magnalania and bite at the exposed areas of the under belly.

Males have a unique pattern of spots upon their shell with yellow highlights, while females keep a generally stoney dull color.

Brontosaur

Bio

The tallest herbivore of the thick island forest, the Brontosaur feeds upon fruits, fungi, and any small and slow animals it's long neck can reach. They are normally found in groups of five or less, all members of the family keeping their eyes out for bold predators. In case of attack, adults will block predators from younger members of the group, and open their mouths as wide as possible, reveling bright blue flesh within. If bellowing and this startling display does nothing, they will whip the predator with serrated tails.

Brontosaurs evolved from a form of proto snake that made it to this mysterious island millions of years ago and played the vacant role of the sauropods. Young Brontos will eat adults' fecal matter in their early days to gain gut bacteria that can digest fruit and fungi, which may explain how a group related to snakes could become herbivorous.

PseudoSordes

Bio

Flying between the ancient trees of the island's forest are small, winged reptiles called PseudoSordes, deftly snapping up insects in midair and avoiding arboreal predators.

These descendants of hemidactylus geckos were mistaken as pterosaurs upon their initial discovery, having an extended wing finger much like the long extinct animal. Unlike the pterosaurs, PseudoSordes also have extended their ribs for their wings and kept their ancestral sticky feet.

They spend much of their time clinging to surfaces, camouflaging with their nest trees, watching and waiting for the flutter of prey to snatch. They rarely ever, if at all, encounter the forest floor, with even their eggs having a sticky surface to latch to the moss layers of the thermal trees.

Their main predators are large arboreal crabs, tree climbing young tyrants, larger Pseudosordes, and the occasional opportunistic Brontosaur.

Tree PseudoSordes colors vary from forest to forest, usually based on the trees they nest on.

Cliff PseudoSordes is larger than their forest relatives and keep to the thermally warmed cliff-sides of the shores. They nest densely to protect against predators and feed primarily from small crabs and any large animal corpses that wash up on the beach.

Hawk PseudoSordes are the largest known members of the group and specialize on hunting visiting sea birds and other PseudoSordes.

Ruptorsaur

Bio

*The cause of nearly all strandings on this island, the largest Ruptorsaurs swim around the shore for prey of all sorts, attacking nearly anything they spot in the water. Even their own offspring are in danger of their hunger, leading young members of the species to live much of their lives in the aquatic caverns below the island and wander through other bodies of water on the island.*

*Ruptorsaurs come as small as seals and as large as orca whales, sometimes larger. Very few earn the right to be at their physical peak.*

*Ruptorsaurs are much more heavily adapted for an aquatic living than any other crocodilian, verily capable of traveling on land with only females sluggishly making the journey to lay eggs.*

*It is possible Ruptorsaurs evolved from saltwater crocodiles that made a home on the island millions of years ago. Oddly enough it has developed a similar nasal structure as a gharial, but unlike the Gharial this structure is on both sexes rather one, so it's likely to help in breathing rather display.*

Some of the reptilasaurs change diets from meat and plants as way of adapting to their new home.

They are all enormous creatures, reaching from 20 feet to 60 feet tall.