Ferrucutus

Ferrucutus Alternate names Horned iron-hide Species Ferrucutus cerastes Length 24-34 feet Controlled by None Relations None Enemies Venatosaurus, Vastatosaurus rex Created by Weta Workshop First appearance Latest appearance King Kong (2005) King Kong (2005) Design(s) None

Ferrucutus is a fictional species of dinosaur that was created for Peter Jackson's 2005 film King Kong, but that did not make it into the film. However, they were featured in the film's extended cut, and had a small cameo in the film.

Name

The name Ferrucutus means "horned iron-hide", with fer being derived from "feri", a Latin word for iron.

Apperance

Ferructus were tanklike ceratopsians with highly ornate bony crests and broad shoulders. These aspects, coupled with their aggressive behavior made them difficult prey for most predators. The size of their frill indicated the individual Ferrucutus' seniority. They grew over time, but males sported the most impressive arrays, with horns growing up to lengths of six feet. In sexually mature males, the coloration of the frills changed color to indicate readiness to mate. As crests developed, secondary horns atop the crests could grow to cross over one another, although this was rarely seen in females. Because of this, the level of horn crossover could be used to indicate an individual's age.

Ecology

Despite their fearsome mannerisms, Ferrucutuses were herbivores. They fed mainly on low shrubs, and could use their nasal horns to uproot bushes and feed tall cycads to gain access to the fruits in their crown. After a forest had been cleared by herds of Brontosaurus, it could easily be converted to grassland by the Ferructuses that could clear the brush using their hard beaks to break down thorns and tough wood. Typically living in herds of around twelve, Ferructuses staked claims to small patches of territory in order to lay eggs and raise young in safety. Young were accepted as herd members immediately upon hatching. Herd members instinctively formed a ring around young, with their frills facing outward to create a protective barrier. With the young protected, the dominant male would take on the aggressor. Even the mightiest V. rex would think twice before engaging an enraged bull Ferructus. While they could be used against predators, the Ferrucituses head frills were mainly used in tests of dominance among males battling for herds of females and young. While not quite half the size of the females, male Ferrucutus were intensely jealous and territorial. Young males typically formed small herds to practice sparring as play until they were large and strong enough to challenge other adults for their own harems. These dominance bouts were often bloody affairs, with injury being common and death not unheard of. Even if only minorly wounded in the fight, infection could still take their life. All of the Ferrucutus species was wiped out in a 1948 earthquake caused the entire island to sink into the ocean.

Gallery

Main article: Ferrucutus/Gallery.

References

This is a list of references for Ferrucutus. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: ^[1]