Tree-tops

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Tree-tops
Tree-tops
Species Sylvaceratops
Length 12-16 feet
First appearance The World of Kong:
A Natural History of Skull Island

Tree-tops are a fictional species of dinosaur created for Peter Jackson's 2005 film King Kong, but which did not make it into the film. However, they were documented as a real part of Jackson's Kong lore in the supplementary book The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island.

Design

Their long legs afforded Tree-tops great speed and agility, which in combination with their three, long, hoof-like toes that gave them exceptional grip, gave them the ability to zigzag and jump through the forest to escape most predators who could not match them. Their long crests would lie flat on their backs when running, adding an aerodynamic quality to their already slim build.

Name

Tree-tops' Latin name, Sylvaceratops, comes from Sylvania, meaning "forest," and ceratops meaning "horned face."

Ecology

Deep in Skull Island's steamy jungles lived the Tree-tops, a light and fleet ceratopsian known for its speed and agility. When threatened, Tree-tops would typically run away. Only when there were eggs or young to protect would males stand their ground by lowering their heads to the ground, creating a wall of horn and bone between their attacker and their nest. Individuals typically traveled in small familial herds. While multiple males could typically live together without conflict, they became territorial during breeding season. Much like their Ferrucutus cousins, adult male Tree-tops' crests grew more vividly colored in breeding season, with the most brightly colored attracting the most females. Bull Tree-tops seasonally grew a pair of curved horns to aid in jousts for dominance, but they were shed later in the year. Jousts were competitions of strength as much as balance, as the goal was to knock the opponent to the ground.

Tree-tops typically ate shrubs and other undergrowth, but were known to supplement this diet with seasonal fruits and fallen nuts. They had a special intuition as to which trees were in season, as they would often wait beneath them for their prizes to fall. All of the Tree-tops were wiped out in a 1948 earthquake that caused the entire island to sink into the ocean.

Abilities

Horns

Tree-tops had the ability to seasonally grow and shed curved horns to aid in dominance fights.

Gallery

Comments

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