Vultursaurus

Template:Kaiju Infobox Comic Vulturesaurus is a fictional species of flying dinosaurs that appeared in the 2005 prequel novel to King Kong, King Kong: The Island of the Skull.

Name

Vulturesaurus' name comes from Sam Kelley's having initially mistaken it for a vulture, and upon seeing it more clearly dubbed it "Vulturesaurus."

Appearance

The Vulturesaurus is described as having a "U-shaped" head, a sleek body, and clawed feet. Its claws are very sharp and are capable of tearing flesh on contact. However, due to their slight build, they cannot carry much weight with their feet. Their bat-like wings are broad and supple so that they can be realigned with ease.

Origin

The book The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island states that Vulturesaurus is the sole surviving descendant of a second dynasty of flying theropods that developed bat-like wing membranes instead of feathers.

History

King Kong: The Island of the Skull

In their debut novel, a Vulturesaurus preyed on Sam Kelley and his associates as they climbed down a rock face. It took one of them but was unable to escape Kelley's gunfire because its prey was too heavy. Another Vulturesaurus waited for Kelley and his last remaining companion to get a bit farther away from the island, and when their boat struck a rock, and one of them was thrown from the ship's cabin. Seizing its opportunity, the Vulturesaurus went in for the kill. It successfully got a hold of the girl but was killed by Kelley with a gun.

Abilities

Flight

Vulturesaurus can fly by using its wings, but their wings are better suited to allow it to swim rather than fly

Hunting Adaptations

Vulturesaurus has pointed teeth and incredibly sharp claws.

Night vision

Vulturesaurus is a nocturnal creature with excellent night vision. They have reflective eyes that are able to discern distance and depth even in dim starlight. Only on the blackest nights were they grounded.

Gallery

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  An Erroneous depiction on the cover of King Kong: The Island of the Skull. The design given is that of the Alatusaurus cinnabaris.

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  Concept art of Vulturesaurus from The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island

Trvia

• Vulturesaurus, like many other Skull Island monsters has an entry in The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island detailing its origin and biology.
• The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island states that during the day Vulturesaurus spends its time roosting on ledges or in deep jungle shade, while at night they hunt insects in vast flocks.
• Two vastly different images of Vulturesaurus exist. One from King Kong: The Island of the Skull and one from The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island. This is due to The Island of the Skull's cover art being published before the complete description and dimensions of the Vulturesaurus had been made available. The design shown on the cover of Island of the Skull was reused for the flying lizard Alatusaurus in the World of Kong.

References

This is a list of references for Vultursaurus. 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]