Magma Turtle
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The Magma Turtle is a giant turtle superspecies that first appeared in the second issue of the 2017 Legendary Comics series Skull Island: The Birth of Kong.
Name
The Magma Turtle's name is a simple combination of English words which reflect its volcanic nature and turtle-like appearance. It has been given two competing cryptozoological classifications. In Skull Island: The Birth of Kong, it is Tortoisa Vulkana,[1] derived from English "tortoise" and vulkan, a word meaning "volcano" in several Eurasian languages; in The Monarch Files: A Monsterverse Manual, it is Tortoisa Vulcan,[2] replacing Vulkana with the name of the Roman god of fire.
Development
Like many of the other monsters introduced in Skull Island: The Birth of Kong, the Magma Turtle was conceptualized for Kong: Skull Island but did not make it into the film. Concept art of it is included in The Art and Making of Kong: Skull Island.[citation needed]
Design
The Magma Turtle is a gigantic turtle covered in a rocky shell, giving it the appearance of a statue when not moving. Several palm trees grow from the top of its shell.
The taxidermied Magma Turtle in Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted has numerous differences from the one in Skull Island: The Birth of Kong. Its body is fleshy and brown, similar to the Galápagos giant tortoise, and only its shell appears rock-like. Its head resembles those of snapping turtles, and the tops of the trees on its back have been lopped off.
Origins
The Magma Turtle is a strange species of turtle native to Skull Island. The species is indigenous to the region around Hellspring Peak, a volcano on the island. Magma Turtle eggs are laid in the heart of the volcano, where molten magma breaks through the shell and surrounds the embryo, hardening into an armored, rocky shell. As the Magma Turtle grows and matures, it returns to the volcano periodically to reforge its shell.[1]
Behavior
The Magma Turtle is a docile herbivore that faces close to no predation due to its inedible and dangerous composition.[1]
History
- Skull Island: The Birth of Kong #2 (2017)
- Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted (2024) [taxidermy]
Skull Island: The Birth of Kong
"The Mountain Who Thunders Death"
In 1996, as Aaron Brooks and the rest of the second Monarch expedition to Skull Island explored a Dutch shipwreck on the island, a Magma Turtle was present in the distance.
Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted
A taxidermied Magma Turtle was part of Raymond Martin's collection of trophies.
Abilities
Bio-volcanic physiology
Shell
The Magma Turtle's igneous rock shell serves as a strong armor that protects it from damage. The Magma Turtle is remarkably resistant to extreme heat. It can survive being submerged in molten magma from the moment it is still an embryo, and uses molten rock to forge its armored hide.
Molten blood
As a byproduct of its close proximity to molten magma, the Magma Turtle's bloodstream reaches furnace-like temperatures, making its blood akin to molten lava. If the Magma Turtle were to be injured by a predator, its blood would act as a potent defense mechanism to deter its attacker.
Video games
- Godzilla x Kong: Titan Chasers (2024) – Android, iOS, PC [mentioned]
Gallery
References
This is a list of references for Magma Turtle. 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]
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