Skull Island: A Documentation of the Most Terrifying Place on Earth

by SomethingWittyIGuess

In the summer of 1889, a British Naval ship sails from India to Australia, however a tropical storm causes it to wash up on a lost island in the Indian Ocean. The crew dubs the landmass Skull Island and they take note of the odd and even deadly fauna and flora that call this place home. Since then, several expeditions were made to explore this land and what lived there.

11. The Brontobeast

Brontobeast (Goliatherium longus)

The popular image of a rhinoceros is that of a bulky, thick-skinned, squat beast with one or two horns on the end of its snout, grazing peacefully before charging violently at an either very brave or very foolish predator. But, as with many of Earth's giants, rhinos came from much smaller and humbler beginnings, being hornless, small forest-dwelling creatures that were not too different from the ancestors of their close cousins, the horses. However, as the Eocene came to a close and the giant herbivorous brontotheres and dinoceratans vanished, rhinos would end up taking their role as Earth's designated megaherbivores. One such group of rhinos, the hyracotheres, produced not only the largest rhino of all time, but also the largest ever land mammal, Paraceratherium.

This behemoth of a beast was 15 to 20 tonnes in weight, 7.4 metres long and 4.8 metres tall. These giants lived in India and the Middle East from the beginning to the end of the Oligocene, dying out when the Proboscidea order (elephants, mammoths, etc) began to diversify. However, land bridges from India to Skull Island were a path to relative safety for these magnificent beasts, allowing them to diversify into many different forms suited for grassland lifestyle. However, most of these hyracotheres finally died out in the Pleistocene due to competition with deer, cattle, and other artiodactyls. However, there is one species still around today, the Brontobeast (Goliatherium longus).

The Brontobeast, while smaller that its 20 tonne ancestors (being only about the size of a male Bornean Elephant), is Skull Island's largest endemic animal sans migratory whales. This beast's anatomy and behavior has changed very little from its ancestors as well, using its long, pillar-like legs and long neck to feed on high vegetation (in a similar fashion to elephants and giraffes). This relatively conservative body plan may have been the reason why it didn't fall victim to competition with the Ice Age artiodactyls.

Brontobeasts live in small-sized herds led by a matriarch (males leave the herd once they reach sexual maturity). Females are extremely protective of their young and males (being full of testosterone) become very aggressive during breeding season, making them one of Skull Island's most dangerous residents. One unfortunate run-in with these creatures happened during an American 1933 expedition, where an aggressive male killed two of the crewmembers.

Brontobeasts are revered by the Skull Island Natives (in a similar way to Kongs) for their strength and dedication to their young. Killing one is considered taboo unless absolutely necessary. However, out of all of the island's fauna, these ancient beasts are one of the most threatened due to overhunting during the Japanese occupation of Skull Island during World War II. Zoos all over the world are engaging in breeding programs, many of them being highly successful.

Author's Note: The Brontobeast is based on the "Brontosaurus" sauropods from the 2005 remake of King Kong, mostly in their bulky appearance and somewhat social behavior.