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From the album: Dossiers
Common Name: Pachyrhinosaurus Species: Pachyrhinosaurus Mitisaura Time: Late Cretaceous Diet: Herbivore Temperament: Evasive Wild: Pachyrhinosaurus Mitisaura is a medium-sized herbivore, found almost everywhere but the island’s mountains. It is generally calm, and ignores all other nearby creatures unless it is attacked, at which point it usually tries to flee. Of the island’s varied creatures, Pachyrhinosaurus may possess among the most unique survival skills. When threatened, it’s massive nasal boss releases a chemical into the air that calms other nearby creatures, making them less likely to attack it. Affected creatures are sometimes hungry enough to ignore the effect and humans seem immune to it. Conversely, it can seemingly invert this phenomenon at will and induce creatures to become more aggressive towards it! Domesticated: Pachyrhinosaurus is an excellent starting mount for anyone new to taming. It is fairly easy to train, can carry enough to be a simple pack-animal, and is not as deadly as some of the larger herbivores. Additionally, Pachyrhinosaurus can release it’s unique chemical on command to protect itself and it’s rider from nearby predators, or draw attention if desired, making it a potential life saver in a pinch. -
From the album: Dossiers
Common Name: Pachy Species: Pachycephalosaurus leniproelia Time: Late Cretaceous Diet: Herbivore Temperament: Passive Wild: Pachycephalosaurus is a bit of a conundrum. It is a very passive (even friendly) herbivore, common to much of the island. At the same time, it is one of the most dangerous herbivores that I have yet encountered on the island. Its charging headbutt is a display of sheer physical power, and can kill much more quickly than you might think. While Pachycephalosaurus is generally amiable, it has a short temper. Its fight-or-flight response always seems to choose "fight"! The Pachy becomes extremely aggressive once attacked. Additionally, it is an incredibly fast sprinter, so escaping from an enraged Pachy is very difficult. Domesticated: Pachycephalosaurus is an excellent battle-mount for those who want to ride a smaller, nimble combatant into the fray. Because of its particular musculature, it cannot effectively carry large quantities of resources. It can, however, move with brief magnificent bursts of speed, and its headbutt is simply devastating. -
From the album: Dossiers
Common Name: Mosasaurus Species: Mosasaurus suspirita Time: Late Cretaceous Diet: Carnivore Temperament: Aggressive Wild: Until recently, I believed the Ultramegalodon to be the greatest of the ocean predators. Then I discovered Mosasaurus suspirita in the deeps. Not quite as fast, but much larger and stronger, the Mosasaurus rules the deep waters off the island. Growing up to 50 feet long, Mosasaurus is larger than almost every other aquatic creature I've encountered thus far. Contrary to common belief, Mosasaurus cannot breathe underwater. Rather, it can hold its breath an incredibly long period of time, similar to a whale. Mosasaurus is a deep-sea marine lizard, not a fish. It spends most of its time in the deeps, and only comes up to surface to breathe, or chase prey with an engulfing chomp. Domesticated: Despite its power, Mosasaurus is not ideal for all deep-water activities. Its slower swim speed makes the risk of drowning much higher when using Tylosaurus to reach oil deposits or silica pearls. Having one with you as an escort, on the other hand, is probably the best oceanic defense available! -
From the album: Dossiers
Common Name: Megatherium Species: Megatherium Formipavor Time: Late Pleocene-Early Holocene Diet: Omnivore, but primarily Herbivore Temperament: Passive, but aggressive to insects Wild: Megatherium Formipavor is one of the larger mammals on the island. This is most shocking because it is essentially a giant sloth... if you crossbred it with an elephant and a bear! Because of its size and girth, the Megatherium is uncommonly resistant to being knocked unconscious. Despite primarily being an herbivore, a typical Megatherium is very intent on consuming the island's many insects. It is particularly adept at removing their insides without damaging the shell, maximizing extraction of chitin. The otherwise slow and peaceful Megatherium becomes faster and more aggressive in the presence of these creatures. Domesticated: Megatherium is an incredibly useful creature to tame, so long as you don't intend to fight other tribes. Its enormity, high resistance to torpor, and voracious attitude toward insects (and arachnids) makes it ideal for farming large quantities of chitin from the bugs of the island, or simply defending against them! -
From the album: Dossiers
Common Name: Megalodon Species: Carcharodon ultramegalodon Time: Miocene-Pliocene Diet: Carnivore Temperament: Aggressive Wild: Were it not restricted to the waters, Carcharodon ultramegalodon might be the most dangerous creature on the island. As powerful and dangerous as the Tyrannosaurus is on land, Megalodon is its equal in the water. In addition, it has a speed advantage over any non-aquatic creature. Megalodons need large quantities of food to sustain themselves, so they attack most creatures immediately on sight. Smaller fish are the sole exception I've seen; I believe this is because they cost more energy for Megalodons to catch than they would gain. Domesticated: If someone is able to tame this beast, that person would be the undisputed ruler of the oceans around the island and would have access to resources no one can safely find! -
From the album: Dossiers
Common Name: Megaloceros Species: Megaloceros Latuscoronam Time: Pliocene Diet: Herbivore Temperament: Skittish Wild: Megaloceros Latuscoronam is a very skittish herbivore, found mostly in the forests and mountains of the island. Because of its large size, its fraught demeanor would be strange in any other place. But Megaloceros knows how fierce the predators of the island are, and knows that it is safer to flee from them than to risk its life in a fight. The horns of Megaloceros are very large, and make for an excellent source of Keratin. This, of course, makes it a valuable resource. Unfortunately, hunting Megaloceros is not easy because of their quick speed and ability to bound over most obstacles. Domesticated: Megaloceros is a jack-of-all-trades creature, and many who ride it value its versatility. It is decently powerful, and its resilience, speed, and ability to jump often come in handy. Finally, its charging horn attack tends to cause targets to "bleed", decreasing their health, stamina, and speed until healed! -
From the album: Dossiers
Common Name: Manta Species: Manta Mobula Time: Early Oligocene - Holocene Diet: Carnivore Temperament: Defensive Wild: Here is another example of a creature that seems to have evolved beyond its historical traits. Everything points to this being a saltwater ray, but Manta Mobula has developed the ability to swim into the island´s rivers and shallows, as well as through the open ocean. Perhaps there were originally two types of ray on the island before, but years of interbreeding combined their lineage. Normally docile, the Manta Mobula is a carnivore only in that it consumes Plankton. Its tail is incredibly sharp, and can pierce through thick hide and armor with ease. Fortunately, Manta Mobula is usually not aggressive, unless encouraged. Domesticated: While not the fastest swimmer around the island, Manta Mobula is the deadliest of small ocean mounts, and can be ridden bare-back. Tribes who value striking power over speed often keep large schools of Manta to ride. Its capability to briefly leap out of water provides it a showy tactic for avoiding combat as well. A quick jab through the heart onto an unsuspecting survivor can easily take them by surprise. Thusly, many tribes use it as an escort for their slower cargo-carrying swimmers. -
From the album: Dossiers
Common Name: Mammoth Species: Mammuthus steincaput Time: Early Pliocene Diet: Herbivore Temperament: Docile Wild: Seeing the likes of Mammuthus steincaput alongside dinosaurs is still strange. This behemoth towers over most creatures on the island, and does not seem to fear anything but the Tyrannosaurus. Mammoths generally thrive in colder areas and have a herd mentality. I'm honestly not certain how the herds of Mammoths find enough plant life to graze on some of the islands mountains. They must spend much of their time traveling between the mountains' cold summit and more lush base. Or maybe the Mammoth herd are the main reason the summits are so barren. Domesticated: Mammuthus steincaput is a difficult beast to domesticate. Not because they are inherently stubborn, but because knocking one out to begin the taming process takes forever. Once tamed, however, Mammoths are one of the only creatures on the island that can uproot trees without shattering them. -
From the album: Dossiers
Common Name: Liopleurodon Species: Liopleurodon Magicus Time: Mid-Late Jurassic Diet: Carnivore Temperament: Patient Wild: Liopleurodon Magicus is a mid-sized ocean predator. Typically between 20 and 25 feet long, it mostly hides within the reefs, waiting to ambush prey that swims by. Due to its low acceleration and medium speed, Liopleurodon tends not to chase prey that escape its initial devastating chomp attack. The species on the island almost seems, to be magical. The reptiles skin secretes an oil that, when absorbed through skin contact, makes the rider process oxygen more efficiently for extreme diving. When traveling the ocean for resources Liopleurodon will show you the way. Domesticated: Neither the fastest swimmer, nor the most powerful ocean predator, Liopleurodon still has its uses for those wanting to stay underwater for extended periods of time. Many tribes use Liopleurodon for long duration oil-and-oyster harvesting trips. Often, those who don't believe in the Liopleurodons qualities are shunned. -
From the album: Dossiers
Common Name: Kaprosuchus Species: Kaprosuchus Paludentium Time: Late Cretaceous Diet: Carnivore Temperament: Aggressive Wild: A smaller relative of the Sarcosuchus, Kaprosuchus Paludentium is water-based carnivore primarily found lurking among The Island's swamps. A naturally fast runner that is even faster in the water, it is a solitary hunter that picks off small-to-medium creatures especially those isolated from their pack. When attacking Kaprosuchus uses two main tactics. First, it patiently waits below the water surface and when the target is sufficiently close by, will perform a lateral jump that it uses to quickly close the distance with its prey and drag it underwater. Secondly, its attacks target the prey's vital areas specifically to drain its stamina. These two techniques effectively prevent most creatures from escaping Kaprosuchus once an assault has begun. Domesticated: Survivors are generally split about the usefulness of Kaprosuchus. Some love its speed both in and out of the water, essentially making it among the fastest small-sized all-terrain mounts when travelling through the wetlands. Others do not like how relatively frail Kaprosuchus is, and do not think its high speed and damaging attacks make up for this shortcoming. -
From the album: Dossiers
Common Name: Iguanodon Species: Iguanodon vicissitudinis Time: Late Jurassic Diet: Herbivore Temperament: Reactive Wild: Of the many creatures I've yet encountered the island, the Iguanodon vicissitudinis has the distinctly versatile ability to change its primary method of locomotion according to its momentary needs. While bipedal, it can employ rapid stabbing attacks with its distinctive thumb spikes. In quadrupedal stance, conversely, it seems to have an endless supply of stamina, even while sprinting! Primarily a rather lethargic quadrupedal herbivore native to the island's many grasslands and forests, in situations where increased speed or maneuverability is called for, it will quickly shift its posture into bipedal stance and behave like a very different creature! Domesticated: Interestingly, the Iguanodon's thumb spikes also provide it with the capability to pick seeds out of fruits, allowing a farmer to handily convert stacks of fruits into stacks of seed for planting. Combined with its highly effective fruit harvesting and substantial carry weight, the Iguanodon's excellent mobility in bipedal stance makes it an ideal field-hand that can also pull off a quick get-away, or an agile defense, when needed. -
From the album: Dossiers
Common Name: Ichthy Species: Ichthyosaurus curiosa Time: Late Triassic - Early Jurassic Diet: Carnivore Temperament: Curious Wild: Ichthyosaurus curiosa is a comparatively small carnivore found in the waters around the island. It is slightly larger than a human, but that’s still small compared to the leviathans roaming these waters. It seems to be very interested in any creature around its size, often approaching and following humans swimming through its waters. Despite its appearance, the Ichthyosaurus is neither a fish nor an ocean mammal. Like many creatures in the waters around the island, it is actually an aquatic reptile. Domesticated: I can’t think of a better mount for someone starting to explore the island’s seas and waterways. Ichthyosaurus is comparatively fast swimmer, and even in the wild will cozy right up to you and try to figure out what you’re doing. Taming these is actually pretty easy, as they seem to love humans and will be fed and tamed without the use of violence. -
From the album: Dossiers
Common Name: Gigantopithecus Species: Gigantopithecus fibrarator Time: Pleistocene Diet: Herbivore Temperament: Territorial Wild: Gigantopithecus fibrarator is a strange creature. It is usually quite passive, but it has a very short temper when it comes to its personal space. Once another creature gets close, this gentle giant quickly becomes a rampaging beast. Best to give them a wide berth. Gigantopithecus seems most happy to lazily lay about, picking berries from plants. Many Gigantopithecus spend much of their day in one small area unless they are provoked. Domesticated: In addition to being at home picking berries a tamed Gigantopithecus can be taught to harvest the fibers found on many island plants as well. It appears to be entirely content to pick at plants all day, eat the berries, and hold the fibers for its tribe. Playful once tamed, Gigantopithecus seems to enjoy throwing its shoulder-mounted rider into the air. It probably feels this is a game, but clever brigands can use this "game" to vault over walls and small cliffs. -
From the album: Dossiers
Common Name: Giganotosaurus Species: Giganotosaurus Furiosa Time: Late Cretaceous Diet: Carnivore Temperament: Angry Wild: Giganotosaurus Furiosa is an enormous predator, larger even than the Tyrannosaurus or Spinosaurus. While greater in size than those storied predators, it can be somewhat less dangerous when encountered in the wild, due to its sluggish speed. Even still, getting cornered or run down by a Giganotosaurus means certain death for nearly creature! Fighting a Giganotosaurus directly is never a good idea, as its rage rapidly grows with every hit it takes. With this rage, it builds increasing reserves of energy to use, making its iron jawed bites progressively more deadly and enhancing stamina. Add to this the fact that its huge body enables it to take a tremendous amount of punishment, and you have a creature that is generally better avoided or outsmarted than attacked head-on. Domesticated: Taming Giganotosaurus is a dangerous prospect. Its rage reaction even when tamed, can sometimes cause it to briefly turn of its own tribe. Indeed it may even throw off its rider is it has been angered! And yet, The sheer size and immense power that the Giganotosaurus possesses means that some factions endeavor to tame it as a fear-inducing "Captal" beast of war even at great risk! -
From the album: Dossiers
Common Name: Gallimimus Species: Gallimimus evolvelox Time: Late Cretaceous Period Diet: Herbivore Temperament: Skittish Wild: When someone asks me what the fastest creatures on the island are, Gallimimus is always a contender. Unlike the island's many armored animals, Gallimimus eschews strong defenses for the ability to outrun pretty much anything. A skittish herbivore, Gallimimus even looks nervous when eating in a peaceful clear meadow. Having no real way to harm predators, it simply runs away and uses its ability to stay safe. I've even seen wild Gallimimusoutrun speed-trained Utahraptors! Domesticated: There are two general camps on the use of tamed Gallimimus. One camp thinks that their inability to actually harm hostile creatures, and their inability to harvest most resources, makes them primarily a burden to the tribe. The other camp thinks that their extreme speed and ability to jump long distances is among the best for scouting and exploring... or just making a quick getaway! -
From the album: Dossiers
Common Name: Dunkleosteus Species: Dunkleosteus Loricaruptor Time: Late Devonian Diet: Carnivore Temperament: Aggressive Wild: Dunkleosteus Loricaruptor is a very strange creature. It is a fairly large fish, covered head to tail in armored plates, with incredibly powerful jaws. It tends to eat the islands' water-dwelling crustaceans, as it not fast enough to catch most of the smaller fish. Dunkleosteus is a surprisingly combat-oriented for a fish. Its well-armored body protects it from many creatures, while its bite is strong enough to easily crush through chitinous shells. Domesticated: Dunkleosteus is an incredibly useful fish for coastal communities. Its powerful jaws make short work of the stone and oil formations found throughout the oceanic depths. While harvesting, Dunkleosteus can handily defend its rider from all but the largest threats in the waters. And once past its prime, the Dunkleosteus can be harvested for a fair amount of Chitin. -
From the album: Dossiers
Common Name: Doedicurus Species: Doedicurus custosaxum Time: Plestiocene – Holocene Diet: Herbivore Temperament: Docile Wild: Doedicurus custosaxum is one of the island’s non-aggressive herbivores, generally found on mountains and grasslands. Large and well-armored, it has a supply of fat under its plates to keep it warm and fed in the cold. Doedicurus has adapted well to the dangers of the island, perhaps even better than the Ankylosaurus. Doedicurus has two very different reactions to predators. Against smaller foes, it generally uses its spiked tail to inflict as much damage as possible. Against larger predators, however, it pulls its tail underneath itself to form a solid armored ball that is nearly impossible for creatures to pierce. Domesticated: Doedicurus is a highly prized work animal on the island. Its spiked Tail is ideal for quickly shattering the large rocks, so Doedicurus is a very efficient quarry worker. And in case their quarry gets raided, Doedicurus-Riders have a very difficult-to-kill mount! -
From the album: Dossiers
Common Name: Direwolf Species: Canis Maxdirus Time: Pleistocene Diet: Carnivore Temperament: Aggressive Wild: The best adjective to describe Canis Maxdirus is "scary". This pack-hunter is a cunning and brutal predator, capable of taking down prey of nearly any size. In addition to being a vicious hunter, it is the size of a small horse, meaning even the largest predators aren't necessarily safe from the packs. The species has an incredible affinity for teamwork. Unlike most creatures on the island, Canis is a dedicated pack hunter, and rarely hunts alone. In fact, Canis is naturally as effective with its packmates as most creatures are when their mate is in danger—when in a pack, they are naturally spurred to fight for their lives. Furthermore, when in a pack, the most experienced Canis will be designated "Alpha" and gain an even stronger enhancement. Domesticated: Obviously, Canis is an amazing battle mount. It is fairly fast, very strong, and agile. It can jump almost as well as the Island's battle cats. Riding a supercharged "Alpha" Canis into battle at the head of a bloodthirsty pack is a thrill for which most warriors would gladly proclaim: "Today is a good day to die!" -
From the album: Dossiers
Common Name: Direbear Species: Arctodus Dirus Time: Mid Pleistocene / Early Holocene Diet: Omnivore Temperament: Territorial Wild: Found primarily among the Island’s mountain and tundra regions, Arctodus Dirus is an imposing creature. Like most of the creatures, that inhabit this island’s colder areas, it is a mammal, and this particular mammal is either at or near the top of that region’s food chain. Many on the island have started calling it Direbear, a name which appropriate both due to it’s enormity and it’s territorial nature. The Direbear ignores most non-hostile creatures while going about its daily routine of scavenging for meat and edible plantlife... That is, until intruders enter the territory it considers its own, at which point it viciously attacks. Most often, it is smartest to just run from an angry Direbear. Domesticated: Once tamed, the Direbear is a strong and reliable mount. it can carry vast quantities of goods, and can sprint for extremely long, nearly infinite periods. It is not the fastest creature from a hard stop, but after building up momentum, its sustained overland speed builds to among the best on the island. Of course, being able to feed a Direbear both meat and plantlife makes keeping one fairly convenient regardless of the environment. -
From the album: Dossiers
Common Name: Diplodocus Species: Diplodocus Insulaprincep Time: Late Jurassic Diet: Herbivore Temperament: Naive Wild: Despite being one of the Island's larger creatures, Diplodocus Insulaprincep is among the Island's smaller sauropods. Instead of the size and intelligence, Diplodocus developed faster maximum speed and greater endurance. When fully matured, it generally only reaches about two-thirds the size of the rather enormous Brontosaurus. Diplodocus is another creature whose continued survival on the Island confuses me. It's a very thick-headed and trusting animal, often to its fatal detriment. It usually doesn't flee from predators until after they've attacked it repeatedly, preferring instead to make numerous fruitless attempts at friendship. For some strange reason, Diplodocus trusts humans so much that it doesn't seem to fight back against them... ever! Domesticated: Due to Diplodocus' smaller frame, it cannot support the type of 'platform' saddle that other large creatures can. To make up for this, many tribes instead use a three-seater passenger saddle that allows Diplodocus to carry two additional riders. These passengers often use ranged weapons to protect the creature, or to attack nearby enemies while on the move! -
From the album: Dossiers
Common Name: Carnotaurus Species: Carnotaurus pressor Time: Late Cretaceous Diet: Carnivore Temperament: Aggressive Wild: Carnotaurus pressor is an interesting creature that falls between medium and large predator. It lives primarily on flat clear ground, where it can capitalize on its speed. Additionally, it seems to have no qualms about running from larger predators instead of fighting. The horns of the Carnotaurus seem to be used more for fighting rival Carnotauri (Carnotauruses?) than actual hunting. This doesn't mean the horns aren't dangerous, though; they can still eviscerate larger prey. Carnotaurus is one of the smaller and more compact of the large predators. If Tyrannosaurus is the "Lion" of the island, Carnotaurus would certainly be the "cheetah". The real threat of a Carnotaurus is not being able to escape it once it sees you. Were it not for the creature's extremely long down-time after sprinting, it might be among the most capably balanced mounts. Domesticated: Carnotaurus fills a very specific role. Larger and almost as fast as a Raptor, smaller but much faster than a Tyrannosaurus. -
From the album: Dossiers
Common Name: Carbonemys Species: Carbonemys obibimus Time: Danian Diet: Herbivore Temperament: Defensive Wild: Carbonemys obibimus is one of the least aggressive creatures on the island. Were it not for the plethora of predators on the island, I'm certain it would spend its days basking in the sun, eating, or sleeping. Carbonemys leads a simple, solitary life. It seems to be one of the most peaceful animals I have yet encountered. With its slow walking speed, the only things that keep it safe are its surprisingly fast swim speed, and its incredibly thick shell. I would not be surprised to see a Carbonemys withdraw entirely into its shell and be completely safe from most predators. Domesticated: Carbonemys ' swift swim rate, fairly high strength, and lack of real threat makes it an ideal aquatic mount for many coastal survivors who shy away from violence. It can carry its rider to the ocean's resources at a fairly high speed, and are not particularly dangerous to tame. -
From the album: Dossiers
Common Name: Brontosaurus Species: Brontosaurus lazarus Time: Late Cretaceous Diet: Herbivore Temperament: Docile Wild: Among the largest creatures I've seen on the island, Brontosaurus lazarus is larger than any sauropod I've read about. In fact, the dinosaur is so massive that it ignores most other creatures. I've seen a pack of Raptors tear apart smaller Dinosaurs while Brontosaurus continues eating, seemingly oblivious to the hunting pack. The Brontosaurus is extremely protective of its eggs and will attack if provoked. However, some may think this is an Apatosaurus, Dreadnoughtus, Argentinosaurus, or other sauropod - but this is a strange island and I'm the one doing the research. I'm convinced that this genus is Brontosaurus and no one can tell me otherwise. My study, my rules. Domesticated: Because of how docile it is, Brontosaurus makes the ideal pack-animal. Peaceful tribes use it to carry incredible quantities of resources, while warring tribes use it to mobilize their army. Unfortunately, its enormity means that most attempts to tame Brontosaurs can take longer than almost any other creature on the island. -
From the album: Dossiers
Common Name: Beelzebufo Species: Beelzebufo palucocus Time: Late Cretaceous Diet: Carnivore Temperament: Languorous Wild: Beelzebufo palucocus is the largest frog I've ever seen. Almost impossibly large, it can actually fit a full grown human adult on its back, though just barely. This is a dangerous prospect, though, as secretions from Beelzebufo's skin and saliva have a narcotic effect on most creatures. Not surprisingly, Beelzebufo is adept at killing insects. In fact, it kills most insects near-instantly, and quickly digests them. It even combines the narcotic chemicals in its mouth with the insects' chitin to create a sticky substance, allowing it to quickly grab prey from afar, and yielding a form of cementing paste. Domesticated: Tamed Beelzebufo make for strange mounts. Strange mounts for strange people. Many tribes don't believe there's any reason to ride them. But some like the ability to take large vertical hops up huge walls and cliffs. Regardless of how it is ridden, Beelzebufo is also employed for its ability to quickly cull insects, and convert them into always-useful cementing paste. -
From the album: Dossiers
Common Name: Baryonyx Species: Baryonyx Aquafulgur Time: Early Cretatceous Diet: Piscivore Temperament: Passive to land creatures, but aggressive to water-dwellers Wild: Like the Carnotaurus, Baryonyx Aquafulgur is one of the smaller end of the tier of large predators. While not as powerful as some deep sea predators or Spinosaurus, Baryonyx is an extremely fast swimmer who is still nimble enough to threaten most creatures on the island. And yet despite being a fast, dangerous dinosaur, Baryonyx almost exclusively eats fish & other water-dwellers. The highly specific metabolism of Baryonyx seems to allow it to heal wounds almost preternaturally fast after feeding on nutritious fish meat. Perhaps this is why Baryonyx rarely attacks land animals? Domesticated: Baryonyx's natural affinity for aquatic predation means that once tamed, it learns to kill ocean-dwellers more efficiently. Between its speed and its power, Baryonyx makes an ideal choice for anyone interested in frequently moving between water and land travel with ease, and valuing speend and agility over raw strength.
