DOD: Iguanagaron

Name: Iguanagaron
Aliases: ‘Garon
Pronounced: (Ig-wan-uh-guh-ron)
Faction: Rogue
Alignment: Neutral

Classification: Amblyrhynchus cristatus
Length: 375 feet
Height: 165 feet
Weight: 370 tons

Weaponry / Abilities:

Pestle Teeth:
Lining each of Iguanagaron’s blocky jaws are a single row of large, rounded teeth. Blunt and immensely durable, these crushing teeth allow the monster to harvest his preferred food, as well as reduce the bones of any attackers to veritable dust. Even when not used in a bite, the lizard's bulky teeth make for a fierce set of hammers, whether the monster holds his mouth open or not.

Cinderblock Skull:
In addition to Iguanagaron’s teeth, his massive skull is a powerful bludgeoning weapon in its own right. Rugose and spiked in some areas, the marine iguana can easily use his head alone to break bones and to deliver the occasional knockout blow. A short frill on the skull rear protects the kaiju's brain stem and upper spine.

Gripping Claws:
Akin to typical marine iguanas, Iguanagaron's digits each bear a fair-sized, slightly curved claw. Used primarily for digging and securing of food items, the monster can just as easily sink these talons deep into enemy flesh.

Bullwhip Tail:
Fairly standard amongst daikaiju, Iguanagaron's tail is long, muscular, and highly flexible. Though it lacks any sort of physical peculiarities, the lizard has attained a mastery of utilizing his tail over the years.

Dorsal Spines:
Lining Iguanagaron's spine are numerous keratinous spines. Inherited from his marine iguana roots, the monster's spines are much larger and far more durable, functioning effectively as armor, physical deterrent, or, in some situations, as a line of ripsaws on which to drop his enemies. The largest spines are situated above an area of black mottling on the monster’s back, and have been observed being used by Iguanagaron as a form of aggressive display, akin to a pair of eyespots on the wings of moths.

Amphibious:
Like all marine iguanas, Iguanagaron is an adept swimmer and diver. Having to dive deep and long to acquire much of his algae foodstuffs, the monster's lungs are truly enormous. The kaiju can also maintain an iron grip upon the most battered of coasts and cling to the most unstable of outcrops.

Champion Diver:
Naturally moving between the extremes in water depths to feed, Iguanagaron's various internal structures are built to handle the intense pressure changes. Vessels constrict and expand, scales condense and spread, and various fluid-based internal systems will shift their weight to adapt to changes in outside pressure. Additionally, small fleshy nodes along Iguanagaron's vessels can dispose of excess nitrogen bubbles at a miraculous rate, allowing the monster to ascend and descend in the water column with relatively little issue compared to other animals.

Burrower:
As with typical marine iguanas, Iguanagaron is an adept burrower, and is easily able to dig through sand, dirt, loose rock, and even street pavement. Depending on the density of the substrate, the iguana can get beneath the surface in mere moments, all the while creating a dense screen of dust and rubble.

Nasal Salt Spray:
Due to his oceanic forays for food, Iguanagaron builds up a considerable amount of salt in his bloodstream, as with all marine iguanas. Like them, Iguanagaron must expel this extra salt before it poisons him, and does so by spraying it out of his nostrils. He has since learned that salt can make a bad flesh wound much worse, and now uses his salt spray as a defensive weapon against predators, aiming specifically for any open wounds.

Weaknesses:

Dumb As Bricks:
Perhaps not surprisingly for an herbivorous iguana, Iguanagaron is a rather unintelligent monster. Ill-equipped for complex thought and comprehension, the pea-brained lizard is easily outwitted by both man and monster in all manners of situations, both on and off the battlefield.

Clumsy:
Since marine iguanas are not bipedal by nature, Iguanagaron isn't exactly a graceful creature. Occasionally stumbling over himself and tripping on uneven terrain, the monster can be at a serious disadvantage if tangling with more fleet-footed monsters or versatile military strikes.

Tied To The Sea:
Living primarily on algae, as well as shellfish, Iguanagaron is more or less tied to the sea. Save for a few unusual circumstances, the monster cannot venture too far (estimated at roughly 80 miles) from his food source, from which he must feed once every day or two.

Personality:
Iguanagaron is more or less an oversized version of his non-kaiju counterparts. Simplistic in thought and direct in his actions, he has an exceptionally dull personality. Little else but food motivates him, and he doesn’t get involved in the affairs of other kaiju. Iguanagaron generally keeps to his own business.

Combat Strategy:
While not normally an aggressive monster, Iguanagaron can – and will – tenaciously defend himself and his resources from threats. Fighting in an animalistic manner, the monster iguana will bring his tail into play first, saving his claws and pestle fangs for fighting close-quarters. If need be, Iguanagaron will use sheer force against his enemies, ramming into them, his saw-edged back leading the charge.

History:
It isn't known where exactly Iguanagaron came from, but most do believe that he lived on the Galapagos Islands during Earth’s recent history. He pops up every now and then in the Pacific, minding his own business and generally leaving people alone.

--------------------------------------------------

Artist's Commentary:
This is my resident Zilla analogue/cop-out, Iguanagaron. Back in DOD's infancy, Iguanagaron was one of my “filler” characters, though he wasn't the only one of his kind; many other marine iguanas had also become kaiju, thus forming an entirely new SGO species. In more recent times, with the addition of DOD's non-kaiju SGOs, the need for an Iguanagaron species was gone, so I removed them entirely. Iguanagaron himself was kept, but only as a very minor character that plays next to no role in the main plot. Design-wise, Iguanagaron has always looked like he does here, more or less.

Artistic Notes:
— Iguanagaron has five digits per hand/foot. His fingers are all generally similar. He walks on his 2nd, 3rd, and 4th toes like a theropod dinosaur, while the 1st and 5th are both vestigial.
— Iguanagaron has fourteen exposed teeth in his jaws when they're closed, with seven per side. In shape, these teeth are most similar to those of the odd mosasaur Globlidens.
— While the exact number of dorsal spines varies with time, Iguanagaron has always had four large spines on his shoulders. Always.
— Iguanagaron's rearward skull plate is somewhat similar in shape to that of the Scutosaurus.

*First marine iguana kaiju on DA!*