Giant Reptile
Giant Reptiles, sometimes referred to as "Dinosaurs", are a relatively common lifeform throughout the galaxy, especially on death worlds and feral worlds where they are often the main predator type. A giant reptile typically ranges from the size of a Bike to that of a Land Raider, is possessed of considerable strength and ferocity, and has vicious natural weapons ranging from sharp bony protrusions and claws to jaws capable of ripping open the hull of a Rhino APC. It is quite common for the worlds from which the Space Marines recruit to have such lethal predators stalking the inhospitable terrain, and for young aspirants to prove themselves by slaying one of these immense beasts and taking a trophy to prove his ascent to manhood. Needless to say, few make it back alive.
Carnosaurs prowl the blasted wastes of the Triath sector, and the infamous Arcanadonts, top of the evolutionary ladder in the honeycombed mining world of Mordant, are sold across the Segmentum as vicious pets and status symbols at a great cost in both life and raw meat. Giant reptiles are also used by other races, the feral Eldar of the Exodite worlds often harnessing the gigantic Megasaurs native to their world, forming a limited symbiosis and even riding them to war. The Catachan Jungle Fighters of the Imperial Guard have been known to field Rough Riders mounted atop one of the mighty Giant Reptiles native to the jungles of Catachan.[1][6]
Known Giant Reptiles
- Arcanadonts[Needs Citation]
- Archaeosaur[2]
- Carnosaurs[4]
- Diablodon[7]
- Megadons
- Megasaurs[4]
- Brachiosaur[8]
- Raptor[8]
- Pterosaur[8]
Related Articles
Sources
- 1: https://web.archive.org/web/20070520073805/http://uk.games-workshop.com:80/warhammer40000/creature-feature/4/ (Archived)
- 2: Battle of the Archaeosaurs (Short Story)
- 3: In the Belly of the Beast (Short Story)
- 4: White Dwarf 126 (UK), pg. 29 - Knights
- 5: Codex: Eldar (2nd Edition), pg. 76
- 6: Codex: Catachans (3rd Edition), pg. 16
- 7: Deathwatch: Mark of the Xenos, pgs. 64-65
- 8: The Infinite and the Divine (Novel) Chapter 6
