zRYUJIN attacks

RYUJIN 

Typhonosaurus Magnus 

Year Discovered: 1957

Length: 140 meters (estimated)

Weight: Unknown 

Status: Unknown, 1 live specimen photographed. 

Brief Overview: 

Remains bearing similarities to Ryujin were dredged up offshore in the Marshall Islands as part of the Yamane Expedition in 1957. The scientific expedition, led by Japan's Kyohei Yamane, sought to shed light on the mysterious giant creatures that were continuing to appear in the Pacific and Japan with increasing frequency. The age of the various remains were decades old, with some as recent as three years prior to the expedition. The researchers named the species “Ryujin” or “Dragon God.” It was also observed that Ryujin’s species shared anatomical features similar to Godzilla‘s, leading some researchers to speculate that Ryujin may be a distant relative. As no biological samples of Godzilla have ever been collected, the connections remain theoretical. 

Due to the H-Bomb tests in the area that affected Godzilla, Anguirus and Kameobas, it was assumed possible that Ryujin’s species could have been affected as well, if there were any surviving members. The species was given the binomial name of 'Typhonosaurus Magnus' after the mythological monster Typhon, the father of all monsters. 

The species was believed to be extinct, although ships continued to disappear in the pacific for decades in attacks that did not fit the profiles of other Superfauna. On September 7th, 1988, the Canadian science vessel, CCGS John P. Tully disappeared in the pacific ocean east of the Marianas Islands during a research mission. The vessel reported Superfauna activity in the area before contact was lost. A United Nations naval task force was sent to the area and eventually rescued 3 of the 20-man crew on a surviving life boat. The attacking Superfauna was not located. One of the crew managed to save the photographs taken by the undersea cameras on board the Tully. The images provided the first images of possibly the only living member of the Ryujin species before and during its attacks on the vessel.

The ship’s wreckage and photos provided new insight into the species, such as the superfauna’s size. Ryujin was much larger than the remains of the species discovered in the 1957 and pieces of the Tully recovered exhibited radioactivity, confirming the Yamane Expedition’s hypothesis. Analysis also shed light on its hunting habits when attacking the ship and revealed that the species exhibits bioluminescence along its body and inside of its mouth, suggesting a deep-sea lifestyle. 

Despite efforts to locate the Superfauna in the decades since, The John P. Tully Incident remains the only live sighting of Ryujin to date.