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Gojira Temporal range: Permian–Anthropocene ~
Conservation status
Critically Endangered (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Archosauria incertae sedis
Family:	Deinocanthidae
Genus:	Deinocanthus
Species:	D. serizawaii
Binomial name
Deinocanthus serizawaii Yamane, 1954

The gojira is a species of indeterminate archosaur that was discovered near the Izu Islands of Japan. It is the only non-avian, non-crocodilian archosaur known. Only one gojira specimen is known, which has been variously dubbed "Gojira" or "Godzilla".

Etymology

The vernacular name of the gojira is derived from the Japanese kujira ("whale") and gorira ("gorilla"), in reference to its size and robust build. Its generic name is derived from the Greek deinos ("terrible") and akantha ("spine"), while the specific epithet honours the holotype's discoverer, Daisuke Serizawa.

Discovery

Following the Castle Bravo nuclear test of 1954, heightened levels of radioactivity filled the surrounding area. It is believed that it was this test that awakened the only known gojira specimen, which, on the 3rd of November, 1954, attacked and destroyed several ships. These include the Eiko-maru and Bingo-maru. The arrival of reporters on Odo Island, the location closest to the attack, triggered the gojira to attack, killing nine people and twenty livestock. Subsequent investigation revealed a trilobite in one of the colossal footprints left behind by the gojira (which collapsed into a sinkhole not long after). Seventeen more ships were destroyed later that same day, and a couple of weeks later, the gojira made landfall from Tokyo Bay, attacking Shinagawa and destroying a passing train, killing all on board. It then departed back to the ocean. It was from this initial attack that the gojira was found to be highly radioactive, leading to speculation that it may be radiotrophic in nature. This was confirmed on a subsequent attack, where the gojira made its way inland and destroyed much of Tokyo, targeting in particular nuclear power plants. It was during this attack when a military attack, utilizing an experimental military weapon, apparently killed the animal.

Following the original attack on Tokyo, as well as an attack on the USS Lawton, the United States government formed an organization known as Monarch, dedicated to the future study of hyperfaunal life forms, such as Godzilla. Monarch established several outposts in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. While no new hyperfaunal organisms were initially located, the discovery of a volant species known as "Radon" triggered renewed interest in the search for hyperfaunal organisms.

The emergence of two additional hyperfaunal organisms, superficially insect-like, basal eugnathostomes known as MUTOs, triggered the gojira to emerge from an apparent state of hibernation. Upon this emergence, the gojira appeared less interested in attacking the cities of Honolulu and San Fransisco, in which it surfaced, and instead prioritized attacking the MUTOs. Following the 2014 emergence, the gojira's behaviour became more subdued, possibly indicating that its initial aggression was a response to the Castle Bravo detonation.

Description

The only known jira specimen, popularly dubbed "Godzilla", has been measured at approximately 119 metres in height, and 177 metres in length. Weight estimates are impossible without a deceased specimen, though estimates of 164,000 tonnes have been proposed. The archosaurian affinities of the gojira are readily visible in certain aspects of its anatomy. Its crocodilian dentition, armour-plated body and dorsal plates, convergent with stegosaurids, as well as traits such as missing unguals on Digits IV and V of the forelimbs, are hallmarks of archosaurian anatomy. The head of the gojira, while small, is capable of producing an extremely powerful bite force, approximately 300,000 PSI. This is believed to be the strongest bite force of any organism, yet the gojira's irregular teeth are still capable of bearing such forces on a regular basis. This powerful bite is used only in defence, since the gojira prefers to feed on radiation, rather than routinely attacking and killing other hyperfauna. That being said, there are exceptions, such as the livestock killings of 1954.

Weaponized Radiation

The transformation of the gojira's stomach into a radioactive storage organ has allowed for the development of one of the most peculiar defensive mechanisms in the animal kingdom. Concentrated radiation, mixed with superheated stomach acid, produces a substance which, at its hottest, can attain a temperature of approximately 500,000 degrees Celsius. Excess radiation is siphoned through the dorsal plates, to avoid the gojira's own premature death, and when a sufficient amount is stored away, the radioactive stomach acid is fired at the jira's target, causing radiation poisoning and major burns in other hyperfauna, and total destruction of many human structures. This "atomic breath" has been estimated to produce a force of 3.14 x 1014 joules, roughly equivalent to a small thermonuclear detonation.

Taxonomy

Pre-genetic interpretations of the gojira's taxonomy wildly varied. Some suggested it to be a late-surviving dinosaur, ranging from an indeterminate carnosaur to a ceratosaur. However, recent genetic analyses have shown gojiras to be crocodile-line archosaurs, wholly unrelated to non-avian dinosaurs.