Pseudo Monitors

An iconic group of reptiles known commonly as Pseudo Monitors are a common sight in the Mossfells be it scurrying along volcanic crags, slinking though groves of ferns, or basking along dry canyons. Members of the family Scincidae, these monitor lookalikes are actually most closely related to skinks. Likely arriving to the islands in the earliest days of the archipelago, pseudo monitors had time to adapt to a variety of niches throughout the island, from gentle herbivores, to aquatic lifestyles, to sophistocated symbiotic relationships.

Guest illustrations by u/Godzilla-30

Litilgufa, Scicimagna hafgufa

Status: Extinct

At one time from the white sand beaches of Nishsystir to the rocky shores of Gasmensyi were teeming with enormous black lizards basking in the sun. The litilgufa was a pseudomonitor adapted to diving into the waters of the Atlantic in search of algae and seagrass. The litilgufa appeared very superficially similar to the marine iguana of the Galapagos, and indeed shared many of the same characterstics. It had black skin which aided in warming up the animal in the sun, a muscular tail and body which allowed it to swim adeptly through the water, and powerful claws which aided in grappling onto rocks both above and below the waves.  It also appeared to congregate in colonies of tens to hundreds on the shore, much as marine iguanas do.

Litilgufa were thought to only breed once every few years. The reason for this is unknown, but it may have related to warm and cold cycles in their environment leading to larger amounts of food being available for the litilgufa colonies. During mating years, the colony would enter into a frenzy with males defending a territory for mates.  After mating, females would venture into the island forests and create a burrow to deposit eggs in. She would then abandon the eggs, and return to her own survival. The baby litilgufas were then left on their own to survive in the forests once they hatched. Very little is known about this part of the litilgufa lifecycle, but it is theorized that juvenile litilgufas would remain in the forest until reaching adulthood.

It appears that litilgufa were considered a common and easy source of food for both the Shearpoint Culture, as well as the later Mossfell Norse. Perhaps too easy a source of food considering the litilgufa went extinct in the 1300s. The litlgufa was likely driven to extinction due to a myriad of factors such as predation by humans on adults as well as the introduction of rats and pigs to the islands.

Left: An artist's depiction of a litilgufa loungin on a volcanic rock. Several remaining specimens have a notable bony crest on their heads. This crest may have been used to defend territory during mating years.

Right: size comparision of a litilgufa with a domestic housecat.

Guest illustrations by u/Godzilla-30

Vaggaren Monitor, Scicimagna gigacaput

Status: Extinct in Wild

Hulking and imposing as she takes an enormous step toward a cut watermelon, an alligator sized reptile by the name of Bronto is one of seven remaining Vaggaren monitors in the world. At the Canterbury Zoo, she is part of last ditch effort to rescue her kind from extinction. Her enormous size and gigantic head betray her calm demeanor. She is a gentle giant, only interested in the tasty fruits before her.

The varggaren (Swedish for waddling one) is the largest of the pseudo monitors. Reaching maximum lengths of eight feet, varggaren easily dwarf all other reptiles on the island except for holmgamock. Prior to their extinction in the wild, the vargarren monitor was found predominately in the thick mangrove swamps which dot the coastline of the southernmost islands. Vargarren monitors live a semiaquatic lifestyle and are comfortable in and out of water. The monitors lived a mainly solitary life, and would only interact with others of their kind to breed during the summer. After mating, vaggren monitors lay a clutch of 2-5 eggs in piles of decomposing leaves. These piles provide the eggs with safety as well as attract small crustaceans and insects. When the young hatch, they initially eat a mainly insect-based diet, but as they grow older the baby pseudomonitors switch to a fruit-based diet. Juveniles will climb up trees in search of fruit. As vaggaren grow, they lose the ability to climb up trees due to their increasing size, however adults will not go hungry despite losing the ability to climb up for fruit. The thick flat jaw of an adult vaggren monitor is particularly useful for cracking open seed pods and thick fruits in search of their nutrient-rich insides, something that smaller vaggren are unable to do. While preferring to stay in the confines of the mangroves, vaggaren monitors are still capable swimmers and are able to swim long distances between islands if they needed to.

Vaggaren monitors were once commonplace along all the islands of the archipelago until the 1800s. During this period of time, the animals became increasingly sought after for their thick and brightly colored hides. These hides were fashionable and easily made into belts, boots, and purses and several examples of vaggaren monitor products can still be found in antique stores to this day. Due to this demand for their hides, there was a drastic reduction in their numbers up until the 1920s when it became easy to color cheaper alligator hides to appear like vaggaren hide. Unfortunately for the vaggaren, increased development in the mangrove swamps also led to a reduction in habitat. No sightings of the animal occurred from the 1970s until 2014 when three wild vaggaren monitors was found on Fernbank. The three vaggaren monitors, two males and a female, were brought into captivity at the Canterbury Zoo where they remain today. There is hope yet for the species, as in March of 2024 Bronto laid a new clutch of three eggs. 

Guest illustrations by u/Godzilla-30

Drjadaadla, Scicimagna retroviridis

Status: Least Concern

The drjadaadla (tra-JAD-luh), or green tree monitor, is the most common pseudo monitor on the Mossfell archipelago. This small pseudo monitor only reaches a maximum size of a foot in length, allowing it to gracefully scurry up trees and walls with ease. The drjadaadla is found in the temperate forests and groves of the Mossfells. It is a predominately arboreal reptile, and will only visit the forest floor if it cannot traverse between trees. However, it is also an opportunistic animal, and it can comfortably make its home in suburban house attics. 

The drajdaadla normally hunts insects as well as small vertebrates like anoles and mice. When not hunting, the reptile will often bask in the sun or lay still on tree branches. Like many other pseudo monitors, the drjadaala is a solitary creature and only finds others of its kind to mate. During mating season, a male will seek out a female's territory. Drjadaala are opportunistic cannibals, and females often grow to larger sizes than males. Males who stick around after mating for too long can sometimes be devoured by their paramours. After mating, the female lays her eggs in mossy soil or within a mossy crook of a tree before returning to her survival. Baby drjadaala are vulnerable to many threats and have a near 60% mortality rate by six months. Adults are also at risk from both arial and terrestrial predators. Drjadaala are a common prey of cockatrices, solenopanthers, feral cats, hawks, and even opportunistic ratatoskrs. Despite their low status on the foodchain, drjadaala are rapid reproducers and can lay up to four clutches of eggs in a year. This, combined with their ability to adapt to an increasingly urbanzied archipelago, have contributed to their success in the modern era.

Due to its beneficial predatory behavior, seeing a drjadaala on a home's wall was seen as a sign of good luck to the Mossfell Norse and Viardrmen. Often, drjadaala can be found in pet stores both on the archipelago as well as the mainland US. However, in the US drjadaala are considered invasive and in some areas of central/south Florida have contributed to the decline of many native anole species.

Guest illustration by u/SpacedGodzilla 

False Monitor, Scicimagna sterincola

Status: Least Concern

The False Monitor is a pseudo monitor endemic to the island of Gasmensyi. This reptile is known for its unique symbiotic relationship with the fern willow, and the cowshoe crab. False monitors will create a nest from mosses, fern willow branches, and other vegetation when they mark out a hunting territory. Monitors will hunt small prey like solenouses, fowl, and mice and will bring their prey back to their nest to feed. While false monitors will eat their prey whole if given the chance, they are unable to fully digest their prey, and many defecated food scraps will be left at the nest. 

The cowshoe crab is a common denizen of fern willow thickets of Gasmensyi, and thanks to their tough chitinous jaws, are able to make quick work of food scraps left behind by the reptile. This results in the false monitor's thicket being cleaned up, as well as happily fed cowshoe crabs. The cowshoe crabs will then produce nutrient rich feces which is a boon for fern willows and enables healthy growth of the plant. While fern willows are found on nearly every island of the Mossfell archipelago, only on Gasmensyi are fern thickets known to grow to immense sizes.