145mm long, and 60mm wide (though only about 35mm tall). He’s a king of part-turtle, part alligator. The thing is, though; he just looks like an alligator with a turtle shell! Not really a very significant fusion, but it blends fairly well.
Only two real points of articulation, in his hind legs. His gimmick in this mode is that if you push his tail forward his mouth springs open. Apart from that, not much to say on this mode.
His shell can then be re-attached as his shield, his MASSIVE shield. Meanwhile his hind section turns over and becomes his gun.
That aside, it’s not too bad. His face is ugly, he has no hands, and he has a serious alligator-head problem, which he should see a doctor about, but apart from that he’s not too bad.
The really good thing about this robot mode is that it LOOKS robotic. His chest, upper arms, legs, and torso ALL look robotic. You can tell immediately he’s meant to be a robot and not an alien creature with organic bits and wires. This is a real plus.
Then there’s his shield. It’s absolutely HUGE. It easily covers most of his body and the spikes all over it make it look like it would be dangerous in close combat too. I like that. I’ve many times said I like the shield-gun combo, and Instigator has that.
Only problem is the gun SUCKS. It sucks BADLY. It’s a tail with legs on, and that is what it LOOKS like. It’s big, bulky, and always in the way. Very annoying.
Unlike their larger saltwater relatives, freshwater crocodiles (Crocodylus johnstoni), also known as Johnstone’s crocodiles, are not usually dangerous to humans. They are very common in the Kimberley.
Freshwater crocodiles are often seen basking in reasonable numbers around the perimeter of gorges and rivers, creating an interesting wildlife spectacle for visitors. There are some 21 species of crocodiles and their relatives. These primitive reptiles have an ancient lineage and are remnants from the time of the dinosaurs.
Freshwater crocodiles are grey or greenish-brown above, with heavily mottled flanks. In contrast to the saltwater variety, this species has quite long, smooth and slender snouts. However, they are often difficult to distinguish when partially submerged. They may reach up to three metres long.
Freshwater crocodiles are widespread across the northern Australia, including the Kimberley, Northern Territory and Queensland. They live largely in freshwater rivers, gorges and billabongs.
These reptiles are active by day but most hunting is done at night, when they search for fish, frogs and other small animals. They breed between October and November, at the end of the dry season, laying about 20 eggs in nests excavated in sandbanks. As with the saltwater crocodile, the sex of the young is determined by nest temperature. A steady temperature of 32 degrees Celcius results in the birth of males, but if the temperature fluctuates much above and below this, females result.
The anatomy of the sea turtle is unique in that it is one of the few creatures to have both an internal and external skeleton. In all species except the leatherback, the external skeleton, whose main purpose is to provide protection and support for internal organs, is comprised of a bony shell which is, itself, divided into two halves: the lower plastron and the upper carapace. The carapace is actually the broadened, fused ribs of the turtle and is covered by a series of firm but pliant structures called scutes. There are several types of scutes based on their position on the carapace. There are the nuchal scute, located at the forward edge of the carapace, the vertebral scutes which run down the middle, the costal scutes, which are right next to the vertebral scutes, and the marginal scutes that line the outer edge. The scutes are often used to distinguish one turtle species from another by counting the number of each type of scute.
The internal skeleton provides an anchor for the turtles’ muscles. With the exception of the leatherback, the spine is fused to the carapace. The long digits in the limbs of the turtle are fused together to form the flipper.
The flippers themselves are large and sensitive to touch. The front flippers propel the turtles through the water as they’re moved in a figure-eight pattern. The rear flippers act as rudders, providing both direction and stability to the turtles’ motion. They are also used by females to dig the egg cavity during nesting.
The mouths of sea turtles contain no teeth. Instead, they are sharp and beak-like and well-suited for crushing or tearing food. The leatherback’s mouth contains a series of backward pointing spines that prevent jellyfish from slipping back into the water.
The eyes of sea turtles provide them with good underwater vision, but are less useful above the water’s surface where they give the turtle a near-sighted view of the world. There is a gland near the eye that releases excess salt and fluids in order to keep the eyes moist when females are on land and also to help the turtle rid itself of the salt it ingests when drinking sea water. These glands are responsible for the tears a turtle sheds while laying its nest. Legend has it that the female turtle is crying for its unborn young. Science, however, provides us with a more biological answer.
Although turtles do not have ears, they are capable of perceiving low frequency sounds and vibrations. One of the turtle’s gifts is its powerful sense of smell. This sense may help sea turtles locate the beach from which they were hatched in order to deposit their own nests.
In most respects, the males and females of the various turtle species have few physical differences on the outside. One obvious distinction is the size of their tails. Female’s tails are short and do not extend beyond the hind flippers. However, the tails of the males are considerably larger and usually extend well past the hind limbs. Additionally, only the female has an ovipositor, the structure used to deposit her load of eggs.
As stated previously, the spine of the leatherback, unlike the other species, is not fused with its carapace, nor does it have a bony shell. Instead, it is covered with a leathery skin supported by a mosaic of tiny bones. These adaptations allow it to dive up to 915 metres below the ocean surface, where the tremendous water pressure would crush a less flexible body.
Bibliography: Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, SW Florida