Godzilla’s Taxonomy

1.19.2022

ゴジラの生物分類
Godzilla’s Taxonomy

ゴジラは『ゴジラvsキングギドラ』にて、恐竜のゴジラザウルスが変異したものだと判明した。しかし「ゴジラ×メカゴジラ」に登場したゴジラの骨格は、恐竜のものとは大きく違い、その隔たりは変異の範囲を越え、きわめて異質な生物の形体だ。

Godzilla was found in “Godzilla vs King Ghidorah” to be a mutant of the dinosaur Godzillasaurus. However, the skeleton of Godzilla that appeared in “Godzilla x Mechagodzilla” is very different from that of dinosaurs, and the gap is beyond the range of mutation, and it is a very different form of creature.

ストーリーを精査すると、ゴジラザウルスは十分な検証をする余裕無く、酷似していた恐竜と判断された経緯が推ゴ測される。

A closer look at the story reveals that Godzillasaurus couldn’t afford to be fully verify it and was determined to be a very similar dinosaur.

では、ゴジラザウルスが恐竜とはまったく別の生物であったなら、本当は如何なる系統にあたる生物だったのか?

So, if Godzillasaurus was a completely different organism from dinosaurs, what kind of organism was it really?

ゴジラの骨格はユニークだ。哺乳類と爬虫類の特徴がモザイク状に入り交じっている。だが生物分類において、頭骨の目の後ろに開いている穴は側頭窓と呼ばれ、噛む筋肉や軽量化など生態の進化に関係する重要な特徴であり、その数によって以下に分類される。

Godzilla’s skeleton is unique. The characteristics of mammals and reptiles are mixed in a mosaic pattern. However, in the biological classification, the hole opened behind the eye of the skull is called the infratemporal fenestra, which is an important feature related to the evolution of ecology such as chewing muscles and weight reduction, and is classified as follows according to the number.

[An infratemporal fenestra, also called the lateral temporal fenestra or simply temporal fenestra, is an opening in the skull behind the orbit in some animals. Source: Wikipedia]

【無い】
無弓類(むきゅうるい)
最も原始的な爬虫類のグループ(側爬虫類)

[No]
Anapsids (mukyurui)
The most primitive group of reptiles (side reptiles)

[An anapsid is an amniote whose skull does not have openings near the temples.]

側頭窓
Infratemporal fenestra

【ひとつ】
単弓類(たんきゅうるい)
哺乳類とその祖先のグループ側頭窓

【One】
Synapsids (tankyurui)
Group of mammals and their ancestors infratemporal fenestra

【ふたつ】
双弓類(そうきゅうるい)
鳥類を含む爬虫類のグループ

[Two]
Diapsids (sokyurui)
A group of reptiles, including birds

ゴジラの頭骨は単弓類に当てはまる。分かりにくいが、ゴジラの場合はひとつの側頭窓が目の穴とつながっており、これは他の多くの単弓類にも見られる形状だ。

Godzilla’s skull applies to synapsids. It’s hard to tell, but in the case of Godzilla, one infratemporal fenestra is connected to the hole in the eye, a shape found in many other synapsids.

つまりゴジラは、恐竜などの爬虫類では無いのである。しかも晴乳類以前の単弓類も、卵生などの爬虫類的特徴を随所に持っていた。ゴジラの祖先はその辺りから誕生したに違いない。

In other words, Godzilla is not a reptile such as a dinosaur. Moreover, pre-mammalian synapsids also had reptile-like characteristics such as oviparity. Godzilla’s ancestors must have been born around that area.

[Oviparous animals are animals that lay eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, reptiles, all birds, the monotremes, and most insects, some molluscs and arachnids.]

さらに追求すると、それらの中でも獣弓類はかなり哺乳類化も進んだ種で、ゴジラの生物的特徴に一致する。

Further inquiry, the therapsid is a highly mammalized species, consistent with the biological characteristics of Godzilla.

仮説だが、ゴジラの祖先は獣弓類から分かれ、独自の進化をした生物である可能性が最も高いのである。

The hypothesis is that Godzilla’s ancestors are most likely separated from therapsids and are uniquely evolved organisms.

[Therapsida is a group of the most advanced synapsids, and include the ancestors of mammals. Many of the traits today seen as unique to mammals had their origin within early therapsids, including hair, lactation, and an erect posture.]

Source: Godzilla ゴジラ徹底研究:完全存版 (Magazine House Mook, p 127)