Dragona Yamane

Greetings,

So, I'm an amateur biologist and the species of Bazelgeuse has always intrigued me, seeing as there doesn't seem to be much official documentation of it due to its very aggressive nature. Of course, it's possible to study its habits and studied it had been (I am impressed by your knowledge on the topic) but the major thing that irks me are its closest evolutionary relations. It just seems so different than any other flying wyvern we know of. I've heard theories about the Seregios being a cousin to it what with the weaponized shedding of its neck and tail scales, but their gaits are too different, as well as the feet. I think that's a very far-fetched theory, but I'm very open (and happy!) to hear your input.

Furthermore, if that is not too much to ask, how much is known about the subspecies (deviant..?) nicknamed "Seething Bazelgeuse"?

Sincere thanks should you find the time to answer this one.

I’d say that this is an example of parallel evolution as far as the idea of shedding scales as a means of defence and offence is concerned. It as you say: the basic structure of either flying wyvern is different.

Their differences ecologically, physically and behaviorally are vast.

Whereas Bazelgeuse are gliders who require high temperatures and height in order to get lift, Seregios are pretty apt flyers far more capable of getting themselves off the ground - meaning they can travel further.

Seregios have frames built for speed and aerial maneuverability, allowing them to be faster than most other flying wyverns and great ambush predators. Their scales are their primary weaponry in terms of offence.

Bzaelgeuse are not fast - but they are powerful and brutal. A Bazelgeuse is using its scales as an opening so that their prey is stunned and easier to pulverize with charges and heavy smacks from both head and tail. The scales are a means of distraction and damage over time: but are not it’s main offensive.

There could be an argument made for behavior in terms of how each procure and maintain their territory - but this is behavior exhibited by most large predators.

I think people like to assume that the two are distant cousins due to that one documented incident where a juvenile male seregios tried to copulate with an adult female bazelgeuse. As amusing as the outcome was - I put this down mostly to inexperience or very poor eyesight on the seregios’s part.

As far as what is known on Seething Bazelgeuse - it’s an age thing. A bazelgeuse of a certain age will aquire skills and an internal heat that cannot be matched by younger members of its species. It’s not so much a varient as it is a “threshold”.

- Leo Briarworth

Just a quick question, since it's october: what monster spooks you guys?

Meet our first choice for one of the “scariest” monsters we've ever had the misfortune of meeting. But today I’m probably going to strip most of its more frightening aspects away by explaining its lifestyle.

Morudomunto

This Elder Dragon is one of the most horrific things I’ve ever seen - and possibly not for the reason people think.

Where to start? The foul, freezing liquid it produces that instantly freezes water and creates massive spike traps? The pseudo-mouths on its wings that produce a drool-like sweat that also has the same freezing property? Or the horrific and unending appetite these beasts have that puts Deviljho to shame?

Morudomunto are mainly Tundra-loving monsters that are near literally the malformation of flesh that would come from a Gore Magala, a Velkhana, a Nergigante, and a Deviljho having far too much of a good time.

Which is to say that Morudomunto could possibly be considered the progenitor of all four species, as it has elements of its anatomy that could be attributed to all the others. This is not fact however, but a theory as to common ancestors amongst the Elder Dragons and some wyverns.

I’m sure many are curious about the mouths on the wings of Morudomunto - and while I can say clearly that you can rest assured that these are not real mouths - they are still fully capable of killing you. These pseudo-mouths and the muscles around them are for suffocation and smothering prey and competition, and are believed to be used mainly as a rather convincing defensive tactic by juveniles who need to look bigger and nastier quickly to scare off predation from other Elder Dragons or literally anything larger than them.

(I am however curious as to what ever the hell a Morudomunto finds scarier than itself.)

The freezing liquid Morudomunto produces is close to a chemical named acetaldehyde phenylhydrazone (APH). APH is essentially a form of crystal made with sugar/glucose.

In retrospect you could say that this Elder Dragon weaponizes the glucose it produces from food into this freezing secretion. APH is a strange element in that it freezes at different temperatures depending on what levels of acids and alkali it's in contact with - so it’s dependant on the chemicals the Murudomunto is producing at the time as to when and how it reacts. So while it is fair to call Murodomunto an Ice elemental Elder Dragon because it is technically freezing something, it’s not freezing water.

I am explaining this because a fellow researcher mentioned Antarcticite and after testing the raw crystal formations against the “ice” formations created by Murodomunto, they are completely different in composition. Antarcticite is just far too brittle and fragile to do anything on the level of APH. There’s also another small point I shall make about colouration of these crystal formations.

Antarcticite is white and has no colouration in or out of the light, whereas APH appears colourful when exposed to polarized light - which would explain the distinctly vivid blue colourations of Murodomunto's “ice” spikes.

Okay, I’ll stop boring you all with chemistry and tell you more about the ecology.

Admittedly, there’s not much known about how Murodomunto behaves outside of human interactions because they are highly territorial and aggresive; researchers have yet to find a way of sneaking up on one without detection - this isn’t because of naivety or inexperience on the field - but because the Morudomunto is so highly aggressive that it attacks based off any movement it sees. Any shrub or tree that shakes its branches in the wind will probably be on the ground in splinters the next second because this monster has some of the worst eyesight ever displayed, it relies purely on peripheral vision and sound. So it doesn’t really matter if you are perfectly still - if there’s a bit of snow that drops just a little bit too loudly behind you - the Morudomunto will be there to smash your face in.

This is literally the only reason why they’re successful hunters. They don’t think, they just kill.

It’s also why their numbers are probably so low, since Morudomunto can’t tell their own kind apart from other monsters and so even mating is highly violent and very likely to end with either participant dead. They have also been known to kill their own whelps in their ferocity.

- Leo Briarworth

*ahem* my-my apologies for the intrusion but ahh well I may have gotten ahold of or well it may have followed me from my hut I stay at while fishing b-but I don’t think it means any harm? Oh please don’t harm the little thing it didn’t mean to follow me. *gives a rather small round plumpy dalamadur over* please take care of this one! She’s rather cute and a bit of a attitude but she means no harm so far as I can tell? Good luck friends.

How is it we keep meeting like thi-

I'm sorry, what the fuck?

- Leo Briarworth

What does your research base look like and how many rescued monsters do you have?

OH I FINALLY GET TO SHOW OFF MY PLANNING! HA! IN YOUR FACE OLEANDER! TOLD YOU PEOPLE WOULD BE INTERESTED!

Admittedly it's hard to see like this, but the main house building with the deck alone is 8000 x 6000 square feet. Plenty of space for two bachelors and their abundance of rescues!

The monitoring rooms are medical facilities with beds in case Oleander or I have to do late night feedings or 24/7 monitoring on emergancy cases.

Of course we're still working on expanding outward, with permission. Currently we're housing a grand total of 34 monsters.

Not shown: my farming plot - if I did show it then my Palico Elsie would see where I grow all the catgrass.

Despite having enclosures; we do have free roaming monsters if they're lifelong rescues and passive to people. Example being the two Kadachi who sleep under the decking, they were offically released 2 years ago - but decided that the sanctuary is where they want to be; and as long as they're not harming anyone or anything and just like sleeping occasionally on the roof I'm happy to let them.

That said, if you plan to visit: please do not bother them.

A quick sketch I did whilst cleaning the ponds.

- Leo Briarworth

I wanna see more of those kadachi kits.

Doodled this whilst they sunbathed on the roof.

I'm afraid they're not kits anymore, but still very cute.

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Leo Briarworth