Probably one of the most successful video game franchises in recent years, Monster Hunter has always been a series that has captured the imagination of many people with its fantastical yet realistic creatures. From the scary Vaal Hazak to the goofy...
We typically think of life and death as complete opposites, that just like night and day, or fire and water, the two can't mix, but this isn't the case at all. Both the living and dead are intertwined with one another, each needing the other to exist.
As living things die, their bodies become food for scavengers and detritivores, as well as breeding ground for some species. When it seems like everything has been used up, the organic matter decomposes, becoming natural fertilizer for plants.
Although disgusting, this critical cycle of life and death can allow for even the most inhospitable places on Earth to become habitable, and there's no better example of this power than the underground world of Vietnam's caves.
Carved by water, fault lines, and an extinct species of subterranean Gargantugon, these cave systems are covered by the millions of decaying bodies of creatures who've gotten lost in these catacombs, fallen into the deadly sinkholes that lead to this underworld, or whose corpses were dragged into the depths by the inhabitants.
Due to the sheer size of these tunnels, their isolation, and the many dangers that lurk within the darkness, these colossal cave systems are still widely unexplored.
Yet despite all the death that seemingly dominates this strange world, the massive amount of decomposition provides Vietnam's jungles with a near constant supply of nutrients.
But it's not just those of the surface world who benefit from this decaying landscape. Throughout the caverns and grottos that snake beneath the forests, truly bizarre creatures live within this seemingly uninhabitable area of the world, and ruling over this underworld is the putrid elder dragon: Cropnica imperatorus.
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More widely known by their native names, Vaal Hazak, these both horrifying and extraordinary Hexadrakes are the largest living creatures to inhabit these rotten caverns, growing to be 7 meters in length, 3 meters in height, and possessing a 7.9 meter wingspan.
Despite their size, Vaal Hazaks are able to easily squeeze through some of the tighter areas of the caverns, but this leaves the question of how they maneuver through these smaller spaces without getting stuck. In order to get an answer, it's important to first know the unique anatomy of these animals.
One thing that gives Vaal Hazaks the ability to weave through the caverns is the shape of their bodies. When looking at them from the side, these creatures seem to have the same build as any other species of Hexadrake, but when seeing them from the front or back, it becomes apparent just how thin these animals are. Because of their smaller width, the species can get through the narrower gaps. However, there's still the mystery of how they can pull it off despite their truly massive wingspan.
Just like the other Hexadrakes, Vaal Hazaks appear to have six limbs; however, when looking at their skeletal structure, it's revealed that the "wings" that protrude from their backs don't contain any bones, instead they're made entirely of muscles and keratinous spikes. Although all other Hexadrakes have the same structure in their pseudo wings, Vaal Hazaks are unique in that they can fold them in any way they want.
