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...
Ever since life first appeared on Earth, creatures have been competing in an evolutionary arms race. As predators started to gain weapons to take down their targets, their prey needed to find ways of defending themselves.
Some species became incredibly fast and agile to escape attackers, while others gained great strength, grew to gargantuan sizes, or evolved chemical weapons. However, one defense mechanism in particular has proven itself to be so effective that even some predators use armor to protect themselves from counterattacks.
Whether it's made from osteoderms, keratinous sheets, exoskeletons, or other materials, armor is so useful, that it's one of the most widespread, successful, and diverse feature in all of history. Although many creatures have found ways of breaking through this defensive tool, one species has seemingly evolved the perfect defensive suite.
Living on the island of Maui, one species of True Wyvern has left the skies, and essentially become a living tank. With no natural predators once fully grown, Onkólithorio hawaski are the rulers of this landmass.
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Standing 2.7 meters in length and standing 2.1 in height, these armoured behemoths are more commonly known as Gravios. The name is derived from the texture of their skin, as it bears a resemblance to gravel.
Despite being named after relatively loose and degradated stones, the hides of Gravios are incredibly durable, with next to no opening in their suit of armor. Even their eyelids, wing membranes, and the insides of their mouth are protected.
In addition to being coated in very hard armor, their skin is 7 centimeters thick, meaning that even if attackers are able to pierce their hide, they're unlikely to do any significant damage. The only area where Gravios could sustain life threatening injuries is to their chest, where their protective armour opens up as segmented plates.
The reason for these openings isn't because they would otherwise be the too stiff to move as once thought, but rather has to do with what's going on inside the True Wyverns' body. Similarly to the Pyrorathus genus, Gravios bite down on rocks, primarily obsidian, and use the flakes that get stuck in their teeth to ignite their burps, allowing them to essentially breathe fire.
Just like any other animal, the True Wyverns possess bacteria inside their intestines which help in the digestion process. Most of those produce methane when breaking down food; however, one species of these bacteria, Selaguma kallawensis, pumps out something else. The gasses that Selaguma produces act similarly to propofol when inhaled, knocking out anything that's exposed to it for too long, since the chemicals block electrical signals from reaching the brain. However, thanks to a series of special organs, Gravios can divert these gasses to their chest, where these can be stored, or expelled through the openings in their armor. The reason Gravios store these fumes instead of immediately expelling them is to incapacitate threats that may aim for the gaps in their hide. Yet despite being the ones to use these gasses, these armored behemoths can still be rendered unconscious by their own blasts.
