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...
Humans seem to be hardwired to want to classify things, and when it comes to nature, we created taxonomy to help us accomplish that. But unsurprisingly, this system used to be flawed. People originally grouped together species who had similar traits but which came from completely different origins.
When Carl Linnaeus came around, his own system changed the original to classify organisms by traits that came from common evolutionary ancestors. Today we know his methods were more accurate thanks to Charles Darwin's discovery of evolutionary theory, but it still doesn't mean it was flawless.
Over the ages, the taxonomy system became more refined and accurate, and since we're now able to look at the genetic codes of organisms, we can draw lines between species which we never thought possible. Yet, even with all our technology, we occasionally come across anomalies.
These beings appear to be completely distinct from all other groups in the tree of life. Even with genetic testing, sometimes the best we can do is give these organisms an order while everything under is entirely unique.
Typically, there are two ways these anomalies may occur. The first happens when the organisms are one of the last remaining members of an otherwise extinct lineage. The other is when the lifeforms have been isolated from the rest of the world for so long that they've become something drastically different. In the case of Somnacanth hōnengami, and other aquatic or semi-aquatic creatures, it's a mixture of both scenarios.
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Named after its abilities, appearance, and the yokai known as hōnengame, a mythical creature they most likely inspired, these 3.6 meter long and 1.2 meter tall Leviathans are truly bizarre animals. Living within the waters of Japan, Somnacanths have been feared by those living along the coast for centuries due to their appearances, cunning and territorial behavior, as well as their mysterious nature.
Despite having a menagerie of unique features, their most iconic one is their disturbingly humanoid face. At a distance, their head design can easily trick the untrained eye; however, upon getting closer, it's revealed that what looked to be a long haired human is in fact a Leviathan with a rounded face, cranial fins, and a pair of horn-like nodules above its eyes.
One reason for their uncanny face comes from the diet of these animals. Since Somnacanths primarily use sight to hunt, their rounded face gives them excellent binocular vision, allowing them to judge the distance between themselves and their targets.
Unlike any other Crocodylomorphs, the Somnacanth genus has incredibly powerful lips which have almost completely replaced their teeth, with the exception of two fangs on their upper jaws. This extreme change makes the animals perfectly suited for eating hard bodied organisms. By wrapping their lips around their prey, and quickly pulling back their tongue, similarly to a walrus, Somnacanths can suck out the fleshy insides of their victims. But if they are hunting something that isn't so well armoured, then they'll use their fangs to cut open their meal, before using the same technique as before to extract the organs.
