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...
Leviathans are renowned for their wide diversity of creatures, with each member of this subfamily being incredibly unique and showing off the true evolutionary potential of the Crocodylomorphs. While these animals are found all over the world, Japan and its surrounding waters contain the largest concentration of Leviathans in the world.
Most of the species found here are endemic to the archipelago, cutting them off from the rest of the world, and allowing them to diversify into new and unique designs. It's unknown when the ancestors of Japan's modern Leviathans arrived, but fossil records suggest that it likely happened between the early and middle Pliocene.
Despite not knowing clearly when or how they got to Japan, it is very clear that the Leviathans quickly exploded in diversity upon arrival, and took up previously unoccupied niches in the surrounding environments. Although there were many groups that got a firm foothold in these lands, one family ended up doing exceptionally well: the Penicaudas.
Meaning brush tail in Latin, the Penicaudas are more renowned for their long, semi-prehensile, paitbrush-like tails. In fact, this iconic feature is oddly fitting, as this family has been and continues to be a source of inspiration and creativity for artists, writers, and many more. The most inspirational of all is Flexispina mizutsune.
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More commonly known as Mizutsune, a combination of the Japanese words mizu and kitsune, or water and fox in English, these Leviathans can be found throughout Japan's waterways. Despite spending quite a bit of their time on land and only being mediocre swimmers, the species is actually reliant on bodies of water for multiple reasons.
The most obvious reason for this reliance is nourishment in the form of fresh water sources and food. Mizutsune diet primarily consists of fish, though amphibians, small reptiles, invertebrates, waterfowl, and semi-aquatic mammals are known to occasionally become prey for these Leviathans if the opportunity presents itself. Similarly to herons, Mizutsunes hunt in shallow waters, using their long neck to reach out and nab prey from the water. Their cone-shaped teeth make it hard for slippery food to escape. In addition to this, the Leviathans' sensitive fins and barbels allow them to sense movement in water which allows them to find their targets even in areas with poor visibility.
Another adaptation which helps these creatures get their food comes from the shape of their bones. Similarly to a lot of semi and fully aquatic animals, Mizutsune bones are dense. Originally this feature would have been used by their ancestors to counteract the effects of buoyancy and allow them to stay underwater; however, today these tools in conjunction with their hooked claws are now used to stabilize the Leviathans in fast flowing water when hunting. In addition to this, Mizutsunes can store water in a throat pouch, then squeeze it, allowing them to shoot a high pressure beam and knock down land or sky based prey. By alternating the amount of speed and strength they use when squeezing their pouch, they can control how powerful the attacks are with the highest settings usually being deployed against predators.
