Flying wyvern ecology : Legiana in Monster Hunter

[@winterturner897]

Hey all, it's me, the SFM artist who provided the works in the video, I was pretty nervous making the art for this video, but i'll be making more art as he said, assuming the well that is my mind isn't too dry at the time

[@jaheimmaduro5897]

Glad to have you, look foward to seeing more of your work :)

[@guiltygearalonecompl]

The image of the Legiana swarming a Kushala Daora is beautiful and cathartic

[@kennethsatria6607]

Really great work, I hope you two team up again

[@winterturner897]

@@kennethsatria6607 oh i'll probably be featured a lot from here on out

[@cosmocha45]

It was refreshing and nice getting to see visuals now, thank you

[@samwill7259]

"If it bothers to kill them prior to eating in the first place" What a perfectly terrifying thought to toss out, thank you for your contributions to my nightmares.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Why waste time with that whole 'killing' fiasco

[@Sunaki1000]

Well whild dogs and Hyenas act like that.

[@Sunaki1000]

Well whild dogs and Hyenas act like that.

[@abysswalker2594]

@@Sunaki1000 don’t they let the pups eat first

[@davidegaruti2582]

@@Sunaki1000 well most predators act like that really , just look at whales

[@bobisuncanny2760]

Fun Fact : Shrieking Legiana has one of the most rare animation in the game. Once, with a poison kinsect i made Legi puke poison !! Since he has a very frail,lightweight and skinny body compared to Raths or Bazel. I'm not surprised that he has such a fragile metabolism. As far as i know he's the only monster that have a special interaction/animation with poison

[@prawn1717]

A fragile metabolism, as well as openings on its hide that transport poison quickly throughout its bloodstream, similar to amphibians. It's a really interesting interaction!

[@StellarRetribution]

@@prawn1717 the same biological system as Kushala Daora! this would be much more obvious had they not removed the Kushala poison interaction, for some reason beyond my conception

[@kennethsatria6607]

I just checked it out and wow that's the first time I felt bad for a Legiana, I never even figured the weakness to poison out I just was too angry trying to bat it out of the sky with longer weapons or flash it

[@dannywolfpero]

@@StellarRetribution They removed it? You mean the poison making tornados weaker or something else?

[@StellarRetribution]

@@dannywolfpero in previous games, poisoning kushala would interfere with its twisters. this was taken out in favor of the incredibly obnoxious elderseal system in world, and returns in rise

[@emii-olii3596]

The idea of diving into the water to escape a flying wyvern, only to find out that it can dive in after you would be so cool Only makes me want a revisit and refinement of underwater combat even more

[@Lukyth1rt3en]

I was picturing the hunter swimming after an aquatic herbivore only for a wyvern to dive into the water head first and snatch it away.

[@Mariofredx]

Imagine it periodically goes back up in the air for oxygen, though that would probably be annoying

[@Frolaire]

We'd also hopefully get Namielle fights underwater in that case.

[@yesno7284]

makes me think of a monster loosely based on an osprey. It could be an invader, diving in on unsuspecting hunters that are underwater, picking them up, and just throwing them onto shore.

[@brownbaron7179]

I never really noticed until you pointed it out but Legiana is definitely not suited for a cold climate, a thin body with little insulation and a lot of surface area would normally spell death for it. What if its body produces some sort of biological anti-freeze moving through it's blood to keep it functioning in below-zero temperatures? It then made me wonder if the reason it so lacks resistance to poison is that this theoretical substance has a side effect of inhibiting poison filtering.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Ohh I like this!

[@ThatBeePerson]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel I wonder... Could it be that Legiana has a really weak liver? It's likely that if it did have some kind of biological anti-freeze that it'd risk deadly buildup in the liver, so it sacrificed the power of it's liver, and by extension it's ability to filter poison, making it even more susceptible to poison as opposed to just "not resistant", in exchange for being able to inhabit colder climates.

[@aaronolson6736]

Anti-freeze likely being in the blood itself could also explain how it has ice-based abilites despite the poor adaptation to cold weather climates

[@guiltygearalonecompl]

If Monster Hunter goes back to utilizing aquatic combat, I could see an interesting Legiana subspecies that behaves as a plunge fisher like a Kingfisher or tern. The fight would stay primarily at the surface, with the Legi using fast dives through the water to attack and evade. The hide they have could behave more like a micro layer of blubber, and trade their ice abilities in for something like Mizitsune’s slippery surfactant

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

I like the idea of a diving wyvern a lot, but would really want a brand new species over a sub for such a mechanic personally.

[@guiltygearalonecompl]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel Truth

[@Sorrelhas]

Nah bruh Flaming Legiana is where it's at

[@Andrew-hz5zc]

Oh wow, flying invaders with underwater combat. That would actually be sick. Dang it, you are making me want to experience underwater combat even more!

[@Sinorras]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel or both and let them have competitive turf wars half in the air and half underwater

[@danger_noodle1246]

I have a theory about Nergigante. Despite being a predator, Nergigante seems to be absolutely covered in anti-predator defenses. Massive horns that seem to be more for displaying fitness than actual fighting, a coat of sharp quills along it's wings, back and legs that can all be ejected or imbeded in another animal, and incredible healing abilities. My theory is that Nergigante was originally a much smaller, small prey specialist. One that was hunted by larger elder dragons. The horns would help with breeding and possibly dissuade would be predators by displaying fitness. Being wreathed in sharp quills that can be easily removed and imbedded in another animal is also a useful way to repel attackers. And the incredible healing ability allows it to both regrow spines faster and quickly recover from survived attempts at predation. As time passes Nergigante starts being selected for faster healing and more dangerous spikes for actual defense along with larger horns for deescalating an encounter before it turns into a fight or attempted predation. As bigger horns means a healthier Nergigante that will be inevitably harder to hunt. Eventually through natural selection, Nergigante's anti predator mechanisms become so effective that most elder dragons will think twice before attempting to hunt one. With some elders even outright avoiding them. One anti predator defense I haven't mentioned much yet is actually size. There's a chance that Nergigante grew in mass somewhat to help with protection. But now with less predators attacking it and a greater size, it is now able to take down prey slightly larger than it used to. Now no longer a small prey specialist with fewer predators to worry about it can now gradually select for larger and larger prey. Some natural selection takes place and we have present day Nergigante. Able to hunt elder dragons and other large animals. It seems to use teeth, claws, and ramming spikes into prey to hunt. Killing with blood loss and blunt force trauma. Crushing the throat is always a possibility too. Though the elder crossing suggests persistence hunting as well. As for ruiner Nergigante's ruiner spikes. I can assume that they don't regrow due to being either made of scar tissue or are too energetically costly to regrow on the spot. Meaning that they are renewable, but take time to make due to needing to re-scar the tissue or pack on enough calories to slowly rebuild the special quills. What do you think?

[@thebaseandtriflingcreature174]

Essentially a four legged espinas without the poison and- Also the fact that they reproduce asexually. What’s up with all of that, and how is this theory still possible with that in account?

[@Indra_the_goblin]

I think one possibility for the spikes is specifically predation, considering the way it hunts having spikes could help subdue the pray faster while protecting itself at the same time.

[@dianauwu1312]

@@Indra_the_goblin wouldn't even stronger limbs, specialized claws or fangs, or a specialized mouth and jaw be better at that then the spike armor? Or just being even larger to absolute dwarf the already large prey it takes.

[@jameswilliams2075]

Well in lore nergi will drop some spines and a baby nergi busts out with out and breeding to make the chick

[@ホフマン日向]

I dont think it works like that due to the fact nergigante doesn't sexually reproduce

[@VincenzoStudios]

Shara's influence on the Legiana Migration might not just be the constant 'song' that greatly irritates them, but also causing the arrival of Namielle. Aside from the Rave Party Jellyfish Dragon bursting in to be the 'True' Ruler of the Highlands as a reflection of Val Hazak being the 'True' Ruler of the Vale, the constant rainstorms Nami brings with it could mess with the updrafts in the Highlands, making it harder for Legiana to stay airborne, or at the very least cause it to expend a lot more energy to do so. As well as causing most of it's prey items to seek shelter from both the rain and Nami itself, preventing the flocks that Legiana tend to target. The Hoarfrost may be a difficult place to live, but it beats having it's main advantages taken away from it and an Elder Dragon claiming the peaks where they nest.

[@swapertxking]

with Kirin and Namielle in the highland, one could only imagine what sort of problems the flying wyverns of the highlands would deal with.

[@nimbusws2566]

@@swapertxking mmm all that thunder and lightning in a game where the roster of flying wyverns are notoriously weak to lightning element. On top of just generally making hunting harder by being in the area.

[@TsulaAngenati2292]

While that’s a good point, it’s more so that Elder dragons follow natural disasters instead of causing them. Like a black kite to a forest fire, they follow natural disasters to easily kill any panicked or already dead creature from said disaster

[@VincenzoStudios]

@@TsulaAngenati2292 That is true! Elders like Kushala and Kirin tend to follow storms to maintain their powers. However, certain Elders can create their own Weather. Teostra, Chameleos, Velkhana, and the God Serpents all generate their own weather once they enter an area. Be it Teo's scales burning up, Velk filling the air with super coolant vapor, ect. The Highlands are already shrouded in constant storm cloud formations, and considering how freely Nami can manipulate water, I wouldn't be surprised if it can encourage an already existing storm formation. Although, that's just speculation on my part, Nami very much could just be a storm chaser. Still bad news for Legiana that it has to deal with 2 Cranky Storm Elders now, though lol

[@BoneReaperLagiallosaurus]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aGOYdmmgf8emgdU

[@DawnTyrantEo]

One other advantage of Legiana's wings for agility- the ability to change the wing's aspect ratio more easily! Crows use a similar technique- by being able to overlap the slotted design of the wing, a crow's feathers can easily be pinched together or spread without bunching up the feathers. For Legiana, this would let them adopt a long, thin wing for agile but costly flight by thinning and overlapping the wing lobes, or flatten them out and spread them for efficient, powerful and less agile flight. A Rathalos, on the other hand, has to make do with a one-trick-pony of a wing that can only change shape by folding the outside fingers inwards, making it unable to achieve the same agility.

[@budgiegryphon]

this comment's a year old but I'm super curious, if you've got it, mind dropping a link/direction of some sort to a study or anything on the crow wing adaptation? I'm very interested

[@DawnTyrantEo]

@@budgiegryphon Hello! This particular comment was just something I recalled from university; I can't find a paper that specifically links wing change shape with this type of wing, alas! However, here is a paper on active morphing, and a different explanation for slotted feathers in crows- that they break up vortices during flapping flight (which may also help with takeoff). www.researchgate.net/publication/283534345_The_biophysics_of_bird_flight_Functional_relationships_integrate_aerodynamics_morphology_kinematics_muscles_and_sensors pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28539482/

[@Keizril]

Just a guess but I'd guess that the kneading as a way to mess up Odogaron organs MIGHT have to do with his skinless appearance. Odo probably looks a lot like an already extremely hurt animal, probably barely escaped a fight, no skin and on deaths door before its organs spill out under their own weight, so Legi might be trying to finish it off, which doesn't wind up being effective because thats just what healthy odo hide looks like?

[@JoseJose-sh7fr]

Babe wake up, the newest over examination of silly dinosaur fighting simulator just dropped.

[@skrilllfury2120]

Always loved Legi’s deign, so seeing it finally get an ecology video is amazing. These videos are always wonderfully informative in regards to just purely biology, and I do hope that you keep the ball rolling. If I may, perhaps I could suggest a video on Uragaan/Radobaan or perhaps Tigrex? The baan’s intrigue me with coating themselves in so many things, and Tigrex being equated to a living fossil seems like a great way to maybe start to look into how the past of the MH world might have worked.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Ball will keep rolling for sure, and tigrex is definitely in the pipeline!

[@scorpiopede]

Absolutely love Legiana, honestly of all the World new comers I would go so far as to say this is the most likely candidate to appear in a future mainline series game given how, despite being designed for the Coral Highlands, their ecology and adaptations allow them to survive in other habitats, and their migration in Iceborne and potential ties to the Hoarfrost Reach also makes this more likely, making it all the more surprising it didn't appear in Rise. Great video over all and I am very much looking forward to the next one, elder dragon videos from you are rare so I can't wait to see one of my favorites getting tackled.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Thank you as ever! And yeah Legiana if nothing else is a good candidate to claw its way into future snow maps if we don't go back to the new world anytime soon.

[@1998topornik]

Legiana has fantastic design. It perfectly captures the motive of "falcon among wyverns".

[@Smokeboats]

Legiana attempting to predate Oodogaron in their turf war might help explain why Oodogaron in the Coral Highlands seem to prefer to stay in the lower levels. In my experience, it seems like he never travels up to the high points on the map.

[@primawowiling6207]

I always watch the new video when it comes out!

[@bircansaliev244]

Same

[@gogglesesm9122]

Same bro this is great content

[@unicorntomboy9736]

Hopefully that Nargacuga ecology video will be made soon. It is one of my favorite monsters in Monster Hunter. Maybe a one on Seltas would be great too. I love its design, that of a mix of stag beetles and asian giant hornets. I always wondered if it was a solitary creature (like stag beetles) or a social creature (like asian giant hornets)?. I don't mean with Queen Seltas, but with other soldier/worker Seltas

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Narg is not so far off the horizon... I do like Seltas too, would need a buggy deep dive for that one.

[@jackkrell4238]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel A speculative ecology video on malfestio and ahtal-ka would be stellar as well.

[@Nomadic_Gaming]

@@jackkrell4238 malfestio god its annoying but just gorgeous and unique same w hypnoc hopefully they bring the big owl back in the next mainline game im sad it didnt get a spot in iceborne vs barrioth woulda been a cool addition to see mals in the hoarfrost acting like actual snow owls

[@CharliMorganMusic]

I loved this fight so much. With poison insect glaive, I felt so powerful.

[@chasinjason107]

I always thought that the legiana migration wasn't given much explanation in game, so its cool to know that it's analogous to owls.

[@prawn1717]

Your thoughts on Odogaron have pretty much been my thoughts on Legiana, where originally I was a little let down by the apex of the Highlands being some ice bird. After some thought though, I actually really like the monster and feel it's the best of the raptor-esque wyverns, even surpassing Seregios in that regard (just not a fan of Steve's wings or smushed face really). On another note, I cannot WAIT to see the Vaal episode!! Blackveil in particular has some fantastic ecology, I love the fungal interaction with Miasma.

[@ihatecabbage7270]

In my experience with Legiana, the first impression is of being a living, breathing animal. It lacks of any jarring features made it almost inconspicuous. You almost don't pay attention to it and only hunt it cause you really need something from it. Personally I don't like fighting Legiana cause is really a virtual creature stuck inside a world full of impressive monsters, it felt its minding its own business and hunting them would be wrong. some monster like Great Jagras has the giant iguana that bloated when swallow its prey, which felt familiar yet a bit alien, Legiana have none of that, it felt like a pterosaur with millions of years of perfected the evolution of an airborne predator, and it hunting animals felt like it is just being there. It is also a very competent monster in terms of design and fight animation, but it felt like an animal fighting you, not molten rock slamming gorilla or dragon element missile firing at you. As an animal it is showcase of Capcom prowess in creating fictional creature that blend in naturally into a world you can believe in, but as a monster it didn't wow many due to being so inconspicuous when other monsters have more garish design that fire massive nukes out theirs body. i would argue that Legianna is even less jarring than some real animals, and we know animals have bizarre features that make no sense other than sexual display. The ice attack might looks odd, but in my opinion the Coral Highlands might be just above the cold threshold of hunters before hot drink is required, thus why Legiana only thrives there and in the Hoarfrost Reach. A strong gust of cold wind would freeze any vapor into ice. I suspect the Coral Highland isn't a warm area. but a cold environment with ample of sunlight, warm enough for the Corals to live, but not warm enough to allow plant live to thrive, thus sparse green vegetation when it competes with the Coral, my opinion though.

[@Felixicity]

This was a great one, Legiana was what my brother used to convince me to give Monster Hunter another try and has a pretty special place in my heart. It's one of my favourite designs, even if I like other monsters more, and it was one of the first fights I really got down pat. RIP Malfestio, not getting to represent owls on the bird slide. We miss u confusion owl.

[@1iAR5]

Dude Malfesto really needs to come back. I love that confusing bird.

[@drewburke97]

I wonder if the teeth were designed for specifically tzitzi due flying wyverns being vulnerable to flashes of light like flash pods. Its ancestors may have developed the teeth to break the neck fast before it has a chance to be blinded and potentially hurt from the fall or injured from another monster taking advantage of it being blinded and down.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

I like this theory!

[@ASpaceOstrich]

Any species adapted for the New World would presumably be strongly influenced by the Elder Crossing. With the coral highlands being directly above the rotten vale, I could see Legiana leaving the highlands whenever it detects an Elder Crossing event. With the individual terrorising the Third Fleet either being killed right before it would have left anyway, or being a deviant, or an older individual that has gone into a more territorial state but being consigned to a worse territory due to senescence, as you've mentioned in the past. With the massive influx of bio-energy pouring into the area during a crossing, and the potential damage caused by the Elder itself (and Nergigante) both being cause to leave until the chaos dies down. This would also explain how killing a single individual completely eliminated Legiana harassment of the Third Fleet, its possible the rest of the species were currently migrated to the Hoarfrost due to Zora Magdaros' crossing event, leaving only a single belligerent older male in the Highlands. Alternatively this single individual could have been a female protecting a nest, as Elder Crossings do not happen in consistent timescales, meaning she might have just been unlucky. Elder Crossings in general seem like they should be critical to the ecosystems of the entire New World, but especially the Vale and Highlands. I would greatly enjoy seeing a video on that subject specifically.

[@purplehaze2358]

One part of its anatomy I find particularly interesting are its wings. Though vaguely chiropteran, each digit appears separate from one another, overlapping instead of forming one complete surface. I can’t quite put exactly _why_ into words, but I looked at them and thought of the feet of geckos. Like, they’re how I imagine a gecko’s digits would look if they developed powered flight.

[@fang609]

Got to love Legiana, Probably my favourite of the large predatory flying wyverns, partually due to really finding her design apealing, the fact she is more talored for speed and agility rather than power like Rathalos, and the almost butterfly like look shes got along with the structure of her wings makes her really stand out agains the rest of the flying wyvern guild. Overall a fantastic monster.

[@umbreon1403]

I can't remember if I said it already, but my favorite thing about this channel is that I never knew I needed it. Learning about ecology from fictional games like MH is the BEST.

[@GunlessSnake]

Hey, those are my translations of the *Dive to Monster Hunter World: Iceborne* guidebook! Glad to see my hard work has been filtering out into major content creator outlets! These are simple Google Translate app translations, so there could certainly be inaccuracies, but I tried to use my best judgment for each translation based on interpreting both the literal translations and intent.

[@whiteking2f2]

I found the segment on wing morphology particularly fascinating, very informative. Thank you

[@JamesHill-wg3dv]

4:06 I think the same about Koalas and their Diet of eucalyptus leafs

[@idonthaveaname4283]

shreiking legiana being more powerful and less colorful stimulates the thought that shreiking is the female of this species

[@cmstrlisteningpostno.1269]

Amazing overview on Legiana! Its interesting to learn about its foot morphology (and the real birds that use it), as that's something I never tought about whenever I compared Legiana to the other flying wyverns. Also neat that there are birds that mass migrate depending on certain conditions in real life, especially since that provides a nice basis for the Legiana migration. Also, the fucking Frozone bit lol. Anyway, can't wait on the corpse eel dragon next week.

[@SaintHierophant]

This is the best channel on KZbin.

[@StellarRetribution]

Had a really bad day today, so this video showing up in my recommended is saving my mood. Thank you for making these incredible videos!

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

You're very welcome, happy to help!

[@TornaitSuperBird]

Monster Hunter needs more overtly birdlike monsters, in my opinion. There really aren't that many proper flying Bird Wyverns anyways. With that being said, Legiana is one of my favorite monsters in the series (despite never having had played World). Great video!

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Thank you!

[@TornaitSuperBird]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel It's always a pleasure of mine to watch your videos. Blending in speculative evolution and speculative ecology with this grounded fantasy setting- It scratches so many itches I have.

[@EnraiChannel]

I agree. But game design wise bird wyverns are early monsters, and they like to recycle them a lot because you spend so little time actually fighting them. Rise/SB being a bit of an exception because of anomaly materials.

[@TornaitSuperBird]

@@EnraiChannel Why not break the trends that have been set? Monster Hunter's formula for the monster placements and rankings deserves to be shaken up. Ahtal-Ka already broke the mold by being the only non-Elder Dragon final boss in the series. If a Neopteron can be a final boss, then there should be a bird wyvern that's as much a threat as Deviljho or Bazelgeuse.

[@fishyfishyfishy500akabs8]

@@EnraiChannel Yian Kut-Ku says hi

[@g1sunstreaker584]

I'm returning to this channel after accidentally spoiling a couple monsters for myself as a newcomer to the franchise with world, and now that I've encountered most iceborne monsters I'm coming back to check out the ones I'm familiar with. I'm happy to see my very favorite monster as the most recent video! Your perspective is very interesting as someone with an actual education in ecology, and I love watching these breakdowns and hearing your personal theories. This sort of secondary deep-delving brainstorming about the realistic nitnoids of media is my absolute favorite type of fan content to consume, create, and discuss.

[@TheGlenn8]

I love this channel. The jaguar theory is so interesting. I never thought about the lack of large prey animals in the Amazon rainforest. But it probably would have had Giant sloths and horses in the past.

[@novarat4089]

11:30 "the third fleet scholars piloting a giant airship straight into their home was also a decidedly poor choice" That was exactly my thought as I was watching that cut scene. Hey, lets take our giant slow fragile jury-rigged airship straight thru the local agile and territorial apex-predator's hunting grounds!

[@thecuriousone0680]

Great video as always! Legiana is certainly one of my favorite wyverns too, its incredibly pretty. Since you brought up astalos towards the end, I think it could be possible that its tail pincers and the rods that support legiana's tail webbing might actually share a common ancestral strucutre. I don't know how likely that is tho.

[@chito2701]

Legiana is one of my favorite new monster, the fact it's the first flying wyvern with ice element.

[@thenerdbeast7375]

You know, with how many parallels you brought up between Legiana and Accipiters I am surprised Legiana isn't classified as a bird wyvern sometimes. It certainly seems more avian than draconic at times, in both behavior and appearances. Even its unique membranous wings aren't much of a disqualifying feature considering lots of bird wyverns have membranous wings.

[@firetools]

I was wondering about how cool an altercation between Legiana and Lunagaron would look, and lo and behold there's some cool art depicting that near the end of the vid lol.

[@keimasilver]

The reason Legiana is considered weaker to poison than other monsters is the structure of their body. They have a unique circulatory system for the fluid they use to create ice. When poisoned this works against them and causes the poison to spread across their entire body quickly. In gameplay they aren't particularly less resistant to poison nor do they take more damage compared to some monsters but Legiana that are poisoned will fly less often, temporarily lose their ice abilities, and have moments of disorientation. Also their primary reason for traveling to the Hoarfrost Reach is to breed. Legiana are resistant to cold so they flock to the mountains where there are less threats and then cooperate to raise the chicks.

[@dragonstrike406]

Another great video! Thank you for covering this. Legiana is one of my favorite fights and one of my favorite flying wyvern designs.

[@ashenesoterica]

Yay, I caught one of these on debut day! Legiana was my favorite newcomer prior to meeting Bazel, and initially it wasn't for the battle, even though he's now one of my all-time favorites there too. (I don't know what it is, but I dominate Legiana with Hunting Horn. Even with sloppy play.) It always feels like a fair but dangerous back-and-forth when I face one. They're a true beauty to behold, both in form and in function. Oddly cute too, but unlike Anjanath it's also in appearance and not just behavior. Their movements are so fluid and polished. Plus they hate Paolumu. I can respect that... Best line in Monster Hunter World is one that was never spoken--the Third Fleet Master's comments on Paolumu in the Low Rank story quest to hunt one. Though in case it wasn't obvious, I don't share her distaste for Legiana. Legiana did nothing wrong.

[@t-r-e-x452]

16:13. Thanks for the article about social raptors. I can use it to give some explanation behind 'pack-hunting' dromaeosaurs. At least for the largest ones. Oh and since someone also made a Kaiju connection with Legiana here's mind: the Gyaos, especially the skull shape. This has me wanting to base part of the Gyaos's design for my story of of Legiana and also Nargacuga since both have similar traits of the Gyaos. Of course, this means that only do my Gyaos's wings need to be able get it into the air, but also serve as excellent manipulators of food when on all fours, and the same applies to the talons when standing bipedally.

[@AndrewThePoet]

Im very much in sanguine to see my favorite monster in the series! Loved it to death and the most monster I hunted! Such a good fight!

[@bluesheepwolfie307]

Seeing you discuss my favorite monster made me really happy, ngl. I love the thought you put into it! Legiana's design is just super great and I love how pretty it is, yet how dangerous it can be. The fins always fascinated me, with its potential to basically retract its fins in order to make its shape more aerodynamic in dives and then can just unfold them back out to catch updrafts.

[@dichotomusprime6646]

New Unnatural History day has legit become one of the highlights of my KZbin rotation.

[@OnyxIbara]

You are spoiling me good sir. Legiana this episode and, if I heard it right, another monster I love next episode. Immediately listened to this after I got off work

[@andrewcrowley6331]

With how well Legiana and Odogaron were set up to be natural rivals, I'm surprised it took until Iceborne for them to get a proper turf war.

[@junchan_3200]

Large feet size also are related to bird eating in birds of preys. Bat falcon, orange breasted falcon, peregrines and merlins are bird hunters and they have large feet relative to their body size comparing to other falcons. Bigger feet makes it easier to grab birds out in the air or from bushes. Large feet of the wyvern makes it also very suitable for hunting small and agile flying prey.

[@TypeZeta2]

Legiana is one of my favorite Wyverns thank you

[@luke769animations]

These videos are always so intriguing and I can feel myself getting smarter!

[@lukezondervan8094]

Regarding the Coral Highlands itself, I've always suspected that the name was a misnomer, and that rather that it being made of built up and built upon coral, it was instead ossified fungus that was the main building material there. Rather than simply being frost or fog or mist from the cold, I suspect that the small smoke layer is instead a spore cloud- and given the place that the Highlands grown out of, having it be overgrown fungus simply feels like one of those over the top MonHunisms. (Or something that feels right, even without the immediate ecological backing)

[@Cosmosis401]

Nice to see a video on the Ice Bird. Keep up the good work man your videos are always a treat to watch👍

[@onyxsky2304]

I can't wait for Rise to add the Flaming Legiana subspecies, next to all the other god damn firery subspecies that keep popping up

[@alcole-holic8779]

Once again, an impressive analysis of something so seemingly impossible. You make even the most insane beasts seem as natural as dogs and cats. Happy to be a subscriber.

[@FunkMcLovin]

The pace and quality of your vids is impressive. I can tell you’re passionate about this. Great

[@kennethsatria6607]

Considering dolphins playing with food maybe its a similar behavior to them when Legiana are turf warring with paolumu.

[@jacobcoleman8250]

Ever thought about doing videos talking about the environments of Monster Hunter? Your Skull Island video showed you have a knack for descriptions.

[@nomansboy332]

Great video, always really liked Legiana’s design and it’s relation to it’s environment. Also really glad you touched upon Odogaron and Legiana’s rivalry, the contrast between the two is perfect in my mind On an unrelated note, what are your thoughts on the new Sunbreak monster additions (Three Lords and Gaismagorm), now that the game has released and we not only have the fights, but ecology slightly further expanded upon?

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Love Gais a lot, think Mal is ok. Luna is fine really but it doesn't really do anything that makes me think I'd rather have it than Odogaron. Garangolm was a bit flat for me.

[@hexacockadrom_7898]

Love these videos so much, thank you for putting the effort into the research, very fascinating.

[@Nomadic_Gaming]

“going to start w the feet” me a roanoke gaming sub also “ah yes this is the best way to start off the anatomy!”

[@Silver-Rexy]

I love how the frequency of calls for water combat are growing lol

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

The uprising begins...

[@Leonhardt04]

"Yes, exactly like Frozone" lmfaooooo

[@bumberquest3031]

This is probably one of my favorite videos you've done, because you made me appreciate Legiana a lot more than I initially did. Legiana always came across as a kind of generic flying Wyvern to me, but I've come to enjoy the more restraint designs than the over the top ones from watching your videos. I always appreciate your takes on potential monster interactions, and I agree that Legiana being great fliers and traveling in flocks would be a great advantage over the aerial clumsiness most Elders seem to have. I really wish Capcom made monster interactions more interesting than just being a numbers game, with the higher ranking monster always winning. The only elder dragon I can see fighting off a flock of Legiana would possibly be Daora, but since Daoras fly with storms and manipulate winds anyways it is a much more defensive flier than an aggressive one, and would most likely have no reason to piss off the Legiana, or the Legiana the Daora. I won't be surprised though if capcom releases a trailer showing off an Elder Dragon eating a flock of Legiana like a bundle of grapes though.

[@the90thhunter92]

I think the legiana might have evolved to weaponise ice to help it subdue larger prey, going by your theory that it used to hunt larger monster in the highlands. Maybe it can release ice on pinned down prey during raptor prey restraint with ice being released every time legiana flaps which immobilises prey.

[@ano-_break-_9761]

Don’t know why but your Videos really help me to chill down and relax after working out in the Gym. Your Voice just sounds Soothing IMO.

[@davyjones3755]

Ok,theory on the shrieking varient Shrieking legiana is a rather old female who has gone through infertility,so instead of joining the flock they become more of a caring grandmother who watches over the nest while the normal adults are away

[@e.c7667]

My favorite wyvern. Edit: Goss Harag is up there with it followed by Nargacuga, so there’s three monsters that I like the most.

[@6purdicorn7]

I do enjoy Legiana, if for nothing else but the beautiful armor. Legiana shares the same interesting issue with vaal and odo which is that they are so adapted to their environments that seeing them outside of the new world wouldn't make sense. So adding them future titles might be an issue.

[@PurplePartyParasaur]

And now the painful wait for the next video begins, fantastic work as always

[@chemi169]

Based UHC, Legiana is up as my favourite flying wyvern alongside Astalos and Seregios and I hunted 90+ of the things across my MHW playtime, which gave me a lot of time to appreciate her unique animations and acrobatic behaviour. I'm always ready to throw hands with anyone that doesn't respect the empress of the skies.

[@unholyhardy4359]

Speaking of Valstrax, do you think you could make a video talking about them?

[@nathansassen6869]

World was my first game and legiana was my first monster I grinded it's armor and weapons and I was so stoked to see it's variant in iceborne. Loved the video and I always await your uploads

[@noahgarcia2711]

This is a very cool video. I think one possible reasons why Legiana is highly susceptible to poison is because of special glands it uses to catch air currents in the Coral Highlands and Hoarfrost Reach. Since these lead directly into the monster’s body, it’s likely they are more susceptible to infections such a poison. This idea was primarily hypothesized by Oceaniz who recently made MHWI ecology videos.

[@CousinChal]

Legiana definitely one of my top new world monsters, but Vaal takes the top spot so stoked for the next vid!

[@cryo_games6591]

Nergigante’s thorns are a offense and defense. Look at what he preys on. Old, experienced Elder Dragons. They’re just a perfect weapon because they are so defensive.

[@AGREY-p1s]

11:18 every time he calls the hunter “The Sapphire Star,” I always think he’s actually talking about Safi’jiiva and get confused

[@PanickingPatchRat]

I can’t be the only one who wants the audio from these videos to be uploaded on podcast sites. I personally use informational podcasts to help me relax/fall asleep so this would be perfect for me.

[@supersai-raptor5167]

I really loved the comment made about Legiana being over adapted for hunting that things like raphinos are a big above it’s pay grade. Like a falcon, it seems to dive bomb as well, which I feel could push it to equal things like barioth, sure Deviljo and Rajang are above its pay grade, it’s stronger for its size then people give it credit for, and I posit that not only could it feed on adult Popo, if push came to shove I feel like it could feed on lesser flying wyverns, not the wing drakes but could make a meal out of paolumu, if confident or desperate. It could even fearlessly, as shrieking Legiana challenge velkhana for territory at least, maybe a roost of them could see it off.

[@JohnDoe-tt5qc]

I wonder if the base game describing its main food source as Raphinos might be an in-universe confusion of it actually going after or trying to flush out Coral Pukei-Pukei, or even spook the host Raphinos family into leaving their nests unattended. The guild did canonically discover Legiana before C.P.P after all. CPP might have the biggest chance as an adult to ward off Legiana predation when it whips its water jet around, potentially knocking Legiana out of the sky. So preying primarily on juveniles would be prudent for Legiana.

[@CrissBluefox]

Diablos only has a two star resistance to poison, which makes sense as it's diet is of cactus in which many species are inedible and toxic. So Diablos has adapted to withstand substances that would kill or a least make very sick other animals. Legiana probably wouldn't have been exposed to many poisons as Diablos would have as it wouldn't be eating much that has any.

[@TheRedVoyager]

Is it possible that shrieking legiana individuals are just regular legiana who have spent a longer time in the hoarfrost, and the changes in coloration are caused by prolonged exposure to the lowered temperatures?

[@dovahsam7804]

this was exactly as good as i was hoping for, after voting for legi twice im happy that we got more discussion about the coral highlands, since they feel somewhat under discussed in the community but thats probably just the fact that they are really complicated for people with no background in environmental ecology (like myself). Thanks for the great essay

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

At last he arises! And beat an elder in the polls!

[@dovahsam7804]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel legi beat val because i wanted a highlands video so bad i manifested it over the course of two polls

[@matthewlee6261]

Thoughts on doing a video on Lunagaron or Garangolm or Espinas on how its able to throw Kushala despite it being very heavy

[@davidegaruti2582]

21:00 well a stork/pelican/azdarkid wyvern could be cool , i know they aren't "birds of prey" but it's still an intresting idea : a wyvern that flies but fights on the ground

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Would also really love that as well, especially if it's a giant, high-tier bird wyvern.

[@harrisongodzilla]

A great and informative video as always! Regarding the text at 17:18 , I remember hunting a Legiana with a Rathian charge blade and I do recall seeing an animation where Legiana went to the ground and start regurgitating and puking up poison. Although, it has been a while since I hunted Legiana, so I may be misremembering. While on that topic, I wonder what are your thoughts on Legiana's relationship with Pink Rathian? I've been hearing about the two flying wyverns having some sort of competitive relationship in the Coral Highlands and both have distinct advantages over one another.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

I think pink rathian are likely ones heading away from the recess, as ingame dialogue does state they're not really from the highlands. Lack of good, large prey means they probably desert it for the wildspire or forest, and the one in game was likely passing over too. Legiana wouldn't like that poison though!

[@harrisongodzilla]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel okay. Thanks for your input.

[@LarkyLuna]

The new world is like the bottom of the sea. Giant creatures go there to die and ecosystems form and change inside their carcases The nutrient makeup of the place changes drastically when new bodies show up, which would explain Legiana's adaptations to a previous time Of course, the scale is very different from a whale dying, but oh well

[@flightlesslord2688]

People dont talk about falcons having sabre-'toothed' beaks enough.

[@dapperraptor8789]

fantastic video as always! one thing that intrigue me and that I feel is important to note about legiana and it's relationship to other environments. and that it probably wouldn't fare well in the other new world habitats. we know that for a short time they were present in the ancient forest. however legiana probably wasn't going to be suited for them long term. competition would be the biggest factor and it's not surprise that rathalos would be a primary factor. legiana might have better air maneuverability, rathalos has it's venomous talons that would influence the fight in his favour greatly. legiana's prefered prey, smaller wingdrakes are in low abundance in the ancient forest and are hiding within the tree's. legiana would have to prey switch to something like kestodon. which are already monopolized more efficiently by monsters like great jagras. hunting aptonoth wouldn't end much better as legiana would have to compete with formerly mentioned rathalos in the day. and would have to compete with the cunning nargacuga and belligerent anjanath at night. two monsters that wouldn't be intimidated by legiana and could potentially leave it with life threating injuries. nargacuga's spikes could cause a nasty infection and that could compromise legiana's hunting ability. anjanaths size and jaws would be enough to deter legiana alone, potentially snapping a wing or leg in the right circumstance. not to mention both are probably just better at hunting aptonoth and kestodon along with the diurnal rathalos who already keeps the prior two in line and is also more effective in these environments. it be likely that the ancient forest could be too humid to create the ice it use's in combat with larger monsters. however that probably can't be confirmed. this is just one example and it's likely that the other environments are very unfavourable for legiana and it could be that legiana is so uniquely adapted for the highlands that it's unable to spread out into other regions. with the only other territory it can comfortably live in being the hoarfrost. due to a lack of competition, territory that is inaccessible to most other monsters as well as resources on it can utilise like the smaller cortos wingdrakes they predate on. very excited to see you tackle elder dragons again. vaal hazak is a great elder dragon and I hope that it can do as good as the kushala video! good day to you sir.

[@dianslabbert504]

These are my thoughts on how the Coral Highlands may have formed. Many, many unknown amount of years ago the New World continent possibly only consisted of what is now the Ancient Forest and Wildspire areas and where the Coral Highlands and Vale are now was possibly a shallow sea filled with life. Then several Dalamadur over time migrated to this continent and in their wake carved it to reach their destination in order to die. Carving out what would become the Highlands and the Vale. This likely what also caused that strange mountain formation which separates the Ancient Forest and Wildspire from the Highlands. It also worth mentioning that looking up from in the Vale the rock formations leading to the Highlands look quite familiar to the Speartip Crag where Dalamadur could be fought in 4U. As the Dalamadur came they could maybe have caused seismic action that resulted in area raising higher above sea level as they dug deeper which could have caused the area north to become volcanic resulting in the birth of the foundations of the Everstream and Elder's Recess. This then closed off the Coral Highlands from the ocean trapping populations of animals as well and it became an inland sea which dried out or drained over time. Then through MH logic of the concept of Bioenergy, introduced in World, released from the decaying corpses of the Dalamadur caused the aquatic life to somehow adapt, evolve and survive on dry land and in and besides the streams and pools of water left behind as the sea began to dry up/maybe drain. And later some of them also adapted the abilities to fly and glide to traverse the Highlands... Over time other larger monsters Flying, Bird and Fanged Wyverns would colonise the Highlands as it became an established habitat that became able to support them making use of the resources their. Personally I think I would preferred if the Highlands were a high altitude forest instead with conifer trees, ferns and maybe cherry blossom trees nestled in between the shadows of bleached coral cliffs and remains of giant long dead sea live. Then by the streams and pools you could still find colourful living corals and aquatic like plants that are thriving and growing beside the water. I feel like this tells a very interesting and grounded geological story. As it stands the Coral Highlands, while pretty, is my least favourite map in all MH because it doesn't quite fit in with other maps we have seen before or since.

[@thedom2753]

Oh the next episode is going to be wonderful! One of my absolute favourite monsters and I think it's got a lot of interesting adaptations to postulate on. Very much looking forward to it

[@MistaFinni]

Your content always ends up being the highlight of my day.

[@lucasmobberley3319]

That description of Odogaron was the most metal thing I have heard today.

[@Strix182]

I think the next generation of Monster Hunter needs aerial combat, with each weapon gaining a new, dynamic moveset for midflight skirmishing. The combat would utilize velocity, maneuvering, and gravity in similar ways to birds of prey. The real plus side to this is that aerial movesets could be *VERY* easily translated to aquatic movesets, creating a new, faster paced revival of underwater hunting. For the exact mechanism for flying hunters, well... I'm imagining it'd have to be some form of bizarre, biomechanically ridiculous propulsive endemic life that acts like a jetpack. Fuel is limited or needs to recharge, much like wirebugs, but hunters can always control their descent with gliding, so long as they don't get ambushed from above. Aerial combat would intersperse ground based combat with volant monsters when they flee into the sky. Stagger a monster enough in the air and you can send it plummeting to the ground, making an opening for a hunter to dive after it for a brutal gravity-powered coup-de-grace, unique to each weapon. Of course, if the hunter gets knocked out of the sky instead, the monster is able to easily return the favor.

[@guillermogonzalez3696]

Great video, as always. I'm nor really sure if there's a lot of hard-shelled animals that could fit as prey for Legiana, but I wonder if its strong grasp could be used against such prey lifting it and letting gravity finish the job. In any case, another great example of World's fantastic attention to detail in its monsters. Can't wait for one of my favorites in that game, Vaal, really curious on what that video can say about its symbiosis with efluvium.

[@bradymcglamory1263]

I’d like to see a video covering paolumu and it’s relative, nightshade paolumu. I think that highland paolumu came from nightshade, which is actually the base species. Years of genetic isolation and adaptation, would lead highland paolumu to becoming specialist coral egg eaters and also calmer due to fewer predators besides legiana, and occasionally odogaron, compared to the aggressive, insectivorous nightshade paolumu, which has to deal with a larger array of predators in the Ancient Forest and the swamps of the Wildspire Waste. It could also explain its sleeping gas; a defense mechanism fueled by eating certain neopterons containing chemicals that cause drowsiness. I think it would be neat to see more bat-like flying wyverns(or flying beasts in this case), like base them on fruit bats, or even the predatory spectral bat. Anyone interested?

[@SaurusWarriorSotek]

I love your videos, hope we can see one about tigrex soon