Leviathan ecology : Royal Ludroth in Monster Hunter

The first true water fight of the series is up for analysis as we look at the harem leader Royal Ludroth. Will water combat every come back? Uncertain, but watch this in the meantime!
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[@PoorHub]

No honey I cannot attend our wedding today. That new unnatural history Channel episode just dropped!

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

True devotion

[@zack_feldman]

@@unnaturalhistorychannelwhy did I naturally hear this in your voice…?

[@blastshooter8791]

​@@zack_feldmanI had the same thought lol

[@duneydan7993]

Love is temporary. Knowledge is eternal.

[@xc809]

​@@zack_feldmanhis power is growing

[@saurianfan7102]

It's worth noting that the males also use the mane to provide water for the females when they are guarding their nests. Female nest communally on land and since they have to guard their nests they often find themselves drying out as they can't regularly return to the water to re-hydrate. This is where the Royal comes in, as he uses his mane to provide water for the females. This ends up being another reason why Royals are selected for larger manes as they can store more water to provide to the females.

[@DefinitelyNotEmma]

Ah, another one of my favorites. When I first learned of Ludroth I immediately loved him. The idea of a sponge mane to keep it hydrated and as a symbol of the alpha male is just so creative. It's also a very elegant animal I think. They also remind me of the komodo dragon (I think that's the english name), which is basically a real life monster :v

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

His head is actually quite varanid-like now you mention it

[@DefinitelyNotEmma]

​@@unnaturalhistorychannel Yeah, the shape immediately reminded me of various monitor lizards. If I remember correctly some of them can swim too? Nevertheless, one of the best monsters introduced in Tri. In general I have taken quite the liking to the "smaller" large monsters. Be it Daimyo, Nerscylla, Qurupeco or Royal Ludroth.

[@Linkfan001]

​@@DefinitelyNotEmmaWe need my boi peco back in some capacity. There is so much silly stuff they could bring to the table with the monster calls.

[@DefinitelyNotEmma]

@@Linkfan001 Oh definitely. I love it's design and found it's gimmick to be clever and very natural. I hope to see it, Kut-Ku and Hypnocatrice (?) in the same game in the future, not a fan of Gypceros though.

[@Nomadic_Gaming]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel yeah when u mentioned iguanas i thought jagras/great while ludroth always struck me as a komodo style creature under the big sponge mane

[@tigaDeviljho]

Good to see some of my vids are used! Really enjoyed the video!

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Yes! Sorry about not crediting you, I downloaded your video when writing then forgot who made it when putting it in the video

[@tigaDeviljho]

@unnaturalhistorychannel It's totally fine! Just glad to be in your vid

[@RubyCarrots3232]

An interesting thing to note about Tri is Royal Ludroth explicitly hates Gobul in game and if they two share zones it will target Gobul far more than you.

[@Castersvarog]

I wonder if it’s because the two see the other as rivals and threats that can compete against one another unlike Lagiacrus who actively hunt Royals who don’t stand as much of a chance. Both are of comparable size, their babies are likely common targets for the other and have borderline equal territory.

[@ravenschippers8267]

Reading the item you get from females "Immature sponge" has made me wonder if the ludroths also undergo sequential hermaphroditism specifically protogymy- where females under certain conditions naturally become male. Since we know Ludroth live in harems it is likely that the most dominant ones are the males due to their size. The reasons for the change could be that the harem simply becomes too large for the male to control leading to some females gradually turning into males who would leave with a portion of the harem or if the current breeding male is an inadequate mate challenge him. Its also possible that the dominant female only turns into a male if there is a prolonged period which the harem is lacking in a male for some reason or another and the dominant female transitions into the new breeding male.

[@neos8421]

I had forgotten about this monster since i haven't played trik in a while but it was so good and fun, a really nice first experience with the big monster for me, and hearing you talk about it like that made me smile, i have said this before but your channel is my favorite on this youtube website and it's really a pleasure everytime i see one of your videos pop up

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

I'm glad it refreshed him in your eyes!

[@tigaDeviljho]

He's returned to risebreak btw

[@mr.rathalos1155]

wasn’t expecting the video out now but I’m glad it came out when it did

[@dianslabbert504]

Ludroth teeth are very similar to Dunkleosteus and its relatives. I think a large portion of a Ludroth's diet consists of armoured fish which swim in the waters of MH. More than a few fish in MH are armoured and look very similar to real world prehistoric armoured fish. Even fish like their Tuna have armour plating and I can imagine teeth like that might help with slicing up Knife Mackerel whose scales and fins can be used to sharpen steel. But overall, they likely also very opportunistic. In the MH3 opening you can see Ludroths picking at Jaggi which fell off the cliff and into the water. The large Royal males might also supplement their diet with other monsters like Epioth, young Piscine Wyverns and large herbivores like Aptonoth and Slagtoths. With its harem of females taking seconds. When it comes to Leviathans and what their diets primarily consists of I think it follows as. Ludroths: Armoured fish. Uruktor/Agnaktor: armoured herbivores and armoured large monsters typically found in volcanic zones like the Brute Wyverns along with things like Basarios, Cenautaurs and Lavasioth. Gobul: anything that can in its mouth. Nibelsnarf: anything that fists in its mouth. Mostly Cephalos, Kestodons, Rhenoplos and Delex and maybe young Apceros. Somnacanth: shellfish. Mizutsune: non armoured fish. (e.g sushifish) Almudron: monsters it can overpower and large herbivores. It has very lion like teeth. Lagiacrus: Large monsters. it can pretty much hunt anything that swims in the water and also ambushes a variety of terrestrial monsters.

[@floraphore]

The perfect sponge to get you clean and ready for the day 🌞

[@randomguyanese5080]

I feel in love with roaly loudrotrh as rise is my first game he impressed me whit his ecology and his protect of his females and his main

[@Maki_Moon]

Thank you for making a video on my favorite monster!

[@androidmk5987]

I got way too excited for this video

[@williansnobre]

I like to imagine the lizard-lions from A Song of Ice and Fire to look like Ludroth

[@Cinder_the_Art_Gal8144]

As a Royal Ludroth myself I approve if this ecology video

[@anthonylopez9775]

Can’t wait for the eventual Lavadroth

[@diaborodevil3161]

You forgot it can give you an awesome coat

[@captaint.tearex9279]

Very late to the party, but IIRC, BannedDino mentioned that one of the official Monster Hunter books stated Purple Ludroth to be just a normal Royal Ludroth that somehow gained toxic properties, with the reasoning being unknown. Make of that what you will

[@tahaelhour690]

Still waiting for that magnamalo drunk episode

[@Yokoto12343]

The Large spongelinke structure could function as gills during long dives

[@rac1equalsbestgame853]

Yay my favorite leviathan!

[@Cyborgianoid]

at this point i really just want to see underwater turf wars at least, if it really comes back perhaps we can finally have the osprey flying wyvern. also i am a royal ludroth set maniac every game i can make that damn outfit i did it.

[@Tropcalfisb]

Spongy Bob me’boy

[@biggusdickus9148]

Did a really good job with this one

[@Felixicity]

THE SPONGY BOY!!!! I love ludroth, even if his armor is the ugliest stuff. He's such a fun monster and I was so glad he came back in rise.

[@The_PokeSaurus]

When I think of Royal Ludroth I think of Knuckles from Sonic Zombies, if you know, you know.

[@yanickgallant1562]

Algorithm comment

[@Goji-Moji]

9:05 Just want to nitpick that the little ludroth are not “the size of an alligator or so”, they’re typically around 7.5m (close to 25 feet) long. They’re substantially larger than the biggest recorded saltwater crocs, not alligator-sized, lol. According to Smithsonian, the average female alligator is 2.6m and the average male is 3.4m long. Ludroth have long necks so it’s not the cleanest comparison, but it’s not the worst either, and they’re otherwise pretty proportionate. Does this have any real bearing on anything? No, lol

[@joshuasgameplays9850]

To be fair they're a lot less chunky than the largest crocodilians, so they're probably pretty close in terms of actual body mass.

[@cr-volcanic]

Royal Ludroth's gotta be one of my favorite lower level monsters. It's incredible how the development team took a lion, made its mane a sponge, and then thought of all these ways to flush out that concept and pushing all the benefits that adaptation would allow.

[@davidmason422]

i knew id find you here

[@cr-volcanic]

@@davidmason422 howdy

[@unicorntomboy9736]

I imagine these ludroth (including the Royals) fall prey to Lagiacrus and Plesioth, much like how seals, sea lions, wulruses, penguins etc fall prey to Orcas, perhaps the two using similar hunting and killing methods to the carnivorous cetaceans

[@quartch7650]

Imagine a Plesioth ludroth turf war where a royal gets hip checked 100 feet in the air

[@unicorntomboy9736]

@@quartch7650 That would be hilarious

[@vulcorethegreat1220]

"Slurping monster juice raw" That is a sentance that has been said.

[@ScanovatheCarnotaurus]

Ludroth will always be a favorite of mine. It was the monster that taught me how to actually dodge instead of just tanking frequently, as dull as it spamming its roll attack is idk if I’d be as good of a monster hunter without that denial. I’m also curious about what you think about ludroth reproduction. Lore snippets and in-game show that they lay eggs on land, and massive ones for the body mass of the females at that, so maybe they’re communal nesters, with each female only laying 1-2 eggs in a single spot, and the young being relatively large when born for greater survival. Lore snippets also say that while they don’t take care of their young, male ludroth will keep the eggs moist with its mane and likely defends it from thiefs. I’m not sure if it simply means keeping the nest in general moist or if the eggs are this weird hybrid of reptile and amphibian in where they still need some water to survive.

[@stormerjc9493]

Gotta love the weird little komodo dragon, marine iguana, elephant seal, sea sponge hybrid, and I think it's nice having a starter monster for each of the major groups, yian kut ku for wyvern, Congalala/Azuros for beasts, daymio hermitar for crabs, barroth for brutes and ludroth for Leviathans. Also I'd love to see the Platypus concept art turned into a proper full Leviathan of its own

[@temporal712]

Only really missing a starter neopteran/temnoceran. Great idea for the Vespoid Queen to come back!

[@stormerjc9493]

@@temporal712 there is also normal Seltes but Vesipod queen could be cool if they redo her like a proper monster wasp in future

[@temporal712]

@@stormerjc9493 damn you right forgot about seltas

[@MrSnekArts]

While being a rather underwhelming fight, Royal Ludroth is among my favourite monsters in the series. I love it's design and how downright adorable it is!

[@joaoaugusto6290]

Same,i kinda feel bad Hunting these Guys :(

[@samfish2550]

Something I have to wonder is if the tooth plates are just for shell fish. Some fish, like whetfish likely have thick and hard scales if we can sharpen our weapons with them. Fish irl have enameled scales, namely gar. It dose prove a good defense against predators who can't really break through the armor. If whetfish and similar relatives are a part of their diet it may explain the robust jaws and plates. Also btw, may be a fun short video to do a overview of the fish we craft with in game, what lore they have ect.

[@Ajehy]

Why do sushifish have edible scales? Why are gastronome tuna always eating indigestible things? Why do arowanas have bombs?

[@samfish2550]

@@Ajehy @Ajehy sushi fish could shed them on mass as a defense mechanism, the tuna are probably just kinda like tiger sharks and will try to eat anything, and depending on how the arowana explosions work it may not even be intended, make they secrete a bitter chemical on their scales to deter predators and the chemical simply happens to have explosive properties when ground up with the scale, processed, and exposed to the air.

[@dumbsterdives]

@@samfish2550 I could see bomb arowana being similar to bombadgies, triggering the explosion as a defensive reaction. Sorta like a more violent version of a cephalopod's ink.

[@fishyfishyfishy500akabs8]

@@Ajehyscales are nutritious and flavorful enough to the point even other fish specialize in eating them and humans cooking them. If they are also able to split off as a means of defense it would work similarly to a lizard’s tail, allowing the fish to slip away whilst filling the predator’s mouth with a meal that will distract enough for the fish to disappear.

[@H240909]

I think what they meant by “prevent desiccation” is that the royals’ manes could be used to filter out excess salt. In marine Iguanas, their feeding habits mean they ingest massive amounts of sea water. The excess salt is then filtered out of the blood through specialized glands and then expelled while on land through the eyes as tears or through the nostrils as a sneeze. The mane of a royal ludroth could be like those specialized glands. This could also tie into the ludroth’s production of mucus and the royals’ bathing habits. If the manes are filled with unwanted salt, soaking them in fresh water could help speed up the desalination process. The manes’ size and the lack of manes on females could be a result of a royal’s larger body necessitating more food, thus consuming much more salt, thus necessitating larger glands. It’s also possible that through females of the species selectively breeding with males with the largest manes, the manes are massively oversized for their original purpose.

[@farizkeren5730]

Personally I imagine Ludroth's dash juice as a mixture of hemocyanin (which can hold more oxygen (presumably extracted from water with its mane's spongy folds, great surface area means more oxygen extracted) and more stable in colder temperatures) and stim hormones like adrenaline, cortisol, and T3. That would mean that a Royal Ludroth's blood would be tinted slightly blue, though.

[@elijahcafazzo-joyette8226]

The mention of seals and the possibility of Ludroth manes being responsible for the production of Dash Juice reminds me of something I read a while ago about Inuit hunters consuming the blood of seals they hunt straight, as well as chewing the fat of hunted whales. So maybe Dash Juice is consumed in a similar manner by peoples in overlapping environments if they should hunt Ludroth, chewing spongy pieces of mane and drinking Dash Juice straight from the source.

[@gogglesesm9122]

Royal Ludroth's roar sounds more like an eagle than a crocodile change my mind.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Even more like a red-tailed hawk ;)

[@DefinitelyNotEmma]

​@@unnaturalhistorychannel aka nature's most underrated voice actor in pop culture

[@duneydan7993]

Ah red tailed hawk, The true chad of the raptor birds! Edit: just like the yellow-headed Blackbird is the chad of songbirds, those little rascals are used as dinosaur sounds all the time!

[@draw2death421]

No not really Eagles Sound sounds more like A seaguls shreak. Its more simular to Hawks.

[@jacktheomnithere2127]

@@draw2death421 i can second that. never knew that the stock eagle sound effect was actually a hawk.

[@flygonsarchives]

Ahoy there Spongeboy-me-bob. I just crafted a new armor set that is -20 weak to water and I’m going to get mauled to death by the Royal Ludroth agagagagaga.

[@purplehaze2358]

1:53 This random pause was.. honestly a little disquieting.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Checking Filmora it seems to be where it pulled the audio away where I cut it for some reason. It likes it do that a lot. Oh well!

[@scorpiopede]

Another great video, always loved Ludroth's ecological role in the series and it's relation to other monsters both in and out of water. Especially excited for the next video, especially after having fought Primeval Malzeno, what an experience.

[@marcusaaronliaogo9158]

Primordial malzeno is a story playing right in front while fighting.

[@scorpiopede]

@@marcusaaronliaogo9158 So incredibly well done. Could not have asked for a better ending to Sunbreak.

[@andrewcrowley6331]

Honestly Ludroths are one of the easiest monsters to understand ecology wise: at their simplest, they're literally just Sea Lions turned into Reptiles.

[@sharplosion1]

Royal Ludroth definitely just feels like the ideal 'average' monster. Sort of like Barroth or Daimyo. The general latter end of early game monsters before things move on to the mid-game. As goofy as a EagleCry.mp4 is, it's strangely just works. I'm surprised nothing was said about the flexible crest-spikes on Royal's head. I imagine they could potentially play a part of displaying physical fitness just as much if not more than the sponge mane, as it's another trait females don't have and appear to be purely for display rather than the multitude of other uses the sponge mane actually has. Perhaps males flash the crest at each other before the wrestling starts. Or they could even have some kind of sensory usage akin to whiskers in marine animals. Either way, looking forward to Morb.

[@HammboneBob]

That MFER IS MOIST, also his tail looks like a sailfin dragon's. Very beautiful, very powerful.

[@MistaFinni]

Silly guy. I wonder if his weird tail will get talked about

[@DoodersDen]

I'm sorry my newborn's birth needs to be rescheduled, Unnatural History Channel just made a video on my favorite monster!!

[@julianodobler2782]

Always good to see more leviathans

[@xandan1668]

Regarding washing its mane. Purple ludroth shower off using waterfalls. I saw it in Tri ultimate.

[@lazydelibird]

Same with the main royal ludroth. Portable 3rd does ot

[@17Haru17]

I love Royal Ludroth. Its community, part breaks, its uncanny cry, and its roll. Its return in Rise was bittersweet, as I hope that doesn't preclude its inclusion in a console game with proper aquatic environments.

[@foster2095]

The crest has always looked strangely like fingers to me, it's a little out there but maybe when it's flushing salt and toxins out of its mane maybe the crest helps literally squeeze them out like wringing a sponge 😂 (it's definitely just a display organ for status but still)

[@xc809]

Sponge lizard my beloved, hope its fat cousin jagras gets a vid too

[@purplehaze2358]

12:43 Why is the text in the bottom corner off the screen?

[@handtomouth4690]

The editing in this video in general was a bit off. In the beginning "Monster Hunter : Rise" slid off the bottom of the screen to be replaced by "Monster Hunter : Rise", at the same time, "Kamen Rider Moaten" gets placed incorrectly then slides back up into position. Weird stuff, lol.

[@attichen4749]

Where are all the marine vertebrates? Not semi aquatic (still fully capable of moving on land) like Lac or Lud but fully marine: as in they'd die if taken out of the water? The only one I know is that one monster from tri but other than that I've got nothing though I could easily be wrong. Given the time it took whales and Mosasaurs to evolve this life style shouldn't there be animals like this out there? We know whales *might* exist but we still have no solid confirmation of that so where is everyone? Could your ice age hypothesis have any kind of explanation for this?

[@handtomouth4690]

Epioth?

[@JanusHoW]

Having played at least the Village part of 3U, I would also like to see underwater combat return, albeit heavily revamped. It was a nice mechanic that was sadly limited by Tri's control scheme. The two sticks that all current gen consoles (including the Switch) now have would make it much easier to program effectively. That said, Royal Ludroth is a nice beginner fight, and can even serve as a decent challenge when you're doing high-level and Special Anomaly Investigations in Sunbreak thanks to becoming a true... ...DAMAGE SPONGE. I'll...see myself out.

[@chasinjason107]

Been in Belize for a study abroad trip and just got to the point where I get to chill on the beach and snorkel on the reef. No royal ludroth here on the island so far, but I will keep looking.

[@losingmymind611]

Posted six minutes ago and I am HERE FOR IT. Thanks for blessing my day off sir.

[@DanielisAwesome52]

There are very few Monsters that drop Dash Extract, I wonder if the Dash Juices made from other Monsters taste different, like different brands of IRL Energy Drinks. Diablos, Ludroth, TziTzi, Gypceros, and Banbaro flavored Energy Drinks would be interesting. Also, for sure hunters process Dash Extract, because you need Catalysts to combine into Dash Juice, the drinkable form. Catlaysts themselves require processing Bitterbugs with Honey, making them some of the more complicated to craft consumables.

[@Kanens-bs5xp]

I hate Royal Ludroth but idk why

[@nikiardo]

One of my favourite mid level monsters

[@seiyn6888]

Interesting enough, no ludroth were found in the new world. Which is odd considering that can live in the sea and following your suggestion deep divers. This would imply that ludroth cannot leave the continental shelf without risking certain death. Then again, little is known about Monster Hunter World's marine life.

[@archest_archie6085]

Incredible upload as per usual, looking forward to the Malzeno deep-dive too!

[@joshuasgameplays9850]

I can't wait for the [redacted] episode! it's one of the most interesting and unique monsters in terms of ecology.

[@fightingleaf]

Hey, how much of his commentary about the game being easy is influenced by him just being an experienced hunter himself? Maybe he's just better at the game, so quality of life improvements tend to have an extra affect on his experience because he can get the most out of it.

[@fissshy7]

I assume that the Hunters being Super Human nature of Monster Hunter means that diseases as mundane as to be contracted from slurping monster juices doesn't kick in until you-I dunno, eat a Quiro full of Vaal Hazack blood raw or something similar. They already eat a lot of Monsters and other questionable stuff gathered around in World after all, I don't think 'this questionable juice that makes me go fast' really rates that high up there.

[@aliencicada2985]

I remember fighting this lad in MH3U, and one of my most memorable moments from that game was defeating the Poison Royal in the arena.

[@nami_moos]

i remember ludroth being my first wall in tri. i spent hours soloing him till i learned the fight. crazy how bad at games young me was. but hell always have a special place in my MH journey. i hope so much that water comes back.

[@gallusvarius9126]

I had originally thought that, the mane being used to maintain moisture just meant that somehow the male ludroth needed to spend more time on land than the female. But we don't see him walking inland too much. I suspect maybe it's similar to seals: All the females nest on a beach or somewhere and males fight over who gets to breed with the females, and leaving the females even just to eat and drink might mean someone will steal your 'beach master' crown. So male seals will build up fat reserves and stay on the beach, such as in elephant seals. I would suspect Royal still must enter the water to feed and live his life more than elephant seals do, and this might be because elephant seals have extra pressure from orcas: From what I have read, they do well enough avoiding orcas once in deeper waters, by diving deeper, and they are not especially accessible when far up the beach. (though those near the surf get snatched occasionally.) Rather, it's the TRANSITION from the land into the sea, when they are most in danger of orca whale predation, and ideally (like penguins) they want to all go in at once - some will get caught, but the orca whales won't be able to catch all whatever-thousand of them in the brief transition. Ludroth do have predators I am sure of it, but something to take note of as well is favored prey. Porcupines are a wonderful example of what I am thinking of. They do have predators, they do get eaten, but because they are sharp they are unpleasant to eat, and so a predator who has other options than porcupines, will probably pick the other option. This doesn't stop porcupines from EVER being eaten, but it reduces how often it happens. Eagles will eat foxes sometimes, but probably prefer rabbits because they don't bite as hard, and in this way the fox is using a 'porcupine strategy.' Epioth are probably less painful to eat, so as long as they are accessible predators will probably prefer them to Ludroth; I don't think Ludroth faces as much predatory pressure as a sea lion or elephant seal, but I rather expect it probably faces predatory pressure similar to coyotes or foxes. Due do not having the same intensity of predatory pressure (very high for seals, some orcas, sharks and other large cetaceans may only eat them so long as they are available) as seals, I don't think Ludroth needs to keep itself on land as long as seals do. Which might be why the females don't have manes, as they are only worried about eggs or maybe live-born which, other females might indirectly protect when protecting their own nests if the species makes colonies, which it kinda looks like it does. I do also want to mention that you can carve 'immature sponge' from female Ludroth, so they DO have sponges, but seemingly internal rather than external? Which kinda seems like it would be more effective, a wet sponge sealed inside of a plastic bag will stay wet longer than a wet sponge sitting on the table. Perhaps the females might actually be BETTER suited for land if this it the case, and nullify everything I said, but that the external show of the main is entirely for mate display. As for bathing in different waters - At the aquarium where I work, sometimes when a saltwater species gets a saltwater parasite, we will either do a freshwater dip or instead slowly freshen the water, fresher and fresher. This does stress the fish, but if the fish has better tolerance for freshwater than it's parasite, we can kill the parasite thoroughly without use of drugs. Particularly we began to favor this when a mis-labeled medication gave us the wrong stuff and poisoned the water and killed many of our fish, including two massive sand tiger sharks that were within our care for years. Drugs and medications come with risks too- but I'm rambling, basically I'm just trying to say that maybe the ludroth are giving themselves a 'freshwater dip.' To kill whatever parasites aren't adapted for both mediums. There are probably, over time, ludroth-specific parasites capable of surviving all of their mediums. The mention of Ludroth vs Gobul is really cool and I never thought about that, but yeah Gobul definitely seems like it could be dangerous/just the right predator, with it's ambush hunting I don't think females would have much chance of fighting back and so he doesn't need to worry about their 'porcupine strategy' of being aggressive. And females mobbing Gobul makes sense for that reason, especially if they have some form of increased mobility. I am not sure if a group of females could kill a gobul, but making it leave the area is more risky than killing it since it could still inch it's way back in under the sand. I don't know if a group of females could kill a gobul, giving the addition of the paralyzing poison in it's spines. It's the literal porcupine here. If they CAN kill it though, I have no doubt they would try. It can't sneak up on you when it's dead. There are animals that kill snakes very aggressively (Humans too actually, we seem to have an instinctive fear of snakes) because if you kill it now when you see it, then it can't sneak up on you later. It's kinda like... You will have to fight this animal, but if this animal sneaks up on you when it has the advantage and you might be in danger. However, if you find that animal first, this is your best advantage - your best time to fight that animal - it doesn't get any better than getting the jump on the ambusher. IF your going to fight it, that's when you should do it. But, with the spines and paralysis, fighting gobul even discovered is probably extremely risky. Any paralyzed female could be eaten there and then. That is a HUGE risk to take, and I am not sure if ludroth know where to bite on a gobul to avoid the spines/I don't think their mamas teach them any of that. I am not really sure what female ludroth would do with a gobul, I feel like it depends on the size and condition of the animals and also how many females - and if the females have another option or some way to avoid it by moving to a different area. It's not that, enough females couldn't kill a gobul, but rather, that some would have to die even if they succeeded - and with each individual valuing her life, it's unlikely she's willing to sacrifice herself for the death of a single gobul. This is why when hyenas massively outnumber a single lion they may still act cautiously, as each individual doesn't really want to sacrifice themselves simply to kill a single lion. On the other hand, avoiding the gobul does not seem very successful. I think this is what it wants. Forget about it, so it can sneak up on you again another day. Gobul puts female ludroth in a very tough spot, as neither avoidance/fleeing nor fighting has very good chances for them. Maybe the males play a protective role of some kind in this situation? With larger mass, maybe they don't get paralyzed immediately, and while gobul can probably still eat some smaller royals, it's probably not preferable, such as the eagle preferring rabbits to foxes. I certainly do think gobul is probably the biggest predator pressure on Ludroth, even if mostly females and subadult males - However, given that one male can cause more than one female to bear offspring in most species of animals, it's usually the number of females that decides how many offspring are had by the population. There are exceptions of course, but I don't think that Ludroth is one of them. Therefore, Gobul eating females probably has a pretty big impact on their numbers.

[@juragunn7921]

Royal ludroth is definitely one of the more unique early game monsters and its a shame to see such an interesting concept be weighed down such a bland fight. I'd be happy to see him return in 6th gen but he's in desperate need of a moveset overhaul.

[@handtomouth4690]

Yep, just make all the early monsters mid-tier monsters just for the sake of being interesting to certain people.

[@norsehorse84]

22:07 Well, it seems we have our fully terrestrial Leviathan in Balahara finally. :D

[@tidalgrunt6549]

YES! ROYAL LUDROTH EPISODE! I LOVE DROTH!

[@jasonvoorhees5180]

Royal Ludroth is one of those monsters I love specifically because of how bold/garish it looks, not to mention the extreme sexual dimorphism with the females. Combination of lizard, lion and pinniped (?) themes just work really well for it.

[@i_s_u-c_l_o_n_e637]

I still disagree with you, to an extent, on the games getting easier. They are, but a lot of it is just because you, and other veterans, have been playing the game for so long. I don't think the early game in ANY Monster Hunter game is exactly tough for veteran players. I can go back to Freedom Unite and stomp all over them with the first big issues arising being Plesioth (which if considered early game would likely be on the edge of early game). I think little bit of a difficulty spike would be OK, but I just don't think these first stage large monsters should pose much of a threat to veteran players.

[@glichyb0b381]

babe wake up new UHC monhun ecology vid

[@leoperd3487]

I’ve scrolled down a fair bit through comments and surprisingly didn’t find anyone mentioning this, but the rudimentary/pure(?)/raw dash “juice” _does_ indeed have to be treated before hunter consumption, being initially obtained as dash _extract_ that is then combined with a catalyst to make what we consume.

[@matteolucarelli4615]

INB4 Primal Malzeno turns out to be another creature that feeds on the crabs :P Okay I know it's unlikely, but this has almost become a meme by now.

[@jacktheomnithere2127]

did you seriously ignore the fact that he is somewhat like a lion when you said the mane could protect him from rivals? or was it too obvious? to be brutally honest, he's my favourite Leviathan.

[@theodorehoag2524]

I love ludroth, maybe one of my favorites haha

[@Esoteric_Loonaism]

I'm a simple man. I see Unnatural History upload, I click, and neurons proceedeth to activate.

[@Bonedragon1300]

I'll be perfectly honest, I've never noticed that Ludroth's hind limbs were flippers, lol

[@metalantares3865]

First

[@Rainbowxjapan]

For some reason my headcannon for Royals was that their mane held water and they would dig holes and wring themselves out to create an oasis to lay their tadpoles. so males with the biggest manes could make the biggest breeding pools.

[@AtillaTheFun1337]

Have you ever considered looking into the Zerg from Starcraft? Could be interesting.

[@thenerdbeast7375]

Once again I have to disagree that the games are really getting easier and think it is more "we are getting better" based on my own experiences. Unlike most MH fans Rise was my first game and I worked backwards and this was my experience: Great Izuchi kicked my but up and down the Shrine Ruins as my first hunt. Great Jagras was a little challenging mostly because I was trying new weapons for World and playing on PC instead but still fun. Seltas made me fall asleep. If it was really a case of "the older games were harder" then at the beginning of the games with minimal gear it should have been consistent challenge working backwards and playing the games in reverse order. Instead I got better and that was the main factor in affecting the difficulty of games.

[@NekoNinja13]

Ludroth is my favorite "drome" easily. very nice looking gear and its a good first large monster

[@justankneocyclonecanon2170]

That roar what is it? I can't seem to remember what it is, probably originates at World and 4U games

[@fluffdafire157]

I don't remember where I heard this but I remember someone telling me that royal ludroth used it's mane to help females stay moist when moving between bodies of water

[@kaltneta6704]

Do you think maybe purple Ludrath is the original, and the spunges started as poison glands?

[@mebisanimationsandotherstu8977]

Over here we also call him bananas or "El plátano" Love this fella

[@Verdessa1273]

ah yes, the loyal rudroth, the great girros of rise! that is to say, a living punching bag...

[@Bunlengthdachshunds]

I would love to see how snake wyverns relate to some leviathans either through direct evolution of convergent evolution because tidal narjala is pretty much a leviathan

[@gigalante4435]

Do you ever plan on making your own speculative Phylogeny on the monsters?

[@alessandrocesani3231]

i think u should add gameplay videos of the monster along only images to add some dynamic to the video!

[@WizardDog829]

ludroth's mane kind reminds me of a heart not that i think it represents anything i just thought it could do something

[@gergomolnar2193]

Can you make a video about No Man's Sky? And what do you think about that game?

[@kingkobra4910]

Can’t wait to see your takes on the skill island Netflix show creature designs

[@micahfurlow2624]

For some reason just seeing him flop around makes me think its pretty cute

[@kytim89]

Could you do a video on Gobul and what its deep sea adult version might be like?

[@stevenbussjaeger2896]

Is the MH stories series not considered in these videos? I assume yes but would like to know.

[@biga6664]

anyone else notice ludroth hunting hyrule bass and mighty porgy at 8:00 ?