Monster epidemiology and ecology : Frenzy virus in Monster Hunter

[@purplehaze2358]

I love how "dumb rabies" is a legit alternative term for a type of rabies.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Me as a virus

[@abear4100]

As a linguistics turbonerd, it definitely draws from a much older definition of dumb that seems to be forgotten more as time goes by. The word originally used to mean "silent", "speechless", or "mute", but (to copy+paste from Wiktionary), "The senses of 'stupid', 'nonintellectual', and 'pointless', which are found regularly since the 19th century only, likely developed under the influence of German 'dumm' and Dutch 'dom'. Just like the English word, these originally meant 'lacking the power of speech', but they developed the mentioned senses early on." So a form of rabies that presents its symptoms as to make its host extremely lethargic, likely paralyzed and/or atrophying in parts, and even hydrophobic to boot, would likely cause the host to have a difficult time speaking, so referring to it as "dumb" rabies is certainly legitimate, and rather apt. It's just funny how the wonderful ways that languages evolve means what used to be a perfectly suitable subtitle now seems almost derogatory on the surface.

[@jockpackage1770]

it's also possible that SB won't have gore because rabies was a source of vampire myths. malzeno may have even more in common with gore than just his status being similar in being less dangerous to aggressive hunters. we don't know malzeno's lore/effect on the ecosystem yet. if this is true and there's something like a vampirism esc plague, from malzwno's bugs, then gore is unlikely. they said in an interview that they don't want to have monsters in the same game that work too similarly. for this reasoning, we're not getting zamtrios because lunagaron exists with ice armor/tetranadon's expanding belly and no agnaktor because magma almudron. though the latter could be the inverse, agnaktor may have been seen as unfeasible for the same reasons as lagiacrus so they made magma almudron as his replacement for now at least.

[@drxavier1870]

Bassically just Dragon Rabies tbh

[@blackcrasanblade]

i know right

[@sharplosion1]

I think another possible usage of the virus not mentioned is food. Frenzy basically leaves a trail of corpses wherever it spreads, corpses that most wouldn't be able to eat due to likely residual Frenzy. Given the lack of eyes, Gore should have a pretty good sense of smell, and could probably follow trails of Frenzy for basically free food. Though as the 4 intro shows it's not adverse to hunting, but it's worth noting that the Tigrex was already weakened by the hunters, so Gore might also specifically target anything weakened, which could include monsters in their final death throes as a result in the virus. Going off of that, I also think it's likely Shagaru may eat very little comparatively. Like some insect metamorphosis, Gore may do the bulk of food consumption, while Shagaru may eat little, if at all, and instead focuses on reproduction. This would also coincide with the theory that the virus alters their behavior to go to poor foraging environments, and they could've perhaps evolved in response to this to require less food once this behavioral shift goes into effect. All-in-all, great video!

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

I like the notion Gore does most of the eating like most bug larvae, and makes sense as you say. Would be interesting to consider what Shagaru's lifespan may be post-moult too if that were the case.

[@yurei4414]

​@@unnaturalhistorychannel Shagaru 's lifespan is likely very short because not long ago before the player starts the game there was a catastrophe happened because of a Shagaru Magala and a scale of said Shagaru was completally intact and in the hands of the caravaneer, meaning that probabily didn't pass much between the molt of the fist Shagaru and the second (maybe something like 50-100 years because the scale hasn't started decomposing, but nobody in the village saw the crisis with their own eyes). Also in cathar all people are very young, so it further evidences that.

[@jacktheomnithere2127]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel if anything, the Magalas are dragons with the lifestyle (and lifespan) of a butterfly. and Gore's "horns" are actually feelers. to my knowledge, Gore uses the virus as a defense - which also brings it food only it can safely eat, and a way to find its way around since it's blind (they wouldn't be called "feelers", otherwise).

[@Infixfun]

In addition, I can see how Gore could be incentivised scavenge. Normal hunting risks damage to its juvenile skin. Exposing the incomplete adult skin to air might chemically affect its development and increase the risk of a failed molt.

[@thepukingpukie823]

@@yurei4414 it's possible that it takes longer for its body or parts of it at least, to decompose since it's literally raw frenzy virus in its physical form being that frenzy is just ground up magala scales

[@septon4087]

Chaotic gore isn't a frenzy induced variant, it's caused because a shagaru will release a pheromone that prevents other gores from fully changing into a shagaru, to prevent competition

[@kingofflames738]

it's not a pheromone, it's a higher form of the frenzy. A Shagaru's frenzy is much more potent than a Gore's, too much for rival Gore's in fact.

[@themeow-sician1664]

Chaotic gore is a gore magala that was interupted while molding and is forever stuck

[@johncronk8867]

All of you are correct

[@jacobf1469]

TLDR: Shagaru makes sure there's no competition by releasing its frenzy that prevents older gores from properly molting, making the chaotic one. Younger individuals that aren't close to molting yet aren't affected by it, and when the time comes to molt, so long as they are far enough away from shagaru, they can avoid becoming Chaotic gore. BannedLagiacrus for the source

[@guilhermegaspar752]

Sometimes there are multiple answers to one question

[@yurei4414]

I love Gore Magala's ecology because it's so weirdly impossible, yet logical and natural. that's how Elder Dragons ecology should be, weird and impossibile, but belivable: Like Narwa levitating thanks to magnetism or Yamatsukami growing forests by eating dirt.

[@thmistrapillay1811]

And Nergigante with its naturalistic design and spikes and way of fighting

[@darkluxgames2347]

@@thmistrapillay1811 also that Nergigante asexually reproduces with its spikes. They forever continue growing, almost like the plants that constrict trees. Nergigante has literally evolved to eat elder dragons, clone itself and most likely die in the cycle.

[@williamking1081]

agreed, wish I thought of that

[@masterridley8593]

My theory behind most monster's biology and nature, particularly elder dragons is extensive genetic engineering to the point of generating new species artificially along with some amount of possible terraforming, all by an ancient, possibly long dead hyper-advanced civilization like what made some of the ancient shards and such found in MHW. Creatures like Kirin for example may have been engineered to control an aspect of weather. Ill post more if people want me to post more about my theory at some point.

[@kasiahmura2816]

@@masterridley8593 Ive had a similar theory about it. I think elder dragons are the way they are due to selective breeding by the ancient civilization for "cultural reasons". The reasons may be something like show animals - Kirin for example was made to be pretty and it's weather abilites are nothing more then thier owners showing off what they can do. Either way the reason doesn't matter, what matters is that we have a bunch of creatures that seem "designed" rather then evolved. I'd compare it to what humans did with dogs (breeding for our own preferences and needs) but on a much larger scale.

[@superbowser5165]

A monster that might support the theory about "monsters being larger/large monsters being more common in the past" is Shen Gaoren. I find it bizzarre for a monster to bet its survival on finding the skull of something as rare and long lived as Lao shan lung, but if there used to be a lot more similarly large monsters around, and Shen Gaoren are resilient and long lived enough to avoid extintion up to now, it makes a lot more sense

[@marcoasturias8520]

There's a fair share of giant monsters. Iirc, shen got a subspecies that uses an akantor skull instead. I doubt they're picky.

[@superbowser5165]

@@marcoasturias8520 there are, but they are still incredibly uncommon, to the point that they seem to be considered deities by some. Off the top of my head, some monsters with eligible skulls could be Akantor, Ukanlos, Gogmazios, Dire Miralis, Dalamadur and Zorah Magdaros. That's not a lot for something that's key to a species' survival, especially if you consider how spread apart and inospitable some of these monster's habitats are

[@yurei4414]

Consider how rare Shen Gaoren is too. They can sustain on gian monsters ' shells because there aren't many other specimen requiring shells too. Also consider how many graveyard biomes there are in the Monster Hunter universe: Rotten Vale, Primal Forest, Frost Islands... Wyvern End too in theory even though it's just a nest of Nakarkos, but they share the same habitat so Shen mught as well raid Nakarkos' nest for stealing the bones from it.

[@yurei4414]

@@marcoasturias8520 If we go by real life Hermit Crabs logic, they're extremely picky. I have a fish tank with hermits in it and they spend weeks trying various shells after molting, it's honestly incredibly cool to look at.

[@marcoasturias8520]

@@yurei4414 cool!

[@coreys.2456]

Man I love Gore/Shagaru Magala. Their overall design is similar enough to the typical European dragon whilst also having more alien elements to make them stand out. Definitely one of my favorites in the series and I hope they return someday.

[@LonesomeDevil]

You're probably already aware, but good news...

[@coreys.2456]

@@LonesomeDevil Fuck yeah!

[@kokorogensou]

good news :)

[@draw2death421]

Well do i have news for you! Our lord is back!

[@coreys.2456]

@@draw2death421 I already know. He looks good! :)

[@BlackRaptor77]

I definitely like that Gore Magala uses its wings as a sort of threat display. The monster only start using its wings after the 3rd encounter with you hunter, of which it becomes clear the Gore Magala recognizes as a rival. In addition it uses the hair it spreads around the area for maximum sensory perception. I definitely feel that in the 3rd fight is interesting because it clearly shows to be both on the offensive and demonstrating its power to you the hunter. In the past 2 cut scenes it was more concerned with predation. On the 3rd its challenging you. I'm also perplexed by its wing-arms, nothing short of a footed wyvern like Tigrex has such muscular wings. But what is even more perplexing is its hands that posses developed dexterous claws and even opposable thumbs being showed to be capable of grabbing the hunter with its hands. It's so weird and wonderful. And probably another hint at higher intelligence. In terms of edge lord it is my favorite elder but I remember being interested in ir because it was the first elder dragons to showcase intelligence in game.

[@ivanlagayacrus1891]

Not to mention its repetition and increased use of threats against you indicates some kind of intelligence much more than in other monster

[@burnoutcat2387]

I love the idea that the wings are used to warn aggressors as if the PERSON SIZED CLAWS on it weren't enough of a show. Pretty sure there a real world animal with similar stuff.

[@BlackRaptor77]

@@burnoutcat2387 Those claws could easily rip into the bellies of any creature is wanted to kill. The sheer force of the wings alone killed Tigrex. While the purpose of the wings are debatable, it's no question they are effective killing weapons against animals its own size.

[@burnoutcat2387]

@@BlackRaptor77 this and they can grab things since they have opposable thumbs They can litteraly strangle things and slice throats at the same time

[@ginam5497]

@@BlackRaptor77 the tigrex was allmost dead to hunters and then that happend

[@jamescampbell4416]

This sounds somewhat similar to the symbiotic relationship that Vaal Hazak does to the effluvium in the vale, though much more connected to the animals rather than the environment

[@Beowulf_DW]

Considering that Vaal is also vulnerable to fire, you may be onto to something, there.

[@kingofflames738]

Blackveil basically does exactly what Gore does. The effluvium makes monsters more aggressive just like the frenzy and with blackveil being more mobile it could easily spread like an epidemic.

[@remygallardo7364]

Personally I think Vaal was designed not just because they needed a rotten dragon monster but also because they went too hard on Gore Magala's lore to the point that including him in such a story heavy game like World would have MASSIVELY overshadowed the danger that Nergi and Xeno posed to the New World. A Magala on the loose is a literal apocalypse. Nergi's just a hungry boi.

[@Psychoangel-d23]

@@remygallardo7364 and then there is the possibility of a nergi eating a magala.... the thought alone makes me shudder. I mean imagine that spiky bastard going apex! Pretty sure that nutjob would be going toe to toe with a damn fatalis.

[@justinwong3755]

@@Psychoangel-d23 fortunately by nature Nergi can't go apex because the virus doesn't work on elders. Or else imagine others like Kushala creating virus-filled tornadoes and Velkhana blowing purple ice, or Val Hazak combining the virus with the effluvium to create the ultimate infection.

[@ultimatedragon356]

Gore Magala's Lore and Life cycle also remind me of Cicada cycles, being years of dormancy before emerging to molt and breed. This could also explain why other monsters haven't built up an immunity to the Virus, it's so infrequent that their immune systems don't have time to develop the necessary antibodies to effectively combat it.

[@XaviusNight]

And the negatives of going the route of immunity buildup (that is to say, likely losing some other resistances) may be more detrimental in the long run.

[@Cottonmouth255]

I think that the muscle atrophy idea is supported by the Frenzied monsters’ movements in-game. I recall the timing of their attacks being in constant flux, sometimes speeding up and sometimes slowing down. The increased speed could be inspired by a sudden burst of aggression, while the decrease would be the result of such activity being too much for the weakening muscles.

[@slowloris7438]

Honestly this is frenzied tigrex in a nutshell.

[@xeruexe1624]

You make a great point that many of the elder dragons flake of their scales as attacks or other various reasons. Me and my friend discussed this and we established that the wyvern type elders are the ones that do this. The other elders are the Fatalis line, or are just uncategorized. So we concluded elder dragons really are elders. They either have bad skin conditions, or telling people to get out of their Castle (Schrade), or are just plain weird.

[@andreworders7305]

KZbin gave me a Covid-19 conspiracy theory notification on this video, lol

[@mikecummings8872]

My two cents on the Heaven's Mount locale because I really like it; you don't have to look too close to see how consistent the winds are. Unless there's a kushy around, the wind is always just beyond gentle. That combined with its height may make for good spreading conditions at least in the immediate area. Then again, I know little about actual biology.

[@KingNexusMOCs]

Clouds have biology??

[@plaguedr.crowvin3349]

You’ll be surprised about the microbes in clouds.

[@stefanmoorejr]

"I suprise to be sure but a welcome one"spoken by none other than our glorious sheev palpatine

[@soapbrush1665]

Excellent video as always. Since Bazelguese was mentioned (and I don't know how often you review the comments made on older videos ) I'd also like to take the opportunity to suggest that the development of explosive scales could be a result of adaptation for take off and extending flight times. A ancestral Bazelguese may have developed a way to heat the scales on the underside of it's body in order to produce thermals to help the animal stay in flight longer. Eventually to avoid overheating these scales would drop off and over many generations would become the exploding scales we see today. This could also explain Bazel's low usage of fire breath for a creature it's size as the organ would have evolved to generate heat internally for the scales rather than an external breath attack.

[@jas_nah]

Well, this turns out to have been prophetically timed.

[@walkerpierce5446]

Also, Gore also use their frenzy laced dander to "see". When they become enraged and expose their feelers they are able to "echo locate" using the two in tandem.

[@thecanadiandane7262]

I appreciate you bringing up the possibility of elders having once been prey to other monsters, because I’ve been thinking about that a lot. You thought up in a precious video how many predatory monsters have what appear to be defence mechanisms characteristic of prey, so surely that must mean they were once, somewhat recently, under the pressure of predation themselves

[@notsae66]

Nergigante partially answers this as he primarily predates other Elders, though he also raises even more questions in the process as his spikes do seem to be a defensive adaptation that wouldn't make sense for a super-predator of his stature. Rajang targeting Kirin does show that there are non-Elders that frequently hunt Elders, and we know the big chin brothers and Nakarkos is also a fan of Elder Dragon meat.

[@hasekaki]

I think even if the spikes evolved as a defensive mechanism, nergigante definitely uses them offensively. It’s possible that the ability to rapidly regrow and shoot the spikes allowed nergigante’s recent ancestors to switch from a smaller carnivore to a more aggressive, predatorial one.

[@usscolumbia6149]

@@hasekaki also in game outside of trying to attack teostra in a cutscene the only other elders it attacks were Shara Ishvalda and Zorah Magdaros. Both are significantly larger. The spikes could be a defensive measure against elders of that size

[@hasekaki]

@@usscolumbia6149 that’s a good catch. Did not realize that!

[@l1ghtd3m0n3]

Add Mangamalo and Scorned Magnamalo to that list, given the Magnamalo line will Turf War with Elder Dragons and do a good amount of damage.

[@kimarykorlumiose7728]

WAKE UP BRO NEW MAGALA LORE DROPPED

[@m.s.e.advanced2842]

Dragon element immunity may explain why Elders can resist the Frenzy. Could be dragon became so present even in reduced form in elders to protect them from infection. It's also notable that Akantor has some dragon element (shown on its' roar attacks) so if Ukanlos has something similar this may be how they're resistant

[@sanguineregis5354]

I think ukanlos may not be resiliant but simply isolated. Its important to keep in mind that Ukanlos live solely in extrememy isolated, sub zero environments where they are specialized to survive. Food is rare because encounters with other animals at all are rare, and if encounters are rare then the risk of infection is extremely low.

[@zigayoutuber7256]

So why jho can have frenzy virus?

[@yurifanatic3147]

Except a lot of them don't even have immunity to Dragon, and a lot of them are weak to it. For example Fatalis is weakest to dragon, Alatreon still does take damage from dragon element, even if not as much as the others, Kushala's still weak to dragon, and so on.

[@yurifanatic3147]

@Grover Gameplay wise you're correct, Frenzy Virus has no relation to Dragonblight whatsoever. It does not affect elemental damage at all and what it does instead is negate natural health regeneration and make the hunter receive extra damage from the Magala, Frenzied, and Apex monsters (basically anything that will cause the virus to infect you). Not to mention the status can be a buff if my memory is still correct, if you deal enough damage while the virus is still incubating you'll gain an affinity boost and immunity to the virus for a short time.

[@S4isgud101]

@@zigayoutuber7256 Deviljho travels from place to place fighting monsters and eating as much as it can and that kind of lifestyle means it's going to be around a lot of monsters and dragon energy and frenzy have nothing to do with each other

[@gabrielfehlau8626]

This weirdly is exactly what content I want and the only youtuber that delivers is

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Happy to fill that niche!

[@gabrielfehlau8626]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel you're doing a good job I like how in depth you always go I wish that was easier with games in general

[@Fuuta_BabyBoy]

100%!!! I was like "Man, I sure wish someone would fulfill my desire for overanalyzing the biology & science behind these cool monsters from my silly kids game" and BOOM there he was!

[@gabrielfehlau8626]

@@Fuuta_BabyBoy how is he the only one it's soo sad. I also wish games would make that much sense

[@memeteme8893]

One thing that I was thinking about with the new trailer is Gore's habit of ambushing, restraining, and crushing potential prey. I think it could be a behavioral adaptation to cope with Frenzied monsters. Its very existence causes monsters to become Frenzied around it, and those monsters have violent fights. By restraining and slaying prey before the virus can even incubate enough to cause the symptomatic aggression, Gore doesn't have to face the Frenzied monster.

[@adamgrogory]

Grand video as usual, epidemiology is definently a subject that's not very well-explored in video essays like this. Frenzy virus is super interesting, and the question of why Gore evolved this odd symbiosis with the pathogen as well. An anti-predator adaptation which sometimes goes awry for the ecosystem seems quite likely, and I think that has interesting implications for the evolutionary history of Gore Magala and the history of the Monster Hunter World as well. Gore/Shagaru seems to be a very derived species, but if I were to bet on what its closest relative is I'd probably say Alatreon based on some features of the skull (the short jaw, mandibular tusks, and the large, not too dissimilar horns), tail morphology and body posture. Now, Alatreon seems to be an endemically volcanic species and is native to the same Volcanic Belt that the video mentioned that Brachydios is also found in. It's interesting that Brachydios also has an extremely unique symbiotic relationship with a very small organism just like Gore Magala. The speculation that the area of the Volcanic Belt was originally forested and that Brachydios aquired its relationship with the protista in that environment therefore makes me wonder about Gore. If Gore is related to Alatreon, maybe their ancestral species lived in a diverse coastal forest habitat (perhaps analogous to The Ancient Forest of the New World) with a large number of predators too watch out for, perhaps that could be a good explanation of where the symbiosis started. To add to that, maybe the reason that Akantor is immune to Frenzy Virus is because the ancestral Akantor species, which was presumably also native to the same coastal forest, was one of the major predators that hunted Gore's ancestral species back in that time. Maybe it was even the primary driver of the arms race that Gore seems to have gone through. Akantor's low body and massive jaw seems too be quite good adaptations to have if one originally was say, an underbrush ambush predator? Too me it seems quite likely that all of the species of the Volcanic Belt share a history. Alatreon's seeming relationship to Gore, Akantor's immunity to Frenzy Virus, and Brachydios' very similar symbiosis to Gore all seem to point to this. It's also been mentioned many times on this channel that the Monster Hunter World probably quite recently came out of an Ice Age. If the original habitat of the Volcanic Belt was a lush coastal forest during the Ice Age, perhaps the volcanic activity that caused the forest to become the Volcanic Belt was one of the very catalysts that ended that Ice Age. Most native species probably went extinct during this massive environmental upheaval but a few select species managed to survive. Maybe that's why many of those species seem to be so oddly derived from their cousins (Brachydios) or even nearly unique in the world (Akantor). They're the extreme survivors of an extinct ecosystem that had to adapt to a wholly new environment in a certainly very short timeframe. But while the lineage that would evolve into Alatreon managed to adapt to the new environment, the lineage that evolved into Gore/Shagaru couldn't and instead had to migrate to new areas. Maybe that's why we don't know what their natural habitat is and why they're so rare. Because they don't really have a natural habitat. They're like a refugee species, looking for new habitats that could fit them and bringing an unknown pathogen into new ecosystems. With most of their predators either wiped out by the volcanoes or in a different habitat, Gore and the Frenzy Virus now just roam free with no predator to limit the spread of them. And like the brain worm nematode spreading from white-tailed deer to moose in our world, the different biologies of Gore and the other species mean that what might cause Gore a little discomfort is debilatating and deadly for other animals.

[@dragonstrike406]

If I had a penny for everytime Unnatural History made an elder dragon and it's abilities sound plausible, I'd have two pennies. Which isn't a lot but it's astonishing that it happened twice.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

And hopefully more times in future too!

[@aasminecrafter]

I don't know why, but hearing people rant about a certain topic always makes me chuckle. Case in point: the "Because the Kaiju have toxic blood, don't use guns. Use swords instead" logic from Pacific Rim that you ranted about during the QnA.

[@mangoruby1357]

Impeccable timing with this video btw.

[@manatea6012]

Probably the best explanation for Brachydios's weird explosive mold is to break open large rocks and uncover mineral deposits like how miners used dynamite. It could also help to escape or open passageways during a cave-in, since it doesn't have wings or seem to be very good at digging.

[@raditz1101]

Talking about the end of the video, Brachydios does have claws, they're just tucked away when fighting and in older games Brachydios is readily shown digging through usually volcanic rock. With very powerful arms after dispatching prey he could use his hands to process food ripping off the armor of his prey and getting at the good bits.

[@purplehaze2358]

Here's a fun drinking game: Take a shot every time the word "virus" is said in this video.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

'Pathogen' will have you on the floor quicker.

[@mishmoosh8974]

This was really interesting. I love that you used real world biology to speculate how the frenzy virus behaves and how certain monsters might have defenses against it. Best coffee drinking companion ever. 🥰

[@thepukingpukie823]

It is worth noting that the game does specify that the frenzy has duel functions aside from offense/ defense in the sense that it essentially paints everything in the vicinity with neon paint so he can use his feelers to sense movement and get a better layout of the surrounding terrain

[@randomswiss4807]

I would like to add the fact that the frenzy works completely differently on human host. A hunter affected by the frenzy have 2 possible outcome: first outcome, the virus defeat it's host immune system and stops the body's ability to naturally regenerate, as well as making the body "allergic" to the virus, by making it weaker against frenzy-infused attack. Second outcome: the virus is defeated and the body become more resistant to further frenzy attacks (like a ligering immunity) and actually makes the body stronger by making the hunter deal more damage to frenzied monsters specifically. Now, at a natural pace, the virus will win, as it will slowly override the immune system, although some medicine can slow it down, but the only way to surpass it is through violence. I don't know what causes this or if it's just a game mechanic, but I like to think that the more the hunter struggle, the more cortisol and adrenaline it secrets, and those hormones might have an effect on the virus, or at least on the immune system at large. However, no matter what happens, a human affected with the frenzy will not become "frenzied", it will also not breath the black mist and are incapable of infecting other creatures.

[@Verminator4]

Sorry for not waiting for the brachy video before firing off this long post, but I want to post it while the ideas are fresh in my head. For me, the thing that supports the idea of Brachy hunting armoured prey is the possibility that the splotches of sticky explosive slime that stick to whatever it hits could function like plastic explosives do in real life. In particular I think it could work like a HESH round (HEP round in American terminology) which is a type of military cannon shell that's designed to leave a splat of plastic explosive that then detonates. The delayed reaction is near-instantaneous as opposed to the delay of several seconds for Brachy's slime, but the concept should still be the same. While not armour-piercing per se, HESH can be dangerous against armoured targets because it causes spalling, ie. internal fragmentation of hard metal armour that can kill the crew of armoured vehicles - the longest-range recorded tank-on-tank kill in history is a British Challenger 2 targeting an Iraqi tank during Desert Storm with this type of round. If Brachy's slime works the same way against an armoured monster's hard bony, stony or keratinous armour and causes internal splintering of the outer shell, it could cause horrendous injuries to internal organs, blood vessels etc. It could go beyond merely puncturing monster armour and instead actually use their protection against them to bring them down. It would work well in conjunction with Brachy's pounders and punching power, as if it lands a hard enough punch it could leave a divot in the outer shell of monsters it targets for the slime to pool in, focusing the explosive force and exaggerating the spalling effect. While I think it uses this kind of effect to kill targets with less effort than it would require otherwise in a straight-up fight, I don't think it uses it for eating, it has large jaws and also has what seems like quite long and strong fingers on the underside of its pounders - I think it uses these to strip armour away from carcasses, probably using any puncture wound left from a blast impact site as a starting point - while it's still likely quite laborious, it has the tools to do it and it's easier to do this with the prey item already killed rather than still alive. While I do think that armoured targets in volcanic zones are a little more numerous than you considered (I'd also include somewhat smaller and perhaps somewhat more numerous creatures like Volvidon and Ceanataur in addition to more obvious candidates like Uragaan and Gravios) I do agree that there's probably a relative paucity of these kinds of prey items, which other monsters might want to eat. I think Brachy's slime probably helps greatly in inter-predator competition - if Brachy makes a kill and seeks to defend it, or moves in to drive another predatory monster off from its kill, then the other predator might be more likely to back down because it's relatively more likely to suffer dangerous injuries from brachy's slime even if it otherwise gets the upper hand in a potential fight. I think this line of thinking is also the best explanation for the horn - it's large and brightly coloured making it ideal for threat display - the fact that it also discharges explosive slime makes it just another thing to watch out for in a fight, because making contact with its slime at all could mean a life-threatening injury even if you get the upper hand on it otherwise. The conspicuous green glow probably is meant to drive this point home, especially as the green colouration spreads to the rest of its body when Brachy's enraged. I don't think Brachy can raise its arms above its head very far, so I also think the horn would also be especially useful in fending off aerial predators trying to chase Brachy away from kills, especially Rathalos who seems to be relatively common in the volcanic areas that Brachydios frequents - also Bazelgeuse, if Bazel is primarily a scavenger as you suggested in your video on it, though perhaps Bazel's less concerned with being blown up than other monsters. The slime is likely to be expensive to create though, so I do think Brachy probably uses it sparingly - it's notable that the slime in its pounders is only activated by its saliva, so it has a choice whether to use it or not. It might not need to use it against smaller or less armoured creatures, so it can keep it in reserve for tougher prey, rival predators or pesky hunters. Its large jaws, club tail, and still-powerful unslimed punches are probably adaptations that its evolved or retained from ancestors as insurance for times when slime is running low, or just to allow it not to use slime all the time so it can keep a decent supply stocked up. The only thing I'm not as confident about in regards to Brachy is how any of these adaptations apply to cold environments, which it's supposed to frequent just as much as hot environments, at least in 3U and 4U (though it doesn't appear in Hoarfrost Reach in Iceborne, oddly enough.) There are seemingly a lot fewer creatures with hard outer shells there. Perhaps it merely visits cold environments rather than using them as its territory, but for what reason I couldn't say. The first answer I'd jump to is maybe breeding (IIRC the quest in 3U where you have to hunt 2 is in the snowy map) but I don't really see why cold regions would be a better place for Brachy to breed than its regular volcanic habitat. Again, sorry for leaving such a long comment that doesn't relate to the main subject of the video, but I've been thinking about Brachy a lot since your last video and wanted to share seeing as it's come up again in this one, even briefly. It all makes sense to me, but then again I'm a bit biased as Brachy's my favourite monster - he was the flagship in my first Monster Hunter game and I'm a big boxing fan, and Brachy's obviously very heavily inspired by that. Hope it's food for thought if nothing else.

[@junsengjs]

Cold regions might be better for Brachy to breed in due to the lower temperatures rendering the slime much less reactive(and less explosive). This would improve young Brachys' survival rates as they would be less likely to blow themselves up with their own slime while they're still weak and vulnerable to the explosions.

[@viperblitz11]

I find it hilarious how Gore Magala got a context banner for Covid

[@bluetextwhitebackground9585]

Honestly I think on the volcanic dwellers would be incredibly interesting. I'm not sure how many real world animals do live near active volcanic regions (especially regions where your basically stepping on lava) and think it would be an interesting topic, especially with monsters such as Gravios, Agnaktor, Volvidon, and even Basarios if Rise is anything to go by, although Basarios in volcanoes might be because there wasn't enough monsters in the molten part of the map. Once again an amazing video, they're all so rewatchable and get me thinking as to this monster would need this aside from "Kill other monster". Very few channels do what you do and I'm glad you fill that niche.

[@yurei4414]

Yeah, real life Volcanic Areas don't have much, outside of chemosyntetic bacteria and occasionally some type of cacti can can grow in hardened volcanic rock (there's a species like this in Hawaii) there's not much else. In the deepsea though it's another story, volcanic hydrothermal vents are full of life that though still starts from chemosyntetic bacteria, so maybe Monster Hunter 's volcanic ecosystems are like land hydrothermal vents. And all geovores rely on a symbiosis with bacterias than can digest Ore in exchange of protection like real life deep sea tubeworms and are the base of the volcanic ecosystems alongside bacteria grazers like squat lobsters (or Ceanataurs in this case). and then the plantlife can grow through the nitrated produced by the monster's corpses alongside the general fertility of volcanic rock, like Hawaiian cacti.

[@AztecCroc]

I mean, Basarios is the juvenile version of Gravios, it does make some sense it'd be found in the environments that the adult form is.

[@johncronk8867]

@@AztecCroc I mean, it’s been explicitly stated (I think) that Basarios aren’t ready for a volcanic environment yet, and live in other environments until they’ve matured enough.

[@willemlagrange2793]

@@johncronk8867 in freedom unite you fight basarios in the volcanic map

[@sythrus]

Was i one of the only people who defended zinogre? I thought that it was a pretty interesting idea that i had about it! Im just gonna go over the core idea again. It seems more akin to a dire wolf then a true wolf (they are thought to have been loners) and the insane front-heavy musculature may be a relic of the ice age, where it used it to more easily traverse heavy snowfall. The reason why they kept said musculature is, in my opinion, due to them either developing or advancing their symbiosis with the fulgurbugs and developing a new hunting strategy with it. The idea goes as follows, the fulgurbugs, being insects, are potentially far more sensitive to scents and tastes, with them eventually starting to guide their Zinogre hosts to potential prey items. Zinogre, with an increasingly more effective method of tracking down prey, loses some of the evolutionary pressure on sustained fast movement and instead starts gaining traits that allow for increased overall stamina. Yes, I am suggesting that Zinogre is a persistence hunter. If so, it would explain the general slow gait it tends to keep, the focus on loud howling despite being a largely solitary creature and the (potential) origin of the fulgurbugs electrical powers, the stamina is to help it corner its prey items/catch them unawares, and the very visible/audible features it has may be to intimidate its target into running away, thus wasting precious energy. The Azuros that we see in that cutscene that was featured last video may have been fleeing from that particular zinogre for who knows how long, and is frantically eating in order to regain lost energy. The zinogre may have tired it out to the point where if it attempts to flee, it may collapse. And im not even at the best part of the theory yet, what if, scoutflies are the miniature cousins of fulgurbugs? Tamed by ancient humans/wyverians who observed their symbiosis with zinogre and sought to replicate it (may be a reason why the whole fulgurbug is a drop, instead of just pieces of it. Hell, the fact that the scoutflies turn red may be a result of the dragon element that is found in stygian Zinogre, with it flushing through their bodies as a response to danger.

[@ScanovatheCarnotaurus]

Dire Wolves are not thought to be loners. In fact they likely had larger packs than gray wolves.

[@sythrus]

@@ScanovatheCarnotaurus iirc there was a study done that made them out to be loners. Could be out of date/disproven though

[@richardcollins5189]

@@ScanovatheCarnotaurus Why do I so frequently forget you watch monster hunter things? I see you every now and then, and it always confuses me.

[@anthonyporche8110]

I'm curious about how Frenzy can affect humans, especially hunters. The wiki says that afflicted hunters will experience symptoms such as nullified natural healing and receiving extra damage from Apex monsters. To me, this suggests that, unlike monsters, Hunters may not experience heightened aggression or lack of fear and restraint and may just die if left untreated. This makes sense to me because their much smaller size might make them too fragile for the Frenzy Virus to take full affect as it does to monsters. However, I do like the idea of the Frenzy Virus potentially resulting in afflicted villages becoming Frenzied hordes like in of 28 Days Later. This probably isn't likely, but I felt like sharing some thoughts I had.

[@angellara7040]

It's mentioned in 4s story that a lot of hunters that fought gore are sick and stuck in bed from the virus

[@marwanedward5926]

Whose here after the capcom show case

[@ArrikKitsune]

I love the Magala dragons. I hope they eventually bring the three of them back. I say three because of the Chaos Gore Magala which is a Gore Magala that didn't shed properly. This is one of my favorite Monsters along side the Brachydios. I would have loved to see Gore and Shageru in World/Iceborne but that wasn't meant to be. However I did get Brachydios at least so I was happy with 1 out of 3.

[@tyronechillifoot5573]

I have some good news from the future for you

[@ArrikKitsune]

@@tyronechillifoot5573 I SAW! I am so damned happy. After my Shitty day today THIS was exaclty what I needed to improve my day!

[@enfuegobeat7953]

While most likely not intentional I like that with the information provided by the games as well as some of your own points indicate that the Gore Magala usage of the frenzy virus and other evolutionary traits were developed to protect itself from Nergigante aka the Elder Dragons' main predator. As you pointed out the virus slows down the bodies natural healing and repair functions, internal bleeding, damages the respiratory system and causes extreme irrational aggression that interferes with a monster's self preservation instincts, all of which are highly effective against Nergigante. Nergigante's greatest strength is its rapid regenerative abilities which all it to form a hardened layer of skin and spikes caused by its highly aggressive hunting style causing presumably micro-fractures, which it uses to fight but slowing down its regenerative abilities neutralizes this offensive capability and the damage done to the respiratory system would also lead to becoming fatigued more easily which would hamper a highly aggressive predator whose main form of offense is to rush down his opponents while ignoring surface level damage. plus the internal bleeding and extreme aggression make its own fighting style even more self destructive as it not only loses its regenerative properties but now it risks further aggravating its internal bleeding just by hunting creating a lose lose scenario for Nergigante as it can either starve or risk death by blood loss. For its other evolutionary traits. the Gore Magala being able to use the virus like a projectile and explosive allows it to keep distance from the melee only Nergigante, its multi-directional sight from its scales allows it to be aware of Nergigante which decreases the likelihood of being ambushed or being grappled which are the primary tactics of the Nergigante. Plus its additional wing appendages would help it defend itself if it did get grappled as it would have more options and allow it to defend itself even if other appendages aren't able to.

[@kennethsatria6607]

Oh my god yes I never got to experience this lore, I personally always hoped it could be adapted akin to Legends of the Guild but it would be cool if it occurred unexpectedly in the New World where the monsters were usually more tolerant of humans

[@Klinker0913]

So glad I've found this channel. Im sure subscriber count doesn't really matter if you enjoy what you do, but I honestly think you should have hundreds of thousands more. This informative structure of videos has reignited my interest of minster hunter and these always are a joy to watch

[@_lost_paradise5089]

The Plauge... Has Returned.

[@hexacockadrom_7898]

I love how every video gets me excited to see what’s in store, not many creators really do it for me anymore so it’s nice to see you deliver videos that cover the subject in great detail. Thanks “Master of Biology”

[@siei3i37]

0:17 I mean gore technically isn't an elder dragon since traps affect him

[@The_Vent_Goblin]

I mean I'm sure traps would still work on a baby Kushala Daora, and Gore is a juvenile Shagaru

[@acatcheckingitstemperature394]

​@@The_Vent_Goblin xenojiva the only baby immune to traps

[@imalltheragex2000]

12:28 from what I heard it can also be by something or some creature halting the molting process. Perhaps something ripping off scales that were not fully ready to molt yet

[@aonbrogan8266]

Man I would love to see you make a full ecology on Akantor or Ukanlos. These are creatures that dominate other super predators like Rathalos or Gravios and reach the mythical Black Dragons. Explaining why they are such dominant predators compared to every other creature would be great to see.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

I do want to do a god wyvern video someday!

[@carterromanofsky3579]

Akantor and ukanlos aren't black dragons. They aren't even considered elder tier. They're classed as flying wyverns for some reason.

[@otorinthuzoth8624]

@@carterromanofsky3579 Akantor and Ukanlos were originally classified as Elder Dragons before being re-classified as Flying Wyverns (They have tiny wing-nubs but that's about it). Despite this, they are CONSIDERABLY more powerful than most non-Black Dragon Elders and the Big-Angry-Squad (Furious, Savage, Raging, Seething). They're in an odd place, tbh. Above the power level of most Elders, but below that of Black Dragons.

[@legendarybrando348]

A video on Vaal Hazak and the effluvia I think would make a good video. Also Rotten Vale is my favorite region, when it comes to design I think it's just really unique and pretty cool.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Patience my friend, it will come.

[@legendarybrando348]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel looking forward to it. You make good videos keep up the good work.

[@scorpiopede]

Really great video, it's interesting seeing how virus behavior works with frenzy and gore and this more nuanced approach is a lot more believable than the supposedly canon "the virus is for reproduction" argument. The virus also being a defense against other elders is another really interesting take, elder ecology is something pretty often overlooked since they're more often portrayed as just forces of nature but there's a lot of potential in this being explored. Design wise I've been more partial to Gore aesthetically, as well as just about everything else from its theme music to its fight. Shagaru honestly feels like a complete step down as its just an all-gold gore with spikes thrown onto it, I really think it could have used some more colours and maybe not that weird star-shaped wing thing its often portrayed doing. As for your next video? Prehistoric Planet for sure. The Merfolk vid definitely sounds interesting but given Prehistoric Planet's recent success and juxtaposition with the new Jurassic World film I definitely think it's a bit more relevant to discuss it first.

[@factsoftheconfederacy7151]

lol I love how they put a Covid 19 disclaimer on this video

[@toottootsonicwarrior5777]

Gore has a TON of potential, world building and mechanic wise that after MH4 has not been properly tapped into. With World's maps being large, lived in environments, I would have loved if gore had been integrated in a way that one being on a map could potentially create situations of other monsters becoming infected, becoming more aggressive to both the hunter and other monsters/wildlife and possibly eventually perishing and infecting other creatures if left alone long enough. If MH6 is anywhere as detailed and focused on its living, breathing environments as World was, I'm hoping something like this could be incorporated.

[@wheelsdex7428]

while capcom probably will fall back on brachy being a pugilist shell cracker. I always imagined it as a mix of an ore eater and a fungivore/large protist colony eater, with its symbiotic slime mold initially latching onto it to avoid predation and later becoming true symbiosis

[@imalltheragex2000]

0:37 from what I know is that Gore uses the virus (more so the scales) to see it's surroundings, cuz it's blind at first until it becomes a Shagaru (it most likely uses the smell of its scales to sense its surroundings, hence why it spreads them everywhere. To smell see in a sense. With Gore's predecessors most likely evolving in a way to take a up a large area to spread there scent, hence why Gore and Shargaru have those arm wing cap things with its wing webbing dragging on the ground, to spread it's scent), but it also uses the virus to hunt (more so farm in a sense), infecting a monster to then go crazy and infect others with some infected eventually dying so Gore can then have an easy meal. It's horrifyingly genius in a sense on Gore Magla's part... Except when a monster in able to survive the virus of course. The genes of theses said survivor might have spread, since frenzied monsters are not technically a thing in sunbreak, making it harder for Gore in the process (or maybe it's just that the monsters around Kamura and the Kingdom just have a better immune system compared to the monster around the village of MH4, sorry I don't know the name of it/ I forgot it) idk just a thought 6:15 the whole apexs being disease reservoir things actually makes some sense, but I do think the fact that apexs are often described as monsters that have ' mastered' the frenzy, makes me think that maybe monster don't actually have the ability to feel pain in a frenzied state, the frenzy maybe even acting like a for of dopamine, testosterone, or what ever hormones that makes ya feel powerful increases drug. With Apexs perhaps being able to control its out put better as to not kill themselves. Similar to how ya get an affinity boost in sunbreak after you are able to do enough damage in time to also ' master' the effects frenzy has on humans. I believe theses monster and humans who survive the frenzy may have some gene that allows them to coup with the virus better then others would. Meaning that apexs might turn back to normal monsters after a while like how humans do, but maybe monster can't actually fully get rid of the frenzy entirely. Idk just some extra thoughts

[@TheGoodOne1998]

I have two ideas two plausible in story ideas for why Apex didn't appear: Option 1: the Hunters and Knights killed any Magalas before they could take root and start an outbreak. The second option has spoilers and headcanon so [Spoilers warning here] During the time that Gore and Shagaru were around was enough to at least start a Frenzy virus outbreak but due to the Qurio killing the weakened larger monsters they couldn't became Apex Monster and for the smaller monsters and the endemic life it just added to the mass death and disapperance seen in Gathering of Qurios

[@Raiyura]

The amount of research that does into your videos is beyond my scope. Thank you for broadening my mind and I hope that future monster hunter games are as deep

[@LyonelNoale]

Just want to say that I absolutely LOVE this channel and this content. Thanks for making these videos. As a fan of Monster Hunter and Nature Documentaries, YOU are a godsend (or a GOGsend). Thanks again for making these, and keep up the great work!

[@beerhoz4533]

Gore magala can be in the jurasic Frontier, a prehistóric island (i believe). Gore magala in the story of mh4 IS a invasor monster and well (your first encounter with gore IS the open sea, maybe a lost magala that arrives accidentally to the Maine continent) the Monsters of the continent didn't deal well with the virus, thus the pandémic was release. The deviljho theory makes sense with this because deviljho can be a living fósil wyvern (your deviljho video) and has a history with the magala's family And finally, se can get both again with this, Monsters of the principal continent have adapted to frenzy virus but not became inmune (this is my theory so far)

[@alienenthusiast]

I've binged your videos at least thrice over, you scratch a speculative ecology itch, thank you for the lovely content. 👍

[@diaborodevil3161]

I think gore magala shows us how elder dragons can evolve by fusing with or bonding with micro organisms like the dragon element and affluvium they either have symbiosis or integrate with microbes

[@Cosmosis401]

Your videos are so calming to watch. I legit put them on when i go to sleep because its nice to listen to you talk about monster ecology. Keep up the good work man!

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Thank you - and sleep well!

[@alcole-holic8779]

Frenzy is one of my favorite aspects of the 4U story, it added an extra layer to the increasing interactions between the monsters and their environments. Starting with 4, the world of Monster Hunter became just that: a world. And that was when I fell in love with the series.

[@drakologarnus7248]

thank you jinxing gore into rise sunbreak

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

You're very welcome.

[@TheSilversepiroth]

I feel like to an extent Gore Magala use Frenzy as a sort of hunting mechanism, with it even possibly being used to aid in molting, as well. I know it seems a little farfetched but let me explain: disease is already an excellent method for ensuring predators are capable of eating, providing them with weaker prey to target. This is even moreso the case when the predator is immune to a disease that otherwise debilitates prey items which Frenzy does because it all but *_FORCES_* a monster to fight other monsters to the point of exhaustion or even death. Gore Magala's senses are noted as being poor, especially its eyesight, so if a monster attacks with complete disregard for its own wellbeing, that makes it easier for Gore to hunt it because the food brings itself to it, breaking itself on the formidable defenses of the Gore Magala, who is such a threat that only master rank hunters are allowed to go after it, a fact that should speak to the monster's own offensive & defensive capabilities. So I mentioned the fact that the Frenzy might help with its molting, and while what we have so far makes sense, how can I make a claim like that? Well, molting is a pretty serious ordeal, and being so well armored can only make molting more difficult. To this end, Frenzy can help with this, weakening the scales with frequent combat to the point that they're easier to molt to become Shageru Magala. If this is the case, then paradoxically Chaotic Gore Magala is directly the result of a Gore Magala that's had life too easy, and, like a chick without a tooth or legs too weak to break its shell, the molting fails; the monster trapped in its own "shell," left thrashing and gnashing its teeth as it attempts to complete its metamorphosis, a feat now beyond the wretched thing's reach.

[@donvoltonus8898]

Dunno if this will be seen but, perhaps one of the most lonely and unique beasts is Gobul. The Angler/Pufferfish/Amphibian hybrid is pretty unusual and unique, really only sharing major traits with the Nibelsnarf, such as powerful suction breath, and general shape.

[@765craven4]

I remember hearing somewhere speculation that the Frenzy Virus may be connected to Gore and Shagaru Magala's reproductive cycle. It would explain why Shagaru go to the mountain peaks once they reach maturity and release some sort of inhibition pheromone that prevents other Gore Magala from completing their molting process, as this behavior also seems to be tied to their desire to spread the Frenzy Virus over an area.

[@paolomarucchi-chierro4930]

I don’t know how a video on monster hunter teaches me more about biology than the 2years I did it for A level but you are a legend man keep it up

[@internetstranger_]

So I know I'm a little late to the party here, but in regards to the point made about Magnamalo in the last video: I think taking the intro poem at face value might be problematic. It seems to be intended as a folk Story or something like that, portraying the Kamura residents' interpretation of observed behaviors. In that case, it's likey that Tobi-kadachi 'preferring a warrior's death' wasn't much of a scientific observation even in universe. To me it seems like the Tobi attempted to intimidate the Magnamalo by flaring out its quills to avoid a costly or dangerous confrontation, but failing to do so, now forced into an active struggle (and probably dying in the process). I quite dislike Magnamalo myself, but I think it was worth pointing out, since I think this part was executed with surprising care (for rise).

[@oniononion69]

This was always my interpretation too: the little poems never quite seemed like they were meant to be taken literal. I always thought the Tobi Kadachi in Magna's into simply didn't know what the hellfire orb was and, seeing as it couldn't get away, attempted to fight it off instead.

[@musicbyoakly]

I've been binging your channel the entire day waiting for this video, thank you alreay for a vid on my fave MH monster and monsterdesign in general!

[@prawn1717]

Great video, as per usual. I agree almost entirely with your analysis of Gore and the Frenzy, but to continue the conversation surrounding Brachydios, I think an underrated aspect of design is thematic design. In the case of Brachy's crest, it seems to mimic a pompadour, a staple of Japanese gang culture. This hairstyle compliments the monster's "brawler" fighting style to invoke a sense of unique personality, which is essential to designing a monster that stands out. I will say that I think this could have been accomplished more delicately and that the crest is definitely exaggerated, but I don't mind the crest being handwaved as a mating display organ to preserve Brachydios' status as the "street thug" of the roster. One thing Capcom could alter about Brachy is to change the size of the crest depending on whether you're hunting a male or female brachy, in order to hammer that aspect of the design further home. Female Brachydios could even have the crest removed almost entirely, and make up for this loss with ferocious biting attacks, and I think that would be a fantastic detail!

[@dudetteofclowntown]

These videos must take so much time and studying behind their making and I have to say- It's honestly an incredible work and I absolutely love it! These videos revive my desire to continue playing the old games :3

[@shandaniel2999]

This is my favorite monster and I am excited to see you cover it!

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

I hope I delivered!

[@TornaitSuperBird]

This video ended up being supremely topical.

[@shadesmcf]

Gore Magala is my favorite Monster in the series. Great video! Gonna look forward to the eventual Malzeno video

[@wormshill]

The concept of this channel brings me unreasonable happiness.

[@frostkitsunelive7661]

It’s actually believed that Gore Magala and its Elder Dragon counterpart, Shagaru Magala, use the Frenzy Virus as a means not only to defend itself, but also to mass reproduce asexually. It’s assumed that the Apex monsters are carriers of a growing Gore Magala embryo, which is why the Frenzy Virus is so deadly to so many monsters. The Gore Magala embryo eats through the monster too fast for it to survive, but Apex monsters are suitable, strong carriers of the embryo that will allow it to fully grow before killing the host. This was, and still is, a trait that many parasitic creatures share, laying their spawn into a host for it to be eaten upon the larvae’s birth.

[@obambagaming1467]

I think the reason why Chaotic Gore could exist is maybe another Shagaru Magala. What if Shagaru Magala spreads pheromones or maybe just it's own virus and when a Gore Magala comes in contact with it, it's unable to molt. Many bee and ant queens also spread pheromones to prevent their workers from trying to lay eggs. Shagaru could do this to prevent other Shagarus in it's territory because they would mean competition.

[@emperorbunnybun7513]

You've quickly become a favorite content creator. Hope you keep making more and more interestong videos!

[@terrykrugii5652]

"Gore is a little TOO goth-" *You take that back*

[@5raptorboy1]

I'm a bit late but my personal theory for a while (with the whole thing with Shagaru's spores carrying eggs along with them) is that Shagaru is an extreme r-selected species that essentially creates a larder out of everything in the area. Every animal that dies from the frenzy virus will become the perfect nursery for underdeveloped maggot-like baby magalas. After that point, they will grow for decades or maybe longer into a Gore Magala, likely transitioning through multiple niches as it grows older. Once they reach the final stage of development, they will begin the long trek back to their birthplace and prepare to restart the cycle. Which is the reason why this species just so happens to have come back after hundreds of years as if it's matching up with an ancient prophecy. This also explains why this newly discovered species has another individual appear (the Chaotic Gore Magala) at almost the same time as the first discovered representative, either another survivor from the brood, or a case like cicadas where their life cycles match up, perhaps to allow the ecosystems time to regenerate before a spawning event. Edit: on the subject of Brachydios, I was always under the impression that it was a generalist omnivore, like a black bear or something. It can definitely be a predator, but is usually far more content to just spend its time eating ores.

[@soltheshinydrifblim7183]

Small correction for the start, Gore Magala isn't actually classified as an elder dragon. Also, I believe it is stated somewhere at some point that Chaotic Gore Magala is the result of another Shagaru Magala interrupting a Gore Magala's molting, leaving it stuck like this, possibly to reduce competition in it's area.

[@willow95]

Just earlier I was, jonesing for another of your videos. Thank you for coming through!

[@TaosoftheVoid]

I never played any Monster Hunter prior to World so I never really saw Gore Magala before but had heard - from your videos actually - about the frenzy virus existing. This was very educational! It makes me want to write a hunter or researcher making a journal of observations about this stuff from increasingly risky distances with the last parts implying they perished from the virus - I'm assuming humans aren't immune to it after all. Really love your content! It's fascinating and tends to be the backing to my own hunts! I take awhile to do stuff solo...

[@oeeo6thealatreon118]

Humans are indeed not immune but I’m not too sure how it works In game it’s a system of “hit enough times before the full effects kick in and you get a buff and if you fail you get weakened” But I’m not sure if that’s how it actually works lore wise or if it’s just gameplay

[@luisgregoriopadilla9553]

And to add the virus is also how the magalas make offspring. PS: I think the virus is more fungus like

[@TsulaAngenati2292]

That Brachydios theory of them using their pounders and slime on armored prey is specifically a bit weak in the case of Uragaan- a monster built to withstand point black explosions from their prey, bombs that they activate by smacking them with their own chin, and as such, they are resistant massive impacts; making both of Brachy’s weapons useless against them (that IceBorne intro to him is cool, but maybe they should’ve used a different monster, like one that actually isn’t resistant to his weaponry)

[@Bjorn_in_Orbit]

My head canon is that brachy punches the armor to make it crack and the slime breaks it open and does the majority of the damage.

[@TsulaAngenati2292]

@@Bjorn_in_Orbit true, but neither would work on Uragaan. He survives heavy impacts from his own attacks, such as rolling and leaping up into the air to faceplant to ignite explosions. The blast wouldn’t work since he ignites explosions by faceplanting into them. He might be able to crack the armor of Agnaktor, although the slime I doubt would actually do anything to a creature that swims in lava

[@Bjorn_in_Orbit]

@@TsulaAngenati2292 true. I don't see brachy taking a uragaan down easily. Being heat resistant and explosion are 2 very different things though. It's not heat from a explosion that does the most damage. It's the shrapnel and force that makes a explosion so devastating. Agnaktor would definitely not have a good time after being hit by even 1 boomy boy.

[@TsulaAngenati2292]

@@Bjorn_in_Orbit I get that part, but what shrapnel comes from slime? Unless it’s on the ground, it wouldn’t put any shrapnel in a monster, and as for impacts, that’s fair, but even then, Agnaktor could just beam Brachy or stab him in his unarmored gut pretty easy- and his own beam has a lot of impact as seen from its recoil, so neither of these two monsters really would work for Brachy to take down

[@Bjorn_in_Orbit]

I was talking more about the shrapnel a explosion could cause in the body like shells shattering and being flung inside or bone etc. But your right brachy doesn't really have a good "prey" animal for him to predate on.

[@chaos4654]

I think the main reason other monster tend to tank and survive explosions whereas Agnaktor doesn't... mainly comes from a mix of tough armor/hide and the fact Slime is actually pretty invasive and sticky compared to every other bomb induced explosion that usually are a small distance from the target. Explosions and strong heat weaken Agnaktor's armor, and Brachydios' Slime could get in under shell/armor and coat softer flesh to violently tear it up with an explosion. Also I'm not very sure Agnaktor's laser would've done too much since Brachydios strongly resist fire.

[@Pepeeeeeeeeeeir]

The darkblight from monster hunter stories is the definition of the frenzy virus

[@connortripp99]

If Gore is the goth phase of the Magala species, then Shagaru is the Jojo Phase.

[@King_Gum]

I actually really like the theory of Elder Dragons all evolving in competition with each other. Also gotta love the combination of insightful discussion for 40 minutes followed by 5 minutes of brutal roasting.

[@That_Ginger_Bard]

Honestly, one thing I've always been curious about is the soap-like substance that mizutsune produces. I've always thought of it as a type of mating ritual, mostly due to all the mizutsune bring male, almost like they're overproducing it. It all just seems interesting to me. I also never knew how much I needed an explanation for Gore's frenzy

[@yurei4414]

It's probably like a Soap Fish or Hagfish mucus. Making itself slippery gor avoid getting pinned by predators and be overall more agile. That's what Mizutsune does in-game too.

[@latrodectusmactans7592]

With the Qurio in Sunbreak being similar to the Frenzy Virus in many ways, do you think you'll be doing a video on the Qurio any time in the future? I like the Qurio as a concept, though the game's story is very muddled on how they actually work and their relationship to Malzeno.

[@aureliaromero8383]

You would not believe the joy i got when i saw another one of your uploads

[@brisingrdragon7573]

When I came across the quest for Gore (and subsequently Shagaru) in low rank MHGU, I was confused by the lack of fanfare. Although I knew GU was going to be a lot less story-driven than World (the first game I played), Gore and Shagaru seemed like they should've been given some kind of introduction because of how important they looked. It made a lot more sense when I learned that they had been essential to the story of MH4. I really love the naming conventions for their weapons, with Gore having harsher German names and Shagaru having more angelic-sounding French names. I also loved how Chaotic Gore's weapon names would be a German word and a French word with opposite meanings (e.g. the HBG Verrat/Foi means Betrayal/Faith).

[@KenjiTheSnek]

A possibility for the reason for spreading frenzy that relates to predation is exactly what we see in Chaotic Gore, where Gore pretty much tries to kill everything in its general vicinity to prevent itself from being disrupted during moulting. If everything is dead, it’s more likely to fully mature into Shagaru instead of being interrupted like Chaotic Gore.

[@sportswithrobot]

In the lore it is mentioned that Gore uses the massive dead zone as a food source to fuel its metamorphosis into shagaru. And chaotic is literally said to have failed because either hunters or other monsters interrupted its molt.

[@darkluxgames2347]

My personal idea of Frenzy is it being similar to the Cordyceps fungus that releases spores that scramble the host's brain that leads to the creature's death to let the fungus thrive. This entire explanation, however, is really well researched and well thought out! EDIT: I wrote this just before you mentioned Cordyceps in my listening to this video.

[@Vulcanfaux]

The timing of this video is convenient. Considering yesterday's announcement.

[@ganonsbaker3026]

As always, great video! I always liked having more world building like disease in these games, and thinking about future entries where a Hunting Request is to cull infected individuals, while also leaving the healthy population alone. The idea of the frenzy having more control over the Magala's is an interesting one, it might explain why Gore would go after a random human ship in the middle of the sea, trying to spread it further, seeing as Humans seem to interact with the disease differently than with Wyverns.

[@bobasaur5324]

I'm not sure why but my favorite part about the magalas is their classification. While shagaru is classified as an elder dragon(and can't be captured) gore is simply classified as unknown(and can be captured). It makes me wonder about what elder dragons really are on a biological level that a normal(ish) monster can turn into one.

[@namealreadytaken7116]

One thing I don’t get is how he’s not classified as elder dragon I know people are going to say he can be captured but that doesn’t change the fact the he tacks down every category for being a elder dragon.he has 6 limbs,can cause severe danger to ecosystems and monsters with the virus and etc.He’s just a juvenile elder dragon he can’t be classified as a wyvern since no other category of wyvern fits him.The only thing that fits him is elder but if he’s not an elder dragon for some people what else is he since the game doesn’t even know.

[@Gayhan-]

Found SSSS Tier Monster Hunter Channel. Subbed!

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Thank you! Welcome and hope you enjoy!

[@thebaseandtriflingcreature174]

17:17 Seregios had to leave for his sunbreak interview

[@_lost_paradise5089]

hey... hahaha... hey, ummmmm... so, like... The Magala's are just FULL of surprises, aren't they? Even to this very day. ... As if it wasn't enough already:)