Bird Wyvern Ecology : Qurupeco, Kula Ya-Ku and Gypceros in Monster Hunter

Despite being the butt of many jokes about their dimwitted nature, here I argue that bird wyverns may in fact be some of the smartest wyverns, as well as a look at their respective behaviour and ecology.

[@TeaCommonShark]

Honesty man, you are without a doubt the most helpful and interesting channel there is, and I find myself constantly rewatching ALL your videos... They're really helpful for me when making my own theoretical Ecology/Ethology videos...

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Thank you so much - I absolutely love your own ethology videos too!

[@da_BemBem]

I would like to object to the Brute Wyverns being low-intelligence, rather, some are, but then you have Brachydios and Glavenous, as well as the psudo-tool use you see with Banbaro. Barbaro is especially strange, though, because it's actually fairly passive until it feels threatened or sees a fight, then swoops in like hall monitor and pretty much ends conflicts. Ever notice how Banbaro will just lay down next to you if you're emoting in a hotspring? They're super sized Capybara, that also has the caveat of not liking hunter's hunting.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Banboro is odd in that respect. I felt it's antler adornments are kind of mixed, as deer will do this too albeit not for combat purposes and yet I guess it's still technically tool use. But at the same time their other cognitive abilities aren't that significant. Animals are complex...video games ones even more so...

[@fishyfishyfishy500akabs8]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel while this is late and not related directly to Banbaro’s intelligence, I would like to say I’m a big fan of the work you perform on this channel, and would like to perhaps speculate that Banbaro’s hall monitor behavior is there to prevent large predators which might threaten it from showing up. Somewhat similar to how deer mothers eat their placenta after giving birth to avoid predators sniffing them out in a way. The rock tool use I think can also be paralleled with how elephants use throwable objects to intimidate enemies, but taken to a potentially lethal extreme. A enraged Banbaro is intimidating with its giant bulldozer like horns and sheer size, but still might not be enough on its own to repel animals approaching its size like Fulgur Anjanath or Tigrex, but an enraged Banbaro rolling and chucking large boulders and entire trees? That surely is far more intimidating to any unsuspecting predators on its turf.

[@pikabolt09]

Banboro is a Fatalis that has forgiven humanity but still hasn't forgotten.

[@scottpeltier3977]

I mean I respect it, they just big vibes that get mad at those who disrupt it

[@richardcollins5189]

@@pikabolt09 Yep, that's the most accurate description.

[@sharplosion1]

As others have said, Glavenous must be pretty intelligent to figure out the mechanisms of it's tail and how it needs to sharpen it. I'd also say Barchydios is fairly intelligent as well, in order to even begin the symbiotic relationship with the slime that it has as well as learn to prime it with it's saliva. It's funny that you say the Temnocerans would be dim, because they're shown to be pretty intelligent from just the two that exist. Nerscylla skins Gipceros (and Khezu for the subspecies) in order to wear their skin to make up for some of it's natural weaknesses. And Rakna-Kadaki uses it's own young pretty much like Wirebugs in order to pull itself around and overall coordinates with them to fight. Both of them seem genuinely pretty intelligent. And even stranger, it seems like Carapaceans also have room for intelligence. Not even regarding using skulls as shells and weapons, but almost solely thanks to Rustrazor Ceanataur as it's now directly implementing tool use through sharpening it's own claws with the Glavenous skull. Oh and of course, great vid as usual.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

It's worth noting a lot of behaviours that can seem very complex can often just be innate. A good example of this could be ant lions, which will flick grains of sand at insects struggling in their pits to make them fall in. This is arguably tool use, but is almost certainly an automatic behaviour that doesn't require cognition as it's pre-coded in the responses of the animal. Jumping spiders and eusocial insects are other good examples. So things that can seem to suggest intelligence can often be instinctive. But I'll be looking more into it for their respective videos, and thanks as ever!

[@mattp2788]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel I think Nerscylla are definitely smart. When they put you to sleep, they won't attack imminently but will insteed examine you to see if you are faking it (like how Gypceros plays dead). And the one in MH4U used a boulder to block the flow of lava in the Volcanic Hollow, cooling it into the Sunken Hollow so that it could build it's web.

[@victory8928]

Agree while not as smart or in the same way as the birds, the spider monsters really seem quite curious and observant, like how rakna hunts voividon while Rakna may appear to be more instinct driven she is also quite the clever cookie especially in how she uses her abilities and the environment by slingshotting around. Nes is however on a whole other level. Oh and while Athal isn’t a tem, she is bloody intelligent with the ability to understand the value of raiding settlements to hoard materials to construct and maintain a mech that she puppets with her silk. Then when she isn’t using the mech she shows great awareness of the environment and tool use with her use of the wheel and the beam as well as dragonators to create a maze of threats for any foe that dare challenge her only for her to get pissed at the end and instead of fleeing up her attacks to overwhelm those that dare threaten her and dismantle her masterpiece.

[@TheWonkster]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel I would say that knowing you are weak to electricity, hunting something that isn't, killing and literally skinning it to wear as a protective cloak constitutes clear tool use.

[@fishyfishyfishy500akabs8]

@@TheWonkster technically certain assassin bugs do something similar by wearing dead ants partly to blend in with living ants and it’s entirely instinctual

[@taloscal]

funny thing about Nerscylla, if you get put to sleep by it, it very often will approach you and give a few little pokes first before attacking... with its main target being Gypceros it almost feels like its checking your body first to make sure you aren't 'playing dead' to get an attack in much like its usual prey... the insect monsters in MH are always really interesting and fascinating to me with how unique they can act and fight...

[@egalomon]

Yian Garuga was set up to be super smart too. He has actual combo moves from the start and is said to actually dodge traps instead of just running into them blindly. In 4U he also uses the roach-like Konchu as projectiles right?

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Kut Ku uses the konchu, but garuga is definitely set up to be very smart from the get go.

[@cramorantisgod4533]

I love the kulu-ya-ku. They’re very cute you definitely did my favourite bird wyvern justice.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Thank you, pleased to hear it!

[@nuke2099]

Glavenus is said to be really intelligent and the most intelligent Brute Wyvern/theropod.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Interesting, if you have a link with more info I'd be keen to read it.

[@freaky_owl5833]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel There's this tweet from Banned Dino in his thread about Glavenus: twitter.com/BannedDino/status/1329867574524383232?s=20 and the wiki also mentions it, so I assume it's small fact from an artbook or something like that?

[@nuke2099]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel I think it's from one of the art books and from Banned Dino/BannedLagiacrus. Although interestingly for all it's smarts it doesn't use it's tail in most (or any I can think of) turf wars. Which is rather stupid and why I question why they were added.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

@@freaky_owl5833 Thanks for the link! Annoying there wasn't more about his intelligence, but the Glavenus in game being male is very interesting (and like Mizu too). Doubly keen for whenever the iceborne artbook comes out now too as I'm hoping much of that will be translated into english.

[@victory8928]

@@nuke2099 Tbf, the newer turf wars and really most of the turf wars in World are often reskinned and bad for individuals monsters with the best being the unique ones and the unique rise ones. Brachy doesn’t even use their slime when dealing with threats plus diablos is dumb enough to not skrew glav with that second horn attack especially given what it does to rathian. But yeah dumb turf wars

[@Mr_Mouthington]

I am very interested about khezu’s and probably Gigginox’s ecology. Especially Gigginox because it will give birth while fighting the hunter as a offensive and defensive strategy, which is very cool for a xenomorph leech gecko wyvern.

[@ScanovatheCarnotaurus]

I have a lot of interest in khezu and gigginox as well, especially since their characteristics (both in-game and otherwise) tell us a lot more about their evolutionary relationship than what would be expected for such typically out-of-place monsters.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Hopefully I'll do them both justice for you guys!

[@prexp9026]

They seem rather basal than the other monsters in the game. There's a hypothesis that they merely lost aspect of their anatomy due to them being cave dwelling but I'm curious on how are they able to have their anus/cochlea? (I assume it's a cochlea since it's where the baby comes out) be placed at the end of the tail. Perhaps a relation to pukei-pukei? Since they're the only other wyvern that has a orifice at the end of their tail.

[@DeltaOdyssey]

I agree, everything about them is so wonderfully wierd.

[@OviraptorFan]

I will say that Glavenus is likely among the most intelligent of the brute wyverns, and i would possibly place them between the pseudowyverns and typical flying wyverns in terms of intelligence. Another honorable mention is Banbaro, who will use the environment to their advantage such as knocking down trees or gathering snow.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Yeah, one thing I should have mentioned is that for larger families there's likely room for a lot of variation and I just sort of estimated an average. The consensus certainly seems to be Glavenus is intelligent!

[@dianauwu1312]

I've loved Kulu since his introduction. He's kind of a jobber monster, like many bird wyverns, but tool use makes it slightly more interesting to fight and a nice addition to the lineup of early game monsters. Fun fact: monsters in the game have a fear value of sorts to signify how likely they are to run away from a given situation. When holding a rock, Kulu has literally no fear and won't back down.

[@atino7169]

Have rock have no fear

[@hoverboots10]

Rok

[@godzillanerd9250]

I love listening to your videos! It’s kind of soothing to learn more about MH monsters while doing schoolwork lol. Can’t wait to see more! Keep up the awesome work!

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Thank you! I can only hope the monotone doesn't send you to sleep in the middle of homework!

[@godzillanerd9250]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel oh it don’t! I’m interested in everything every step of the way!

[@nodeartr8134]

I always felt Chameleos was a uniqely elder dragon apex predator of the swamps. It feels more animalistic than most other elder dragons

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Agreed, he's my personal favourite elder too!

[@chemi169]

The perfect swamp/wetlands apex monster for me would be some combination of Gobul and Almudron - a huge stalking leviathan with a great affinity for its environment and lots of tricks to capture prey. It would also be really cool to see something more unusual like a neopteron apex, maybe something like a pond skater to fit the swamp environment. Also, if you do a video on fanged beasts I'd really like to see you cover Kecha Wacha and Bishaten first.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Agreed - I'd love some salamander influence in a monster too with maybe the feathery gills juveniles have. More giant bugs for sure - seltas queen and her edible husband are just the start hopefully! Just crank up the Carboniferous aspects really. I'll definitely do some fanged beasts. Blangona / Congalala will likely be first I'll admit as I'm planning to write their aspects back to back with the dromes and greats to explore various aspects of social animals and sexual dimorphism - but they'll get done!

[@grantowens7537]

Regarding this, have you seen the frontier Baruragaru? It’s literally a lamprey salamander that dominates the swamplands. I know frontier is a bit of mixed bag, but I think quite a few of the roster are very interesting, especially Espinas, the Orugarons, Gurenzeburu, the Akuras(scorpions), and the ugly as sin Gasurabasura. Pariapuria is also quite an interesting critter as well! A tigrex-sized cave dweller that eat anything in sight!

[@xdsmile5359]

I think Brachydios is actually very similar to a boxer.The reason why ut doesn't use slime on other monsters is probably a hidden rule.Since I think the slime is specifically for hunting and for fighting hunters.

[@scorpiopede]

Another fantastic video, Qurupeco is my favorite monster in the series so I'm really glad to see you cover it. Bird wyverns consistently have huge amounts of creativity and personality behind them which more than make up for the lack of power, although I would like more higher tier bird wyverns in the future. All the points in this vid were pretty on point, and I never even considered just how intelligent Qurupeco and Gypceros could be, which helps me appreciate them more. I honestly REALLY hope Quru could return in the inevitable Rise U or whatever the expansion ends up being, its ability to buff monsters (which I'm not sure if there could be a near real world analog to that, more a fun comparison to the hunting horn), would give it a unique role in rampages, and I can imagine monsters that Quru summons only focusing the hunter while also being immune to wyvern riding while summoned, makings its ability to call monsters something to fear again. I am very much looking forward to your discussion on the Jurassic franchise, that specifically is a topic I've wanted to cover myself at some point, so I look forward to your thoughts on that.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Thank you! I really like the bird wyverns too, and was glad I did Quru justice as he has a lot of fans. I'm a little skeptical of such a low level monster returning in Rise U, but I think he'll be back in the franchise at somepoint, especially if it goes open world which i personally believe it will in the future. That's a very good idea to make him relevant in Rise though.

[@scorpiopede]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel Hard to imagine a fully open world MH, it would be cool to see but I don't know how they'd keep the level of focus like they have up to this point with giant sprawling maps, it would be cool to see. As for RiseU, considering how they buffed some World monsters, I can see Quru getting a similar treatment, make him more of a threat.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

@@scorpiopede I should add I only thing it'll happen in quite a few years, probably 7th gen at the earliest. And it is just a theory too!

[@scorpiopede]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel That's completely fair, we'll have to wait and see.

[@cramorantisgod4533]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel A GAME THEORYYYY!!! I couldn’t help myself

[@HSnake5]

Very important to note too is that Kulu never initiates combat when spotting you in World. This was rectified for no reason in Rise.

[@charmingcthulhu6544]

On the tyopic of intelligence, would you say that Ahtal Ka's nest building habits are a sign of intelligence or instinct? That is to say, would piloting a mech be the equivalent of spiders making webs? Or are Ahtal Ka 2000 IQ monsters. In any case great vid.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

At the risk of being unpopular I do think AK is best explained as primarily instictive behaviours, otherwise with such advanced cognitive abilties they'd be pretty unstoppable.

[@pigeonfowl474]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel I would like to add that it was mentioned in an art book that Ahtal-ka model their nests after monsters they encounter when young which is why the nests usually resemble large wyverns, so that may imply at least some intelligence beyond that of that average bug. Also how they use various man-made weapons in unique ways (the wheel and the dragonator).

[@lancifer3909]

I feel as if it has to be some combination of both, but where to draw the line comes murky & situational. Where it comes as instinct for its expansive nest-building & collection of parts, components, scrap-pieces, but being capable of utilizing its usage & capability, as well as combination into somethin' greater & scarier, comes with having some major intelligence & understanding than I doubt most, if any, Monster would be capable of doing.

[@the90thhunter92]

RE: On the topic of glavenus intelligence, I'd assume that glavenus would need to be extremely intelligent as it was taking larger and more dangerous slow prey ALA theropods judging from how clunky and inefficient the large tail is at seizing faster and smaller herbivores, you'd think that intelligence would be beneficial when subduing large and very dangerous animals, and IIRC; most slicing apex predators today are fairly smart

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

This is an interesting theory, although dangerous prey often doesn't necessarily seem to demand intelligence to take it down (but it can help). Lions and tigers arguably take more dangerous prey than smaller carnivores like wild dog species and spotted hyaenas, but also very likely have lesser cognitive abilities though. Intelligence re: predation more seems to make up for physical deficiencies (like in our own species that lacks any real weaponry) rather than being a necessity for big game.

[@the90thhunter92]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel My bad, misworded it but yes agreed; intelligence isn't needed but is beneficial when tackling big game, imo, I feel like intelligence is especially beneficial for glavenus as it's analogous to other smart slicing apex predators (GWS and komodos) and was taking far more dangerous prey than big cats on a daily basis. I'd see glavenus as a mix-match between tyrannosaurs and carnosaurs tbh since its prey range likely consisted of heavily armored and big things considering the habitats it lives in. And intelligence as well as learning would be beneficial for hunting big things like diablos, basarios/gravios, and larinoth.

[@zephyrsaix8319]

these videos are insane!!! im shocked they have so little views, they are unironically so interesting and entertaining, keep it up!

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Thank you! The subscriber count grows steadily (hopefully I won't tank it with the coming video on the Jurassic franchise...) but I feel they may be a bit too dry and stuffy for most. But I appreciate your comment a lot!

[@zephyrsaix8319]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel no problem! oh by the way, in relation to the video, wouldnt it be possible that gypceros inhabits swamp like biomes in order to feed on neopterons? both his poison and flash seem very strong against both hornetaurs and vespoids (specially the later as they can be knocked out of the air) and maybe his elastic tail could be used as a bug swatter effectively. I feel like that could give an explanation for both the reasoning to inhabit swamps and his ambiguous feeding diet tho I dont really know much about ecology so im unsure.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

@@zephyrsaix8319 It's quite possible, after all closely related Kut Ku is also an insectivore primarily. I hadn't really considered the flash for predation but now you mention it, it would make hoovering up insects very easy.

[@henriquetaffarel6593]

24:15 Almudron is the first apex level swamp monster, and yet he is presented in the Shrine Ruins, not in the flooded forest... even its fight in the flooded forest feels weird, as he swims through solid rock in the cave... Are you thinking in a video about the "I'll use you as a weapon, little one" monsters (Rakna Kadaki and Seltas Queen)?

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Yeah, Almudron is a great monster but doesn't feel especially well utilised in a lot of the Rise environments. Rakna will likely get a video with Nerscylla, I do love Seltas queen but I'm unsure just yet what and if I'll do with her.

[@videonmode8649]

"Thought season 8 of GoT was a well written masterpiece finale" O O F

[@absolutebloodyunit7269]

Is shogun ceanataur intelligent then? As a rustrazor it takes the skull of a glavenus and figures out sharpening its claws on the teeth

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

It's possible and others have pointed this out too, but then crabs aren't exactly big brain. It could be the shell-sharpening is an innate behaviour or maybe they are indeed smarter than first though.

[@victory8928]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel something to also notice is that rust razor is rare because of how rare large glav skulls are as well as the fact that the best skulls they have access to (the generic and the gravious skulls) aren’t good sharpening points but they could use the environment for sharpening the claws but at the same rust razor’s rust claws came from its sharpening making its claws more prone to rusting which is why they often sharpen the claws which can be seen as recognition of what certain things do because they seem to be able to understand what is happening with the rusting and then has a way to counter it, plus rust and all shoguns seem to understand what the each of their skulls can do as they will swap their skulls to fit different needs like a gravious skull for sniping foes with water beams or the normal shell for better defense

[@spyro3003]

Something interesting about shogun is that he may not understand that it’s specifically the gravios skull that can shoot a water beam. This may be exclusive to the older gen but when he is on the ceiling with a normal snail shell, you will sometimes see it drip from a water beam he tried to use. This attack only works with a gravios skull since it has an opening but he will still try it with a snail shell seemingly implying he doesn’t understand that only one shell can be used for the water beam. However the rustrazor may be an individual who is either older and smarter or just a uniquely smart individual because he seems to understand that only the glavenus skull sharpens while only the gravios skull shoots beams. So I guess what I’m trying to say is that maybe the crabs aren’t the smartest but certain individuals can be surprisingly smart.

[@yurei4414]

Sorry if I'm late, but the wetland apex is Shogun Ceanataur. FU/Frontier Swamp theme is even called "Crab General ~ Shogun Ceanataur" Shogun was made with Rivers and Marshes in mind (hence probably the Crayfish inspiration in its design)

[@jennyfeare1702]

Sapient corvid+utahraptor-based bird wyvern with a flexible and nigh-unpredictable ai that can utilize makeshift weaponry, the environment, and even steal and use a hunter's own weaponry against them on rare occasions when Capcom??

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

We live in hope...I'd also love a high level azdarchid-like bird wyvern too.

[@DeltaOdyssey]

I know we already have a tengu-themed monster in rise, but I wouldn't mind a repeat if it meant we got a bird wyvern like this based on it.

[@Aurinor]

So, considering the fact what there is things like Qurupeco exist in MH universe.. Imagine some relative species of it what actually uses it's ability to mimick other creatures voices not to scare off potential threats but to attract prey instead? So.. Imagine a novice hunter walking through jungles at night, gathering rare night shrooms or slaying lesser monsters, and then suddenly he hears a "human" crying for help..

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

It would make for a wonderful addition to the roster whichever monster gets that trait.

[@oaktree149]

Yian Garuga is Criminally Underrated in My Eyes. The Intelligence, Aggression, and Just the Mean-Spiritedness of Everything they do is Fascinating to Me lol. Not to Mention the Vastly Different Threat Levels that they Have had Over the Years, Like Back in One of the Older Games Garuga is Seen by a Villager Picking a Fight with a Damn Rajang. And it was Apparently Pretty Evenly Matched as Well

[@X19Virus]

Why Do You Type Like This. Seems Annoying Having To Press Shift Before Every Word

[@xdsmile5359]

Lol your name makes this perfect. @downshift

[@cyrushunt2406]

I think Kulu Ya-Ku needs more feathers. He just looks odd with how sparse the plumage is

[@z1u512]

Would be extremely interesting to hear you talk about elder dragons, such as alatreon etc

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

I may do some elders soon, Alatreon will be insanely hard to link up with any real-world phenomenon and will probably quite far back down the list though!

[@dima_keller]

Couldn't agree more on Kulu. It physically hurts beating this durpy birb. Also I don't know if you were talking about skills only or design too, but I really like the design of his armor

[@gurburgandr]

I can't wait to see more vids like this, ones on the cognitive capabilities of some neopterans or even elder dragons would be an amazing vid, I look forward to seeing more vids!

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Have a lot more ideas so plenty to come, and thank you! Elders will definitely be a tricky one.

[@miru2583]

this channel is basically national geographic of MH. glad it pop up in my recommendation

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Thanks for watching, and what a compliment!

[@DavidGomez-ls6ee]

I really enjoy these MH Ecology videos! Keep making more of these! GG.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Thank you, and more to come for sure!

[@losingmymind611]

21:10 this is why I watch all your videos twice. Once to get the visual enjoyment and then afterwards as relaxing background monologues.

[@purplehaze2358]

"Thought season 8 of Game of Thrones was a well-written masterpiece finale Has the occasional sip of lead paint" I laughed unreasonably hard at these two signifiers of low intelligence.

[@raditz1101]

Alamadron could be considered the apex of the swamp

[@pokegirl1799]

I have a thought about Kulu-Ya-Ku and why it acts kinda dumb sometimes... well two actually. It seems to start acting dumb ONLY WHEN it notices it's being observed, so one of two things could be happening here: 1. It could be panicking because it just realized "oh s*** I've been busted" and trying to think of a way out of the mess it's gotten itself into, or 2. It could be FAKING a panic attack to get the upper hand, basically trying to trick who found it into thinking it's dumber than it actually is. And honestly, it could vary between how old/experienced the individual is

[@carcinized]

I've been watching a bunch of these videos, your insights are amazing. I love how seriously you take these creatures and their place in their world. That said, I really like how you don't enjoy the Kulu-Ya-Ku fight, not for it being bad per se, but just because it's mean to this bird. They really do deserve better...

[@erikagaming1439]

Quropeco is by far the best teacher for the series's mechanics and decision making hes great and its a damn shame he hasnt been in a single game since 3u. No moment in the series will top the amount of SHIT YOUR FUCKING PANTS when either the HR Qurupeco huntathon or the key quest crimson qurupeco summons the pickle.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Jho's introduction for many being via a mystery quru roar was such a seminal moment in Tri! One of the few good things about loading-screen maps in the old games was jho / the new monster literally materializing into middle of the zone to kick your ass when least expected.

[@greeny3606]

Kulu-ya-ku is my all time favorite monster, I love his personality and how his low/high rank armor looks

[@rhyperiorhunter7339]

so even in the world of monster hunter nobody likes Gypceros and everyone wants to kill it

[@adambasinger6239]

I for one have a great deal of fondness for the bird wyverns, partially because of Kulu ya-ku's general goofyness, and also because, I shit you not, *Tsi-Tsi Yaku was my first wall in World*. First and one of the biggest. The rest kinda fade into the background because of the degree that I was expecting them to be difficult, but that flashbang on legs just kicked my ass for a shockingly long time. Something about its moveset, with all its various faints and variations, initially left me properly scrambling, as I'd get hit by one move, see a similar one and expect the same thing only for it to do something else and hit me again. It was the monster that properly drove home the importance of actually learning tells and linking them to the move it would actually do instead of just going off of vibes. A good lesson well taught, and deeply gratifying one to triumph over. Would really love to have a late game bird wyvern that fought like it. Chameleos in rise made me feel some of the same things, something that acts so eratically it constantly has you guessing, but instead as a kulu-yaku type raptor. Maybe give it my headcannon for why Rajang is such a bastard to fight "whilst normally dealing with most threats with greater agility, that same speed makes it particularily well suited to fighting, and often killing, ill prepared hunters"

[@freshgandalf8946]

This video may be super old, but Diablos actually actively tend to their cactus patches, even fomring emotional connections to them. They rake and work the soil to provide ideal growing conditions for their favourite cacti and defend them fiercely. Also, should their patch be destroyed or whither away unexpectadly, the Diablos will mourn the loss of its food and even abandon its territory entirely to find a new patch it can expand. They are also careful in what and how many cacti they eat. This all suggests that the Diablos needs to actively monitor its cacti and has to make constant decisions how much and where it eats from each patch it has under its care not to run out of cactus in the long run. The cactus in turn might be entirely dependant on the Diablos and its tending of the soil, aswell as transporting seeds across fertile patches of soil.

[@WhyrenGP]

Kulu chose Egghunting quests as his main way of income, if that isn't the biggest flex to make towards a hunter, i don't know what is.

[@aryaozeroch]

I would absolutely love quro turf wars where it’s just fleeing in terror from the monsters it accidentally attracts. I’m imagining a looney toons style cat and mouse of quro and jho

[@purplehaze2358]

I'd say, in terms of intelligence, the bird wyverns are closer to corvids than they are pigeons, emus, or other less intelligent avians which the term "bird brain" usually refers to as an idiom denoted by stupidity.

[@hag8752]

4:00 you're telling me Blue Jays shoot guns outside their front door to keep the property taxes low ?

[@CosmicCaribbean]

Great video my guy, and thanks again for the post-episode explanation/shoutout! Overall, I feel like bird wyverns lately have been a “safe bet” for early game monsters, and I’m starting to get stale of them as of recent. Tbh, I get kinda sick and bored of how many *insert clone bird wyverns with alpha pack leader* stereotype, which really isn’t that true in the real world nor should it be for most bird wyvern concepts IMO. You can really do a lot with a wyvern with birdlike traits, especially when you use both living & extinct birds alongside speculative takes from stem birds(non-avian dinosaurs), and coinciding them, pterosaurs. Granted I love Great Izuchi as it is (Aknosom on the other hand.....meh?), stuff like Yian Garuga, Tzitzi, and subsequently now reinforced with these 3 species in the video really shows what could be seen out there on the hunt. Really hope we finally get like an prominent apex or ED level bird wyvern that is a genuine and fun threat to hunt and clash with. My most intriguing talk point would be the impromptu monster intelligence diagram for most of the classes. And as everyone pointed out, Glavenus is by far one of the most intelligent brute wyverns on record by the Guild, as its intensive usage & maitenance of its great sword tail really shows off how meticulous and masterful its must think and react as it grows and reacts throughout its environment. Alongside that, brute wyverns themselves might be more fluid in intellect than giving credit. Also to mention, Khezu might be fairly stupid but idk about Gigginox given that not only it’s clear parental care for giggis but also using them to its advantages in higher Hunter ranks via anchoring its egg sack on its back for better protection. Also god damn, WE NEED SNAKE WYVERN GLOWUP.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Yeah I really don't think the franchise needs another raptor, and I thought it was bizarre Izuchi was made a raptor instead of a weasel like animal like the yokai it's based on. Especially as we already have such animals with Wulgs. Needless to say they'll all be lumped together for one video! A pterosaur-wyvern would be cool, and I'd also like more higher rank bird wyverns. And more snakes too! Yeah if nothing else my suggested ranking has certainly the glavenus fanbase it has to be said. Re: parental care bear in mind frogs and spiders that would rank fairly low in cognitive abilities have been seen to do similar things, so whilst an interesting point it may not necessarily mean gigi is that smart. Although probably smarter than khezu at least. And as ever thanks!

[@CosmicCaribbean]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel I’m fine with Izuchi tbh, but I’m really done with the bigger monster leading smaller pack monsters shit (although I’ll take it, Great Maccao, and Great Jaggi over everything else for that stereotype). I want more lonesome wyverns or bette yet ACTUAL pack hunting/gregarious bird wyverns in future games. Something that behaves more like modern reptiles or birds. As I was alluding to yes, fair bit smarter than Khezu at least.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

@@CosmicCaribbean Yeah, rather than more new dromes I'd much rather we get the current set fleshed out. As I've said before I think any monster can be redeemed with the World treatment and the dromes are no exception. If they actually worked proper pack dynamics in there and differently for each raptor it could be really quite good.

[@titansquirrel4408]

Honestly this is such a strong competitor for my favorite gaming KZbin series i can't really think of a more creative, interesting, fun and educational hybrid this is so well done

[@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606]

My first intro to MH was World, so I've seen from day one that Kulu Ya Ku is rather intelligent; it takes a bit of thinking to dig up a rock and bash things with it.

[@Alchemyst326]

I think you may be overlooking Duramboros when you say that swampy areas don't have an apex. With a diet of fallen trees, a low-slung body, and a coating of moss and algae, I think Duramboros fits quite well as the chief swampland threat. True, it's not as aggressive as some of the other apexes, but as you pointed out, it doesn't have too much competition in its weight class within the biome.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

This is a good point. Duram I may have slept on as I always took as for a jungle monster over a swamp one. But he does play a big role in wetlands no doubt

[@dinosaurkin5093]

CAPCOM BRING QURUPECO BACK FOR THE LOVE OF GOD also, if I could have any monster summoned as a pet irl you already know I'll pick Quru.

[@berserkape1014]

Ah yes.....Qurupeco introducing me to Deviljho. A very fond memory. Qurupeco makes a weird roar. We ignore it and keep fighting. The music shifts. A great green foot slams my friend down to the ground. Fanged jaws begin tearing into him. We all look up to see Deviljho snacking on our friend. Que "WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!" all around.

[@FaithlessImperial6092]

according on the wiki on the wiki about Qurupeco is the its uses its flints to ignite its mucus and about gyperos i know frontier is not really canonical but you can feed it meat and toadstool and its quite a surprise when you first hunt it plays dead then attacking you for a massive damage killing a lot of new hunters. i really love kula-ya-ku with its feathery goofey looks and is quite a fun fight with a monster the uses a tool.and really love your vids man !

[@FaithlessImperial6092]

i wonder if goss harag ice weapon usage would be coincided as tool use

[@007accessb4]

In mhfu in some rare instances gypceros can be found eating a toadstool patch and in mh4u/genu if his fatigued he will go eat at a monster carcass, so dispite frontier not being they do share a lot of lore with the main series.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Thank you as ever! And I'd definitely say Goss Harag's ice blades count as genuine tool use.

[@darkshibe2267]

See Kulu is in my top three world/iceborne monsters for the very reason you stated. In 4U all the monsters just seemed like 'They happen to be here' followed by 'they see you and attack'. Whereas Kulu showed that they have their own personalities, habits, and ways of life outside of you. Kulu showed that world and iceborne would bring monsters to life. Make it feel like, well, a world. And that was a huge leap forward in immersion for me. The others in the top three are diblos and seething. Savage is also hilarious and full of character.

[@djjackson8628]

But deviljho does know tool use. While you are correct that it just doesnt want to let go of the monster, it does know it can use the monster to extend its range when it throw at you. Also it throws rocks at you, showing that it does know that it can use the environment to help out so it doesnt have to only rely on its natrual born gifts. You can dismiss this if you want because its not a mainline game, i wouldnt mind, but i think in frontier deviljho even pick up a chunk of the earth to smash you with it. I dont believe deviljho is completely instinctual. It can think for itself. I wish capcom would lean into this more with atleast base form jho. I wish capcom and and the player base would stop sleeping on how smart it really is. I dont have the book on me but i think in it, when it comes to combat anjanath isnt mindless. It actually tactical when it fights. You didnt say anything about this so dont think im trying to correct you. Just throwing this out there

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

I definitely think the brute wyverns overall have some intelligence, I think their very aggressive nature means they don't really get to fully utilise it though. Stopping to think isn't their style.

[@Sunaki1000]

Gypceros is seen eating Poison Mushrooms, and he might be scarvaging on Carcases. His Poison makes a Insectivore Lifestyle likely as well.

[@treadingwater86]

14:52 I just thought of something regarding Gypceros diet as I recently played through Freedom Unite. The swamp is one of the best maps for collecting various types of mushrooms, especially Toadstools, so is it possible that mushrooms play a big part in Gypceros' diet? It would explain the poison as well.

[@PrimalRageV2]

Qurupeco has so much nostalgia since Tri was my first game, and he's a pretty solid early monster. His gear is really unique, especially his SnS and Hammer, and I remember the SnS especially being one of my favorite weapons in Tri. Gypceros is a cool monster, and while I understand why some people don't like it, I think it's just too solid of a monster to hate. The fight isn't anything special, but it never feelings lacking, and it doesn't do anything annoying. It gives me the same feeling as I get with things like Khezu and Basarios, being that the fights are solid and while I'm never excited to hunt another, I'm also never opposed to it. KuKu on the other hand is such a great monster. It's easily my second favorite raptor-shaped Bird Wyvern, second only to Great Jaggi. his armor looks great and it let's you get a few decent skills early, and his weapons may not be great looking since they aren't unique, but raw with some affinity is always an easy choice to use. I really love something about it's coloration too. My only issue with it is that it's one of the only monsters that I feel terrible about hunting. The way they lower down and stare at you when you make them drop an egg makes me feel awful, and I almost always capture them after they start limping away because they sound desperate to escape. Even thought the fight is lackluster and I personally don't think it's a good tutorial monster, I appreciate the Sunbreak additions to it and it's one of the only monsters in the series that actually make me question what weapon I bring due to the rock being made of adamantium. It's an incredibly charismatic monster too.

[@anthonychessar7179]

24:15Well....at least there's Gogmazios, who usually lives/sleeps underneath swamps until he's hungry for some gunpowder or something else equivalent to it since it obviously had to have eaten something else before gunpowder since that's man made and was probably only made relatively recently in the Monster Hunter world.

[@wipwarp549]

I do believe most Brute Wyvern are lacking in intelligence, but some like Glavenus and maybe Banbaro(I say maybe because they seem to have no idea when they’re outmatched) seem pretty smart

[@anonymoususer208]

Think you can do a video about pack hunters like with bird/fang wyverns?

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Absolutely the dromes / greats will get one.

[@anonymoususer208]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel fantastic!

[@anonymoususer208]

Oh it just hit me! Baboons in Africa often times steal lion Cubs just so they can raise them to not eat them, maybe we can have some form of ecology where a kulu ya ku steals a rath hatchling

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

@@anonymoususer208 I have heard of that, but I'm a little unsure I believe the notion they're being raised. I think it's more likely they're eaten or if not just abandoned to eliminate competitors. But if nothing else there is a cute comic someone made of a Kula doing just that.

[@ace19E8]

Bird Up!

[@thechameleos6334]

These videos are great, and I happen to be a patron in Rage Gaming's channel so I'm gonna let Josh know about this channel. Such a great video, it seriously is!!

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Thank you! That’s greatly appreciated

[@thechameleos6334]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel its the least I can do, I love seeing real life physics applied to fantasy settings. Not to mention you did the undoable in making Gypceros sound cool

[@mrosskne]

BIRD UP

[@Katharoni]

Something I also feel is worth mentioning is another reason that Kulu ya-ku probably live in low density, their own reputation. Other species probably recognize it as a threat to their own young, so I'd imagine that monsters like nesting or paired Rathians may try to kill them when spotted, possibly even making a meal out of it afterward out of convenience, but primarily to protect their nesting grounds.

[@SilverSnook7966]

Bird Up

[@davidziegler8785]

Bird up

[@Oooze3424]

"fork-tailed drongo" sounds like a monster hunter monster already.

[@raptorqe4168]

You mentioned that there wasnt any apex level swamp monsters. Personally I dont think it necessarily counts since apparently he's actually an invasive species but what are your thoughts on Baruragaru? Ecologically speaking he probably isnt even really top of the food chain considering his penchant towards dromes specifically but im not sure if you think that he fits the bill for an apex swamp monster so generally i was wondering if you were aware of him as well as what thoughts you have on him.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Looking him up, he's not too bad actually. Definitely one of the better Frontier monsters and one I wouldn't mind migrating over the the official series. Maybe not beefy enough to an apex but could still be a good swamp monster.

[@thegardenofdagon]

A question I'm left with is what is Crimsom Qurupeco doing the volcano?

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

I think that's just the classic mechanic of putting monsters anywhere.

[@ganonsbaker3026]

So! I am in love with your channel and subbed immediately! this series on the Monster Hunter Ecology is so engaging i could watch forever! If you wanted any suggestions for what to cover next, I think the evolution of Brachydios and its symbiotic relationship with its slime mold would make for something really fun!

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Thank you! Plenty more to come! Brachydios is quickly climbing the ranks to be one of the most requested so he's on the list for sure!

[@kildaver]

... Monster Hunter Tri was my first game in the series. It's also why I hate Qurupeco, as it ruined my first HR hunt. That roar I hadn't heard before. The "thump". The terrifying horns of Deviljho's theme. Everyone in my party being one- or two-shot. Good times! 😂

[@funjukebox1324]

What has always confused me is why Pukei is under the bird wyvern category and not flying wyvern like Palamou even though they are shaped identically! Same with Gypceros in terms of Yian Kut-Ku and Yian Garuga! There's also Tzitzi- Ya ku which is basically a combination of Kulu and Gypceros 😂😂😂, monster hunter be confusing sometimes looool

[@unlimitedduckgamer]

I miss Qurupeco, he had one of the more interesting early fights in 3rd gen. His ability to "call" other monsters (especially the Pickle in High/G Rank) and being able to buff itself made him more unique compared to other monsters. I'd like to see him return in future titles and what the devs will do with him, maybe he'll come back in MonHun 6, but thats just wishful thinking.

[@Gloop-de-Gale]

When I was a noob in 3u I got def down for the first time and thought it was a buff and would seek out quarpeco and banahabra for it all the way up through mid high rank 😅

[@dichotomusprime6646]

Hmmmm... speculating a Wetlands Apex monster... potential future video? 👀

[@antoinerossouw9533]

I think the bird wyverns are a good early game monster due to them looking goofy, and not as threatening

[@davidegaruti2582]

You're just laser on swamps : Considering all the top order carnivores in the amazon : anacondas , jaguars , arapaimas , electric eels , giant otters , river dolphins and caimans ... It's a bit of a shame monster hunter hasn't managed to make any intresting large swamp monster , Heck you could even go the bigfoot way and make a large wading hominin like primate that makes itself a gillie suit and uses harpoons to hunt fishes , That or maybe a heron anhinga like flying wyvern ... Or a giant mudskipper piscine wyvern ... Or a larger and meaner barroth relative ... All and all there are almost no rules for what is an intresting swamp apex monster , it just has to be all terrain ...

[@adeivyssuarez2843]

When are you going to release the kut ku/ garuga video you promised

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Someday

[@adeivyssuarez2843]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel will you ever do a video on the neopterons? They seem like an interesting topic to make a video on

[@bloodykenshiro8218]

I quite like Kulu-Ya-Ku. Not only does it act interestingly, but it is strangely cute, as well. Gypceros on the other hand, is just a bag of irritation on legs, although from an evolutionary standpoint, they are a brilliant design, no pun intended.

[@powerbalancevathelastkitsu2504]

Now i might be late, but considering what we now know of rex intelligence, and considering its obvious tyrannosaur design, I'd argue that Anjanath is also intelligent. Not as intelligent as a Rath or a bird wyvern, but i think somewhere close without crossing the flying wyvern level. The only thing holding it back is its aggressive behavior

[@scottpeltier3977]

Every hunter I knew hated gypceros but I have some respect for it (well I do until it jacks an item from me and I can’t recover it) cuz it’s just trying to get by in an area that has countless creatures out for its ass. If it was able to find its way out of such hostile territory, it would thrive as a creature for sure. But I have a theory on why they are considered low tier. In the wild… a dumb but powerful and fast monster tends to survive just as well as a smart one. Your intelligence doesn’t matter if your crushed between a Goliath’s jaws

[@MistaFinni]

I just realized, there still isn't a Yian Garuga and Yian Kut-ku still don't have their video. I imagine you're waiting for the Iceborne to get localized? Ugh, is there even a release date for that yet?

[@LynkynPeppers]

Honestly MOST monster hunter quests have poor justification for killing an animal just living its life, but I love it regardless

[@bonboro6652]

I think almudron is a swamp apex predetor

[@flightlesslord2688]

I love Kula so much. Such a cool guy

[@BalmungMP5]

Honestly, I think Capcom should hire you to help with creature design and behavior.

[@durandus676]

watching you channel put into words the strange feeling i had preferring " bland" monsters tjat have that realism fiction balance

[@maribethsumera2434]

This video was approved by BIRD UP

[@boulderfrogboulderfrog6512]

Probably a bit late on this response, but is there any chance crimson uses his electro-flints to shock fish in shallows so he can easily sweep them up?

[@Kazuhira2249]

and then comes yian garuga backflipping a deviljho

[@ctdaniels7049]

The Bird Wyverns: We're big brain boys. Try to keep up, mate.

[@cric5105]

Chad Atahl-Ka can engineer a machine better than I can. Also it can probably spell its name better then me

[@epitaph8704]

Seltas and Seltas Queen? Maybe Gigginox and Khezu?

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Stay tuned...

[@epitaph8704]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel Sure will!

[@Nijonibi]

The Sandy Plains does have a very large body of water outside of the playable area.

[@MysteryMrE]

so how smart would yian kut ku be? since in the mh community he's seen as an idiot And what about fanged wyverns? where are they placed?

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Despite his reputation as a clown he's likely very smart too. Fanged wyverns are likely a mixed bunch

[@KrazyMateo]

Kulu's armor is crap?! *angry hunting horn doots*

[@alienyees1106]

i just realised fifth fleet fifth gen that mean your first gen is the first fleet

[@Carnidrome]

Wanna give my thoughts on a few things first of, Qurupeco. I adore Qurupeco. It's an incredibley interesting and man I need it to return sometime soon. I'd like to see you cover the only monster that I think is primarily a scavenger, Hypnocatrice. As for monster intelligence, I think you underestimate the intellect of the bloswyverns. They do have thick skulls, but I think they need some smarts to calculate exactly where they need to launch themselves to hit their targets. Would they be brainiacs? No, but they'd be about as smart as the brute wyverns. Gravios and Basarios probably are idiots though. I would also drop Tigrex further down the intellegence list. The thing does very little to show any form of intellegence, far less than any of the brute wyverns do. The blos wyverns have more diverse methods of attack, and at the very least need to calculate how they launch themselves.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

I believe Bazelgeuse may be a scavenger too, and Odogaron occasionally scavenges I'd imagine. I do like Hypno, I'm just unsure of where to put it in a video really. I did say in video I think Tigrex is probably dimmer than other pseudowyverns, and just used his image as the most recognizable of the family. Launch calculation may not necessarily take that much brain power, as after all it's what a lot of invertebrates do and they're cognitively nothing special.

[@Carnidrome]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel maybe allongside Lavasioth as the Frontier duo? (Though I guess Lavasioth would work well with Agnaktor as both swim in lava) Another option could be with Kut Ku and Garuga, since those seem to be close relatives. Maybe it could be covered allongside Somnacanth to cover the different uses of somniferous substances and how they could have evolved these traits.

[@durandus676]

I love when the qpecco summons a jho and dies too it

[@allancarter]

I love Kulu. I always saw it as a big dork. People say it's dumb but I always felt it was smart but goofy.