Amphibian Ecology : Tetsucabra, Tetranadon and Zamtrios in Monster Hunter

[@dionaeamuscipula6649]

The thing with Kappa is that folklore-wise, they're heavily associated with sumo wrestling. They love it, they're unrivaled when it comes to it, and in fact the only way to subdue a kappa is to bow to it, leading it to bow right back like a sumo and pour out its water dish like an idiot. With that context (largely lost with westerners) I think that while it does feel tacked on, it justifies it a bit in my eyes.

[@kennethsatria6607]

Its why I love him so much, the chubby kappa platypus is so cute

[@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick]

Not to mention, Tetranodon’s bullish, reckless behavior is very well-suited to a style of fighting that prominently features smacking something with your big belly.

[@jameswilliams2075]

Also aparently that ring in the water of the frost Iles is made by teranadon and the males literally sumo wrestle to show who's the boss

[@TheSSBBfan666]

@@jameswilliams2075 what area of the Frost Islands?

[@dakotamillman8383]

@@TheSSBBfan666 It's that cave in the northern part of the map. There's a ring in the water with light shining down from a hole in the top.

[@m.s.e.advanced2842]

Amphibians, Temnocerans, Snake Wyverns, and large Neopterons are part of why I like 4th gen so much, a lot of unique classes and monsters

[@DefinitelyNotEmma]

Considering Najarala is a thing, imagine how cool a large centipede monster would be.

[@Froggsroxx]

I agree, the diversity really gave the hunts fantastic variety. I miss najarala!

[@anonymousalien7417]

@@DefinitelyNotEmma It'd take them forever to animate the legs though. If I remember correctly that's why it took so long for the crab duo to make it to Rise, because they struggled to redo the legs to make them move more realistically in the 5th gen

[@DefinitelyNotEmma]

@@anonymousalien7417 That's true. So I'd be satisfied with a giant cricket that competes with monsters like Tigrex xD

[@anonymousalien7417]

@@DefinitelyNotEmma That'd be funny yet terrifying lol

[@william_sun]

19:40 Kappa, sumo wrestler, frog, turtle, and platypus aren't that unrelated. The sumo wrestler, turtle, and platypus elements are all part of its kappa references. Kappa have a turtle-shell-like carapace on their back and are often depicted with beaks (even if they aren't duck-like beaks). Kappa also love sumo wrestling as a pastime despite not having the body type typical of sumo wrestlers. This effectively leaves Tetranadon as only a combination of a kappa and a frog. As far as the R-rated things kappa do in folklore, those things typically get glossed over in modern-day representations of them, just like how a lot of stories from Western folklore also have similar things glossed over.

[@oscaranderson5719]

I mean, that _is_ where the soft tissue is… we can only presume what tetranadon feeding strategies look like 🍑

[@howdyimhowdy]

the only thing i disagree with is tetranadon, kappas in folklore are said to be fans of sumo wrestling, and the platapus beak helps it stand out as not just a giant kappa

[@TsulaAngenati2292]

Male African Bullfrogs also use their jaws to grab and even somewhat suplex other male Bullfrogs, so maybe that is why they have a beak? (As well for foraging goocumbers, but still)

[@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick]

Not to mention that the turtle shell is just a thing that Kappas always have.

[@Gekko-zm9id]

I’d love a salamander monster that everyone thought was a fanged Wyvern until they found out it’s related to the amphibians. Like actual salamanders. Also giving it something to do with lava would just add on to it

[@TsulaAngenati2292]

That’d be cool, maybe they secrete a oil-like body fluid that they can ignite by launching fire through the sides of their body? Or just leak a burning lava-like substance from the pores along their ribs?

[@Verdessa1273]

fire newt from dark souls 2

[@knightlyfiver9733]

magma wyrm

[@xdsmile5359]

Volcanic frog

[@THEmilkyboi]

Dodogama's pretty close. If they changed it to an amphibian right before launch, I doubt anyone would've noticed.

[@draw2death421]

Im suprised you didint mention that Zamtriouses Inflation could also be a intimitation tactic. After all he does it after we the hunters have fought it for a while, its possible that Zamtrious realises we arent worth the effort to eat so he just inflates himself in hopes of making us run away in fear and confusion. Id also belive a Barioth or even a Tigrex whould probably turn back upon seeing a massive blob apear infront of their eyes. Edit: also 20:14 *-Zorah Magdaros will remember that...*

[@LokiCriwall]

I was about to say, Zorah is literally based on a snapping turtle xD

[@dianslabbert504]

Not mention many real world frogs and toads do inflate and puff up their bodies as a defence mechanism and display.

[@anonymouswhite7957]

While parts of zorah body is based on snapping turtle, according to the official concept art book it’s more like a six limbed dragon that carried a hardened lava like substance over its body (unlike tetra that have built in carapace). You can also see the armwings briefly when it flinches from shooting cannon (in world)

[@lordofasshes657]

@@LokiCriwall Akantor also somewhat resembles this monster of a turtle.

[@TsulaAngenati2292]

I do agree with your thoughts on Tetsucabra and Zamtrios, but for Tetranodon, Kappa are well known for being sumo wrestlers and they do have shells and bills so that’s where the design comes from Zamtrios could use their balloon for intimidating predators like Barioth and Tigrex Tetranodon could eat rocks not only for buoyancy but to also engage in combat by adding to their mass to help push around other monsters like a sumo wrestler

[@alcole-holic8779]

Amphibians are some of my favorite monsters, Tetsucabra especially. I love his arenas and the theme of his equipment

[@mudshrooze]

Yeah his color of orange and black and yellow is super cool. Orange is my favorite color but his design of a monstrous toad is way cool

[@DefinitelyNotEmma]

Tetsucabra has a cool design, cool armor and cool weapons. I think it's definitely among the best new additions of the fourth generation together with Seregios, Seltas/Seltas-Queen and Nerscylla

[@lishark843]

When i saw for the first time his great sword i went "OHHHHHH BIG ASS KITCHEN KNIFE"

[@alcole-holic8779]

@@DefinitelyNotEmma I agree. I found myself grinding him for the beautiful armor and gorgeously ornate weapons. I just wish it had a charge blade, then it might be my favorite monster

[@alcole-holic8779]

@@lishark843 yes, I loved the idea of being a Monster Hunter Gordon Ramsey and just dicing the shite out of everything

[@sharplosion1]

One thing that stood out to me about Zamtrios is that curled-up pose it takes before it does some of it attacks. How it makes minor adjustments to keep his curled side facing the hunter. It comes off as a strong intimidation and protective posture, showing off it's size while also protecting it's underbelly. It's easy to imagine Zamtrios doing this to larger monsters like Barioth, and even towards each other. Though, I can't help but disagree with the comments about Zamtrios and Tetranadon. I don't believe monsters have to have this strict 'do this one idea' philosophy to them. Sure some monsters do that very well, but I believe some should be allowed to just have a lot of features to them. After all, Gypceros has it's rubbery hide, stretchy rat-like tail, and a literal flashbang headcrest that also uses part of his weird beak to use it. I don't see how that's any different from Zamtrios having both ice armor and an inflated state. To me, it exemplifies how MH monsters can be both serious and cool, as well as goofy and charming. To me nothing about it betrays the idea of a 'monster frog shark.' As for Tetranadon, well, Kappas are a mishmash of many things too. Beak, water plate on their head, turtle shell, webbed feet, and a love for both cucumbers and sumo. Thematically, making Tetra platypus-like is a pretty clever way to interpret a kappa as a animal-like monster. A combination of many aspects rolled into one. And really, I can quite easily see Tetra getting into sumo matches with each other over territory and mating rights, not unlike the shoving and croaking matches some real frogs have. Either way, good video as always!

[@hekucarrasco2870]

The problem with zamtrios is that both gimmicks are fullbody and they oppose each other. For gypceros the tail doesn't have nothing to do with the beak and the flash, but for zamtrios, to enter the armor mode it needs to deflate first, and the same goes in the other way, so it feels like they overlap. Maybe they could havd integrated them in a better way, like putting an ice armor while in baloon mode and roll better like a ball, but as it is both of them doesn't work together. For tetranodon i think you are right, i love that kapplatypus, was really clever.

[@glimn4839]

@@hekucarrasco2870 The thing with Zamtrios is something that the Stories RPG series... kind of does? Granted, it’s only in one cinematic special move, but the concept is utilized in the game. Hopefully the next mainline game to feature the shark frog will have it

[@burnoutcat2387]

Zamtrios and Najarala fit in this category of "Rathian tier but somehow a genuine threat for large predators like Tigrex or Barioth"

[@freshlymemed5680]

@@glimn4839 I pray we don't get "Hyperspace Tackle" as a move when Plesioth makes its return.

[@comradecameron3726]

@@hekucarrasco2870I really don’t see why anything has to be "full body“ or just a part of the monster. . There’s very few monsters I don’t enjoy.

[@joseal8319]

I think that the fluid that Tetsucabra use to inflate their tail to use as counterweight and Zamtrios use to armor & inflate themselves is the so called Paddock Oil, the compound exists in both species but it has been specialized differently in each one.

[@nhall129]

I love this idea, it explains a lot

[@joseal8319]

It seemed pretty obvious to me, and maybe it's been confirmed already but I have not read that much into it, account items usually don't have that much info about them.

[@fojisan2398]

@@nhall129 Yeah I always wondered what the hell Paddock Oil was supposed to be.

[@chemi169]

Given the description of the paddock oils stating it is used as a lubricant and additive in smithing, its likely just equivalent to mucus used by real amphibians for moisture and skin protection. The idea that Tetsucabra and Zamtrios use the oil in specialised ways is pretty cool, though.

[@joseal8319]

You're right about that possibility.

[@pinkfridge6111]

20:22 The final Boss of sunbreak does have a few similarities with Alligator snapping turtles (the Arms and the hind legs) which was a surprise to be sure but a welcome one when I first fought it

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

I like him a lot - limbs based on burrowing animals which is fitting with his environment.

[@error404idnotfound3]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel I also think the complex mouth works for him. . Possibly Good for the particulates from the quiro he consumes.

[@DefinitelyNotEmma]

I like how it went from Ice-Werewolf to Frankenstein-Gorilla, then to Dracula-Dragon just to end with Demonic-Snapping Turtle

[@novastein9567]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel a video on him would be amazing! He is so weird, I can only wonder what his ecology might be.

[@johncronk8867]

@@error404idnotfound3 the mouth seems designed to be able to shove in as much food as possible. Additionally, if they were aquatic, it’d be the perfect trap for large aquatic creatures or schools of smaller ones.

[@m.s.e.advanced2842]

I agree with the Zamtrios sentiment for the most part, while he is my favorite amphibian I don't really care for the inflation aspect, I feel like taking the inflation away from regular Zamtrios and giving it to only Tiger stripe would help focus them and make both better

[@kennethsatria6607]

Maybe only hinting at it as it charges up a ranged attack like said pufferfish?

[@thedwarvenpirate]

To give an argument for Zamtrios' Inflation, they do share a habit with a wyvern know for constricting it's prey, the Tidal Najarala, not to mention that the ice Clak Clak Lizard, Glacial Agnaktor, might also be a potential predator of the Zamtrios species, since we do see the Volcanic Agnaktor try to constrict Brachydios in the opening of 3U. But I'm not a biologist, but suddenly getting big would make it hard to wrap around Zamtrios, and Zamtrios does expand quite fast, so if it does feel the vibration of the 2 burrowing wyverns, if it fast enough could expand before the confrontation, maybe even during before they get a good grip!

[@alexanderthegreat6682]

It could also be an intimidation display, or maybe even a mating display if you follow the theory that regular Zamtrios accidentally inflate as a side effect of their ice abilities.

[@Lioleusu]

How i always saw it with Tetsu is that, the bigger his tusks are the more of his babies he could carry there (because i remember hearing somewhere that Tetsucabra carries his young in his mouth). Also 20:05 : New subspecies! Proctologist Tetranadon, he has a turf war with Magnamalo where he checks up on where all of that hellfire comes from.

[@thedom2753]

The amphibians are such goofy fellas, I always find myself smiling when I see them bumbling about doing their stuff. Especially Zamtrios, he's such a fun one

[@loganlee6771]

This might be a bad take, and you may have said it before, but I think why some young monsters are found in Rise without adult versions could be because they are in maturing grounds. I think some sharks and frogs do this where the young are in a specific location with proper nutrition until they grow up and cannot live there any more. I may be wrong on this though.

[@kennethsatria6607]

I really like that explanation, I only ever had the theory there was island dwarfism at work or that these youngsters are so pressured by rival predators and ... well predators that they're stunted unlike other regions. Like how some salamanders stay eternally in a gilled stage in life or some animals diverge from ancestors through neotenic traits like how Dodo's are related to pidgeons and retain the latter's elongated beak though now reinforced

[@loganlee6771]

@@kennethsatria6607 Oh! I like that, especially with several species unique to the area too, but still similar to other species in the world! I don't really know, but I like the thought!

[@anti_gen]

I’m on a road trip and nothing else seemed interesting in my feed but then you uploaded!

[@MisterCynic18]

I'm glad you gave the platypus-seeking concept artist a shout-out. It's good to know your efforts are seen.

[@mudshrooze]

The tiger Zamtrios, Tetsucabra, and Tetranadom are actually all in my top 50 monsters. I do wish that Tetsucabra had been a monstie in stories 2

[@grandwarriorwaluigi1284]

he is in stories 2. he is in Acala, near where you go hunt gravios for the story quest.

[@lucasrios2089]

@@grandwarriorwaluigi1284 he’s in the game, but he’s not a Monstie, you can’t have one of your own

[@mannyms6678]

Dude. You have no idea how triggered I was when I found out that such a cool looking monster couldn’t be made our own. Same with Agnaktor.

[@lucasrios2089]

@@mannyms6678 Trust me, I know exactly how you feel, I had the same sadness with Agnaktor, and then the real gut punch was when he wasn’t in Sunbreak either

[@mannyms6678]

@@lucasrios2089 Bro I know man. They went for magmadron instead which although was very cool seemed like a way to cop out on agnaktor.

[@hawkticus_history_corner]

Tetranadon is pretty neat for me. I think he'd feel better with more info, like confirming that he has lousy eyesight so that's why he fights the way he does.

[@gurburgandr]

I hope they start using more salamander like creatures to make amphibians, maybe a axolotl that can heal broken parts or a diplocalus that can dig on land and speed through the water would be neat All in all another great vid

[@Shroomluck]

Hold up! Kappa are known to challenge people to sumo! Its just Japanese mythology being weird still fits with the kappa theme.

[@scorpion6981]

Technically, I don't think Tetranadon was the first turtle monster. That honor goes to the great and amazing Zorah Magdaros. Though I guys you could say it's a stretch to even call Zorah a monster.

[@AztecCroc]

Even before Zorah there was Tartaronis from Online.

[@formula091]

Yeah, Zorah is garbage. Not a monster

[@johncronk8867]

@@AztecCroc The Zeppelin Battleship Desert Sea Turtle. I fricking love that thing.

[@Silancet]

Odibatorasu

[@indomleon]

I would imagine that the inflation of Zam and Tetranadon is related, especially with the idea of zamites filling themselves up with blood. It seems likely to me that the adult zamtrios use their inflation for intimidation against predators or (more likely imo) territorial rivals, as evidenced by their use of it in combat. I feel like they would use it more often if it was predation defense, especially since they can already make themselves unpleasant to bite using their ice spikes

[@DeltaOdyssey]

Not necessarily related to the video, but when I learned that sunbreak was going to have monsters based on universal horror monsters, I was speculating that the frankenstein stand-in was going to be a frog, since the original novel was inspired by a dead frog being electrocuted. I also thought it would make sense since frogs will develop deformities like extra limbs when their eggs experience pollution, and something like that would fit in with the idea of a "man-made monster". It would also have something like seige equipment stuck to its body thanks to a tar-like substance, and it would activate it through manipulating electricity. I love garamgolm, though, and I'm pretty happy with what we got for him, but I just wanted to get this out of the way. Especially since my idea sounds a bit ridiculous once I say it out loud.

[@libbylapisburst]

Yours sounds like a cross between Gogmazios, The Archdemon of the Abyss and Tetsucabra to me. Which would have been cool. Garangolm kind of got the short end of the three lords stick in my opinion. He should have been tankier, but somehow Lunagoron has way more HP?

[@peterconklin5842]

Hey man I just wanna say your videos got me to get my first mh game, thanks for the great content.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

And thank you for saying - hope you're enjoying the series!

[@purplehaze2358]

8:50 That phroge is unreasonably adorable. I love them.

[@LaughingMask257]

Why is this channel so good! I love this place!

[@The_PokeSaurus]

Can you imagine a Speculative Evolution project that took the Bull Frog's tust-like mouth parts and made it evolve into a Dunkleosteus like mouth blades?

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

That'd be pretty cool indeed

[@The_PokeSaurus]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel I'm actually applying it to one of my world-building projects. When it's done wanna see it?

[@rejectedgecko5577]

something that I think should be pointed out in regards to Tatranadon is that Kappas are described as weird frog/turtle goblin people, as well as some descriptions mentioning they enjoy sumo and will even challenge people to a match and eat the person if they win. I believe he's actually well executed, and really fits in the world as a whole. Anyway I enjoyed the video as always, thank you for reading if you did and I am genuinely sorry if 1000 other people comment this same thing

[@alexandercns]

You know I'm genuinely surprised there hasn't been multiple turtle monsters yet. It seems like a no brainer to have some early game slow, easy turtle monsters to teach about weapon bouncing and give some early guard abilities to shield weapons, whereas in the later game you can have other species or deviants/variants that force you to deal with such things while fighting a much more aggressive target. A good monster design could be something based on a mixture of Cryptodira/Pleurodira turtles and the Alligator Snapping Turtle shown in the video; a walking, angry fortress with a head that mostly stays tucked into its shell until it stretches outwards for a powerful bite attack that also leaves it extremely vulnerable to Stun. I imagine a deviant/variant of this could take inspiration from Gamera and have the Kaiju's classic spin move, increasing the mobility, and thus threat, of the otherwise slow monster species.

[@romeobelisario3190]

Technically there has been one other Turtle Monster from Frontier, a turtle so huge it has a sandstorm cannon on its back and it are giant scorpions for lunch. Odibatorasu was the name and it’s speculated to be related to Akantor and Ukanlos from a pure size perspective

[@purplehaze2358]

“Alligator snapping turtles already look so monstrous, all they need is a thirty times size increase and they’ll both be willing and able to solo half the elders” Imagine if the next Monster Hunter game doesn’t even scale them up, and has a single unmodified snapping turtle as the final monster you fight.

[@johncronk8867]

It’d be hell trying not to bounce, and say hello to Defense Down City with those jaws shearing through your armor.

[@DJROCKSTAZ]

@@johncronk8867 Sticky and Pierce HBG/LBG? Hah! No problem-we can blast through that shell no problem! Also, there's Hammer and Hunting Horn. Defense Down would be a bad thing for ANY weapon, however.

[@johncronk8867]

@@DJROCKSTAZ Pierce would be useless, mediocre, or god tier depending upon how big the turtle is. The roundness would make about every angle equally effective.

[@DJROCKSTAZ]

@@johncronk8867 Yes, but at least a Bowgun would rock on that hunt!

[@hiddenchinrollingwyvern714]

Great video as always, particularly been looking forward to the frogs. In terms of Zamtrios inflation, in adults this may have the function of intraspecific combat. Bullfrogs will jump at and “wrestle” with one another. Zamtrios might have balloon pushing contests. As a way to test strength without risking to much injuries which they would certainly inflict if they used their ice and jaws.

[@dr.masiaka7048]

Noticed that you didn’t really mention the use of Tetsucabra’s fatigue spit.Given how frog saliva can be really thick,(like honey)I would assume Tetsu’s saliva is that,but on steroids,hence screwing over your stamina.

[@Silver-Rexy]

I really like Zamtrios, at least from a cool and game play factor, _because_ he has three forms. It gives him a very strong identity on top of being a unique class of monster.

[@evodolka]

really fun trio, i really wish Tetsucabra was ridable in stories 2 and i REALLY wish we got Zamtrios instead of Auroracanth in sunbreak as for your thoughts on Tetranadon, the sumo thing actually fits him beautifully, since Kappa in myth kind of all have a passion for the sport, so it's a fun reference, as for the platypus bill, it was again a kappa reff since the only things with beaks that are at least semi aquatic are ducks and platypus, which just fits the Kappa theme more so, hell even its prey is a reference to Kappa with them being "Goocumbers" a mix of slugs and cucumbers (you can actually see them flying around when he scoops up the ground) i do agree though, he is too low ranked to be truly note worthy, i feel like a lot of the Yokai based monsters were a tad too low in the rankings to be memorable

[@TornaitSuperBird]

I knew I heard Tetranadon's roar at the end of the last video...! Seriously though, if it weren't for the Neopterons, the Amphibians would be my absolute favorite class of Monsters. Also, we just need to see juvenile Tetranadon now, and we'll have seen juvenile forms of all of the Amphibians.

[@SomeScruffian]

I'm kinda miffed they added Zamites to Rise but not Zamtrios even when they already have a snow biome with lots of water. Such wasted opportunity for my chubby shark.

[@bignelly9476]

I do indeed want to see zamtrios and Tertanadon have a sumo match turf war

[@Elehk99]

Amazing video as always! Perfectly timed too, I just started GU for the first time and Tetsucabra is already shooting up my favorites list

[@1000Tomatoes]

So for whether kappa lore fit the "goofy anime vibe" you have to consider that while kappa have that creepy swamp monster aspect, there's a completely different and goofier side to them. The side where you get painting of kappa sumo wrestling each other and myths about if you bow to a kappa they are obligated to bow back even if it makes them spill all the water in thier dish weakening them. Especially in the more modern day kappa are less seen as creepy monsters and more loveable goofball yokai mascots. In that sense I actually think tetranadon does a really good job fitting in and keeping a lot of the key aspects of the kappa (shell, sumo, headplate) while also deviating from it enough to be its own thing (more amphibious body, duckbill, algae/moss covered, and eating rocks).

[@vixeneris2307]

As always, your videos are a treat to listen to! The amphibians are so much goofy fun and it's nice to see them (especially Tiger Stripe) get some love. If you could, I'd love to see a video on Dalamadur, Gogmazios or even Yama Tsukami! I'd suggest frontier, but I feel like you'll only focus on mainline.

[@LodestarLogado]

As someone that absolutely loves Zamtrios, I agree with your take wholeheartedly. I would have loved to see Base Zam go all in on the Sharp Ice Armour with Tigerstripe instead taking advantage of the flexible belly and frog-like features to turn into a wrecking ball water balloon, I also think it would have been interesting if it’s inflation was based on water retention moreso than air inflation as I think it would’ve been interesting to see a monster who perhaps inflates to store water or keep itself hydrated, then having to expel the water as an extreme defence mechanism (perhaps it has musculature in its throat/the back of its mouth that would provide the same function as the lips which it lacks)

[@dr.masiaka7048]

Ah,another great UHC vid.I suspect Tigerstripe Zamtrios may use its dorsal fin as part of thermal regulation in the dunes,maybe extending it when feeling especially hot.Also,it makes sense that base Zamtrios also has electroreception.Given how it probably hunts underwater a fair amount of the time,and on land,its possible it may use it to detect prey under the ice of the frozen seaway,then ramming through the ice(I thnk retaining Zamite's armored head would've made the ice-burrowing feel a bit better).

[@thenerdbeast7375]

I know because of their body shapes Anurans are the easy comparison, the scales and other derived traits remind me of Temnospondyls. Temnospondyls, despite being technically amphibians and needing to lay their eggs in water, did not have the simple bodies and permeable skin like living amphibians today. They were almost reptile-like with many having many derived traits like scales, claws, armor plates, more ossified skeletons and likely also a more developed cardiovascular and respiratory system because of it. These were an animal super group not quite amphibian and not quite reptile that used to rule the world being the top dogs on land and in the water. However their weakness ultimately proved to be their method of reproduction, as even the most advanced Temnospondyl that never needed to enter the water itself still was tied to the water for reproduction and ultimately lost out to the Amniotes due to their superior eggs. Not only were amniotic eggs not tied to the water, they were less vulnerable and the young may have emerged in a more advanced state than the Temnospondyls.

[@glimn4839]

20:07 considering the folklore of the shirikodama... Those Nacres we can get from Tetranadon’s shinies are a bit worrying

[@TheDuckQ.]

From how I've read on Zamtrios, it seems like Tiger Striped is closer to being the base form of the species and "normal" Zamtrios is the subspecies. Tiger Stripes has full on control on its inflation ability and actively chooses how to use in combat. Zamtrios on the other hand is mentioned to use its ice and inflation abilities unintentionally, apparently activating based on its mood, which is why after getting wailed on enough, rather than stick to creating its ice armor it will instead inflate itself. Wouldn't surprise me if that's really the case, in Monster Hunter there's a fair amount of aquatic looking creatures that seem able to swim through land and act as though the desert regions were like seas. Just look at things like Nibelsnarf, Cephadrome, Delex, and the Mohrans. Amphibious sand shark being the original just seems right knowing that.

[@Beairstoboy]

Just a quick devil's advocate: natural selection would actually imply the inverse of your statement. In other words, Zamtrios at its most basal only uses its abilities reflexively because they are the origins of these abilities. Animals don't begin with an understanding of how their biology works innately after all, and any refinements to particular abilities such as with Tigerstripe can only naturally occur in species that have already possessed those abilities before to a lesser degree. I'm oversimplifying but essentially as long as a certain trait is net positive for a species, the expression of that trait is naturally reinforced. Successful individuals pass on all their traits and the unsuccessful ones fail to do so. Tigerstripe may have descended from ancestors that benefitted more from their inflation abilities than their icy armor.

[@TheDuckQ.]

@@Beairstoboy Thing about Tigerstripe is ( if I recall correctly), he doesn't have ice armor, he's just the fluid control master who spews it forth on targets before inflating again and rolling on them. Which to me seems to imply the ice armor may be a recent development to the species and maybe explain why normal Zamtrios's inflation seems less than ideal in comparison, because it is getting phased out from it in favor of the newer ice armor ability. Only thing I got to maybe support me is the weirdly orange/yellow colors on the Zamites which eventually only end up being on part of the fins on normal Zamtrios, seemingly useless colors for an arctic animal, but that probably isn't super strong evidence. Noted though, maybe it is an arctic species that just had their ice armor phased out for inflation control in the desert.

[@jacobmcnulty4706]

Ah a man of culture I see which season of futurama is your favorite

[@AedanTheGrey]

Tetranadon is probably one of my favorite monsters in the series, next to Odagaron and Zinogre. Just fun and cool designs

[@echoesactzero5131]

Nothing else on KZbin gets me as excited as seeing a new monster hunter ecology video

[@crazebear]

I’d love to see you go over the crabs of the series!

[@deztacular]

Finally, a video on my favorite Pokémon generation and starters!

[@Bloodywolf11]

I just cant get over how good these videos are, i can't wait for the next one!

[@nami_moos]

12:01 made me think of zamtrios spraying water and uncovering a gobul

[@genocidegames8423]

i'm surprised you didn't bring up how the inflation of the amphibians is likely repurposed from croaking, where they inflate their lungs to a balloon for their iconic ribbit.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

The way none of them actually seem to use any inflation for the vocalisations was really what put me off thinking that was the cause of it.

[@TornaitSuperBird]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel Well, Tetranadon's roar is louder and flinches hunters when it's inflated.

[@Dev.L]

I totally agree when it saw Zamtrios for the first time. He was so cool when I first saw him. It's like, "Whoa! An ice-land-shark!" but then when it ballooned, I lost my respect for it. That's why I like Tetsucabra the best, minus the weird engine revving sounds; I had hoped to hear some kind of monstrous croak instead.

[@takenname8053]

Nice kero kero, I wish there were more amphibians in game, they can even add in salamanders and caecilians

[@k_Why]

I love speculative biology like this so much

[@Nightout88]

@11:50 I used a Zamtrios as one of my main monsters in monster hunter: stories it can spew up ice chunks just fine it acts like a shot gun blast knocking back the other monsters.

[@Nightout88]

@12:37 so they are "cookie cutter" sharks small leech like sharks that attach to whales and other larger animals sometimes even humans.

[@Nightout88]

@13:44 yeah....

[@durandus676]

tetsucabrawas the trick to speed grinding the progression in the games he was in with his good armor skills and weapons

[@Trollogrefey]

Bro I've always loved tetsu it felt like such a good early fight and a good monster overall like it just fit in 4u yknow? Personally I hope one day you cover one of my personal favorite elders, Jhen Mohran (and by extension my less liked Dah'ren), in greater detail. Love your content. also ceadeus but you covered him partially in the laggy vid.

[@mileswiltse4535]

In real life, some frogs are kept as pets by spiders where the frog protects the spider eggs and the spider guards the frog. So im thinking it could be cool if there was a new arachnid that has frogs in its arsenal, and will become enraged if too many frogs die while attacking the hunter

[@RWNetworkEX]

Oooo we getting Banbaro next? At least I think that was his cry. Regardless, can’t wait. Love these videos!

[@DarkraiDrive]

One of my favorite classes

[@boulderfrogboulderfrog6512]

One curious thing is that tetsucabra are shown to be able to live in the frozen seaway, at least for some amount of time. As I recall the only quest where you actually fight one there is one where it has the frenzy, but that fact that something that prefers hot and humid areas could survive long enough to be a problem in a cold hell scape without much in the way of unfrozen fresh water to use still seems odd to me. Maybe the fact that all but tiger stripe can be found in cold areas implies that there’s some ancestor of them that lived primarily in the cold, some vestigial traits of which have been passed down to tetsu?

[@chamitoempire1672]

"They just fat leviathans" - Someone

[@gogglesesm9122]

I love tetsucabra I wish it could have returned in Rise ;-; but ill take the baby on in the hub until we get to see it again.

[@juanisol8275]

😯🤩👍🐸 Yay!! I love your bestiary analysis of Monster Hunter!! Is like you show they logical speculative realism! Glad to know about this!! Thank you!

[@tyranitararmaldo]

21:00 Holy shit! That thing is both awesome and terrifying 0.0

[@thenerdbeast7375]

Tetranadon does have a strong cultural aspect to Kappa though through Sumo, the favored pastime of Kappa. In fact except for the you know, hand up the bum, Tetranadon fit Kappa well.

[@fojisan2398]

Well the whole "ass" thing with Kappa is also represented with Tetty. According to folklore, Kappa would try to steal something from people called a "Shiri Kodama", literally "Butt Spirit", which was a form of lifeforce essentially. The account item that Tetranadon drops, Shiny Nacre, has a description very similar to what a Shiri Kodama is.

[@VinePest]

I love the idea of this channel and its excellent execution, too.

[@pedrolongoria5667]

Perhaps Zamtrios evolved the ability to bloat to prevent predation not just from elder dragons but also serpents such as narjala and its glacial counterpart tidal narjala

[@user-running]

I really want see a video about the other heavy shell Wyvern aka basarios gravios and espinas and maybe talk about their ancestors about how they evolved into having super durable Carapace

[@dracojester2971]

I love different factors that affect monster weaknesses. At first i expected tetranadon to be weak to fire because it’s covered in plants, but thunder makes sense not only because it retains a lot of water and the electroreceptors in the beak, which would get thrown out of whack if it were bonked with a zinogre hammer brimming with electricity. Same goes for zamtrios. Tigerstripe being weak to ice like a lot of other desert monsters may be either temperature shock or freezing the little body moisture they have. I’m still confused why tetsucabra is weak to water though. I get that some toads can’t swim, but being stabbed with a wet knife does not equal drowning. I feel like it would have something to do with its permeable skin but i literally just had that thought while typing this. Even so, my point still stands that elemental weaknesses/resistances seem to often have a lot of thought behind them and it’s one of my favorite things about MH.

[@kennethsatria6607]

Imagine if there was a drowning effect to water weapons XD Granted we do have tools in the real world that use water as cutting mediums and enough pressure in a larger amount can also equate blunt force, so I wouldn't say its a lame wet thing either, maybe it softens their hide as toad type monsters.

[@pyroraptor1676]

One thought I had about why some monsters (may take more damage from water elemental weapons than others is potentially susceptibility to osmotic shock. Water weapons unleash water onto whatever they strike, and that water would likely flood the wound. This could potentially mess with ion concentrations within a monster's tissues, causing fluid to either leave or enter cells en masse through osmosis, resulting in cells shriveling/bursting. Perhaps many of the monsters more susceptible to water weapons have intracellular/intercellular ion levels that would leave them more susceptible to osmotic shock when your weapon floods a monster's wound. Of course, I'm no physician, so this could be biologically unlikely, and it does not really explain why the semi-aquatic Tetsucabra would be weak to water, but its the best explanation I thought of that doesn't just rely on Pokemon logic of "Water douses fire/smothers rocks)."

[@blackhammer5035]

I very much agree on Zamtrios and Tetranadon being too many themes on one critter. Tetranadon in particular got close to being Rise's most muted, plausible addition, but still suffers from winding up as a frog with a duck bill and a kappa hat that moves like a sumo wrestler. As confused as frog-shark is as a concept, at least Zamtrio's moves usually deliver on that theme, with hopping and mouth-focused attacks. Both would benefit from a moveset redesign that trimmed out one element in favor of letting the other design elements get more representation.

[@futrelizard6612]

Tetranadon is literally based on a Kappa, which have beaks and turtle shells, and their favorite pastime is sumo wrestling. Tetranadon is the only one of the three that has an actual reason for it’s design and behavior if you actually bother to look up what it’s based on

[@agisuru]

Zamites inflating themselves could also be a method to ensure they're difficult to remove for whatever creature they burrow into. They drill a small hole in and then occupy a much larger area, making it hard for even things like fish or birds that clean out parasites from other organisms to take care of.

[@maxieprimo2758]

Tetranadon is always gonna be my favorite monster, what a chad

[@Lin_Nascimento]

Would be really cool to see a crocodile/spinosaur like monster as an amphibian in the next mh game. Being past the thing where all dinosaur like monsters are wyverns, specially the theropods monsters being most (if not all, idr) brute wyverns

[@madprophet6891]

YES, I've been waiting for this.

[@calrex4513]

Glad to have another upload from you!

[@DefinitelyNotEmma]

I just realized Zamtrios is classified as an Amphibian, I always had it in my head as a piscine wyvern xD Maybe it should be reclassified in future games, it really doesn't seem like an amphibian in our sense. I personally would like to see a monster that resembled a giant salamander that dwells in swamps and muddy water. Similar to Gobul in behavior. Which also for whatever reason isn't a piscine wyvern either. Speaking of which, will there be a video on Gobul and Nibelsnarf in the future? I find them to be quite unique and intriguing but sadly very underrated.

[@elekiddo]

Can’t wait for axolotl inspired monsters

[@garex1939]

@@elekiddo mizutsune is the closest to one

[@DefinitelyNotEmma]

@@garex1939 Not really, Mizu is more like a Fox-Serpent. Nibelsnarf is the closest we have with it's body structure, outer guils and its behavior of eating everything that fits in its mouth. Nibelsnarf eats also similar to Axolotl.

[@shadyoak1899]

Yeah the inflation thing for Tetronadon is absolutely for intimidation. Puffing out your chest, as it were. When I first saw Zamtrios in 4U, I thought it was neat. Then it became a big slow ball and I started laughing to tears, and my friend was loving my reaction at Inflation Shark.

[@prawn1717]

Fantastic video! I don't have a ton to add to this one, but it is absolutely insane how both Rise and Sunbreak chose not to include these fellas in their roster. Sunbreak in particular feels extremely lacking in low tier monster variety, with only B.O.B and Daimyo to buff out the roster before MR3. Tetsu, Zammy and Nerscylla would have all been great additions and not overly complicated to add since the skeletons already exist in-game, though Nerscylla without her webbed areas would have been a little strange. As for the roar, I'm gonna go withhhh Banbaro

[@monoturiim1992]

Love Tetranodon when it wins the first clash lol the way he boast by shaking his head around lol 😆

[@GREYFLWRMUSIC]

I do actually miss Zamtrios and Tetsucabra. Tetsucabra is a brilliant bigger beginner monster, and Zamtrios was just fun.

[@songbird515]

One of the biggest crimes stories 2 committed was having tetsucabra and durambos untameable.

[@BunnyChamberX]

Tetranodon will always be my favorite sumo platypus because it gives us gunners the bethesda fallout uniform

[@Daisythepage]

Tetra is one of my favorite monsters because I love platypus lol, I hope they make more platypus/monotreme monsters! The concept for the royal ludroth(I think, they have similar colors) looked really nice and sleek :D

[@Daisythepage]

Time stamp for what I’m talking about btw: 20:33

[@dapperraptor8789]

The amphibians were always pretty dope to me. I am still really annoyed that zamtrios didn’t make it into sunbreak as aesthetically he fits very nice with very European themes of sunbreak and he could’ve had a nice turf war with goss harag where inflates but goss has harder time punting him when compared to tetranadon. One can only dream though Still great video!

[@scorpiopede]

Another great video, I love the amphibians as they are a mix of intimidating and goofy which is a good fit for frogs, and it would definitely be interesting to see what gets done with them in the future. Summed up the ecologies for each monster really well, and it's interesting how Zamite supposedly drill through carcasses. This is something I always wondered about with their designs since this is never referenced or shown in-game. Shame it wasn't a thing where Zamite in Rise couldn't pop out of the static map-carcasses if you got too close, since I recall Giggi doing this back in Tri.

[@chunkykong01]

4 ultimate is such nostalgia bait for me lol, I love that game, love the videos man keep it up I can't wait for more 😊

[@ericallan920]

I guess that the lack of berserk tetsucabra is because it’s just a meaner green tetsucabra species that specializes in digging up volcanic and explosive rocks in you guessed it volcanic environments

[@taloscal]

yeah Berserk Tetsucabra is basically the same behavior wise, most of the element stuff comes from the environment its in (volcano = fire/blast) rather than the monster itself, its higher aggression probably just being because of how creatures in volcanic/hot regions are usually meaner and more volatile due to resources being harder to come by.

[@drewburke97]

Zam is one of personal favs and seeing him get some love is nice. I do agree with the sleeking him down idea as armored ice shark is cool, but if they add him unchanged ill take him

[@kennethsatria6607]

Im starting to think Tetranadon should have some sort of out of no where super form for its species just cause it would be super funny. Like that running joke in Rage gaming where they make fun of Arzuros being called Bloodlust Incarnate before suddenly the Apex Arzuros appears.

[@zachtopritzhofer7161]

Great video as always! Great class of monster that I wish got more representation. I’m assuming because it was Ignored that you don’t like berserk tetsucabra?

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Beserk just sort of seems to be 'normal tetsu but he picks up explodey rocks' so I didn't really have much to add.

[@zachtopritzhofer7161]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel That makes sense berserk in my opinion was the start of the nonsensical bad subspecies. Which is a shame because a tetsu subspecies could have been really cool

[@TalenkauenTV]

Ooooooh yeah, can't wait for next episode...... IT'S BANBARO TIIIIME

[@cliffwarden5934]

Tetsukabra was always my go to for a starting armor set if it was available. It's defense bonuses gave me the survivability to build up to better upgrades.

[@DarkestImperator]

Zamtrios has one of the best monster roars in the entire series.

[@outwardcanoe7448]

That Plesioth loving frogs joke had me rolling.

[@tyreselee7454]

All hail the frogs