Wyvern Ecology : Deviljho in Monster Hunter

[@thenerdbeast7375]

Like a T.Rex dropped in the modern world, Deviljho may dominate all it surveys with its sheer brute strength but it will never thrive. Ideal prey species it is adapted to hunt are few or non-existent, so instead it needs to indiscriminately take whatever it can. It is in an almost constant state of hunger not because of some super metabolism, but because so many hunts fail it is always on the cusp of starving. That doesn't stop it from driving away animals from the immediate area with its presence though, leading to the legends of it devouring ecosystems when all the game disappears by people too scared to understand it.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

A wonderful summary!

[@kennethsatria6607]

Aw the poor boi

[@Randomdudefromtheinternet]

Let’s say a T-Rex is dropped in modern times, but perhaps 1000 years ago or more, in any area of Africa. Considering the behavior of animals like elephants, who are known to take revenge on towns (seriously, they’re too smart to be considered a mere beast), would elephants band together to kill a T-Rex if they consider it too much of a threat? (Like knights banding together to slay a dragon)

[@Gloomdrake]

@@Randomdudefromtheinternet Elephant Knights!

[@alondite215]

It's a neat theory and all, but not a lick of it is canon truth. Its hunger _is_ due to the extreme metabolic demands of its body caused by the rampant Dragon energy raging inside of it. It's hungry because so many of its hunts fail? Not only is it a nigh-unmatched apex predator, it is a meta predator that even preys on other apex predators. Anything and everything is its ideal prey species, and very few things short of Elder Dragons that utterly defy the natural order have any kind of adaptation that would allow it to survive Deviljho predation.

[@ChevyImpala099]

I know I'm INCREDIBLY late, but. . . Truly do love the idea that Deviljoe is not just this unstoppable mass of muscle, but a species of animals that don't really fit anywhere else in this more so modern world. He truly is a monster out of place and out of time. And you got me to feel pity for this beastie.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Thank you! I'm glad my interpretation was well received!

[@BoisegangGaming]

Just a big, toothy existential crisis.

[@skiffy8121]

hey dont forget jho saliva is extremely corrossive so itd stop blood clotting and make wounds worse, it even causes defense down

[@blastshooter8791]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel If I remember there is a on going theory that Savage Deviljo happen because of cannibalism where after consuming the dragon element organ it gets much stronger but goes mad in the process. If want know more about this theory or have it better explained go to a channel call ragegaming which has a video about Deviljo.

[@soulofcinder518]

Poor angry pickle

[@Fwufikins]

Regarding Deviljo's Teeth: I feel like the external teeth aren't necessarily adapted for biting, but rather like the head of a spiked mace. A lot of Jho's attacks involve him rearing up and using all of his body strength to slam face first into his prey. His body is obviously rippling with huge amounts of muscle, so he uses his size and strength as his main weapon, with the mouth simply being the point of impact. While he can pick up and hold his prey, he's not using his grip strength to do damage: he's lifting the prey up and slamming them into the ground. This is even true with his turf war vs Diablos, where he's seen as capable of lifting the whole monster and slamming it down with enough force to break its horns. The outer teeth teeth grow in multiple rows like sharks because they need to grow in frequently due to this violent hunting style. Meanwhile -on closer inspection of his model- the inside of his mouth has smaller, more sensibly placed teeth that probably to the bulk of the actual eating work.

[@Darklordiban7]

One thought I had is that maybe as a "World Eater", it's not so much that he eats everything but that he can pretty much eat anything. Maybe he doesn't have the strongest bite force, but his teeth and face function as all purpose Utility knives. Whatever he can't bite, he bashes. Whatever soft flesh he bites, his multiple teeth will take a gouge out of - which may not just be useful against fish but also slippery flying monsters.

[@whensomethingcriesagain]

I've seen a theory that Allosaurus had a similar tactic of using their skulls like a battle axe and striking prey with them rather than relying only on bite force

[@victory8928]

@@whensomethingcriesagain unfortunately their jaws aren't designed to best utilise that type of motion

[@Ajehy]

I really like the concept of Jho’s teeth serving this purpose…he comes in like a wreeeeeeecking ball!

[@imlonelypleasehelp5443]

@@victory8928source it right now

[@CorwinTheOneAndOnly]

If it makes you feel any better, I believe i saw an interview that the Deviljho's charm in the dev studio was in fact its somewhat childlike concept. "So many teeth that they spill out of its mouth", "teeth all over its body", and "shoots lazers out of its mouth" were all points used with affection rather than criticism. Because the deviljo IS supposed to be a monster among monsters.

[@The_PokeSaurus]

Love the video, but as a Deviljho fan, knowing this theory makes me sad, but also love the Deviljho more to think of it as an endanged beast on its last legs still kicking and screaming to the bitter end.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Yeah it's definitely quite sad, the notion they're 'acting out' in their death throes as a species.

[@landonmiller5448]

Like deviljho would like

[@Bake-kurijra]

Man I hate this stuff just except that deviljho is deviljho and not say that deviljho do what deviljho do

[@Bake-kurijra]

And stop weakening both deviljho and T. rex stop trying to explain my favourite creatures you mean people I love deviljho what next you gonna try to explain greymon as if he’s a normal animals the deviljho is not going extinct . In game deviljho is a new species that just recently evolved you fouls pleas stop trying to explain thing I like

[@The_PokeSaurus]

@@Bake-kurijra Wow, you have a limited imagination.

[@Carnidrome]

This is a really interesting take on Deviljho that makes it seem more likeable to me. The idea of a monster we are fighting getting close to extinction is super interesting. Also as a small addition to your theory, I would suggest that the condition of Deviljho is getting worse the further the series goes. The reason for this is the difference in appearance between the old world Jho and new world Jho. The Deviljho in the old world were less spikey and didn't have as many teeth on their topjaw. So maybe the excessive inbreeding has led to Deviljho having more teeth on their upperjaw that do nothing for them.

[@Bake-kurijra]

It’s not endangered . Stop believing this guy

[@Top_Nep]

no that doesnt make sense remember this is the new world, we in a completely different area.

[@Cheeseisboss]

I think the teeth on the outside helps it club with its head

[@Beefaroni_Bert]

can fictional dinosaurs actually inbreed? theyre not near extinction and i think its appearance changed slightly because they wanted a more realistic design for the weird monster. some have changed over time like the raths, rajanh was literally an elder dragon until they made fanged beasts.

[@mudkipgames8542]

@@Beefaroni_Bert this is an evolving world though with the monsters evolving with it. He raises a good point that Jho is likely evolving but not in a way that helps it sustain itself over multiple generations. It would be interesting for a sequel to have "the last Deviljho" where it's ancient, the last of its kind, and fighting for survival than just to eat.

[@draochvar9646]

I know I might be WAAAAAY too late on this, but I think there is an explanation for why Deviljhos teeth are the way they are and that is the way Jho uses it's head: Whereas many other wyvers actually employ their jaws in a manner we would expect, a defining move of Jho is him smashing his head into the ground trying to hit the Hunter. And not just us, any time we see him strike at another creature with his head, he always rears up and then comes crashing down into his victim of choice. Another move he regularly employs is his stomps, which are powerful enough to destabilize any nearby Hunter and do MASSIVE damage, implying that it has quite a bit of strength in them. What I propose is that Jho's teeth are so abundant on the outside of his mouth and why it doesn't really need an absurd biteforce like Tigrex is that its primary method of hunting and killing is: bulldozing into its prey, using its sheer overwhelming bulk and absurdly powerful legs to shove them to the ground and then using its head, propelled by its massive upper body and thick muscular neck, essentially like a spiked mace to bash whatever it just attacked to death, leaving massive, bleeding wounds and shattered bones. As a result of this, Jho wouldn't really need the ability to crush bones with its jaws, as whatever Jho just felled would already have a lot of its skeleton crushed and whatever else is still intact, Deviljho could just stomp into easily consumable mush.

[@TheRedMan77]

Makes sense. To me Jho's mouth looks more designed for just grabbing onto a victim, locking his teeth in, and THRASHING the poor fucker around until their head comes off, or they hit something hard enough to shatter every bone in their torso. Deviljho is less of a biter and more of a grappler.

[@CrudDeposit]

The mashing food is also kindof supported as jho also slams his foot into it, then slamming his head into it, similar to how a barioth might use its sabers to process already dead prey

[@Appalachiosaurus22]

Well great, now I'm sad about a fictional Tyrannosaur going extinct. Amazing stuff, this is absolutely everything I've wanted from these kinds of videos. Too many spend too much time hyping the monster up as this awe inspiring trophy, it feels nice to hear someone talk about it like an actual animal.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Thanks, I'm glad these videos are going down well! And if it's any consolation I don't think the MH team will render jho extinct any time soon!

[@pinkfridge6111]

Step 1 : discover that deviljhos dont attack eachother most of the time Step 2 : hunt deviljho Step 3 : make and wear deviljho armor Step 4 : you still get attacked because you dont look like a deviljho at all and this meme is allready dead

[@wildspirewarrior211]

Are we talking about the same monster that will consume its own tail after it has been chopped off

[@Noot-Noot7305]

@@wildspirewarrior211 yeah but strangely enough when they encounter each other in the wild deviljho almost instinctively avoid each at all costs. I’ve seen videos coming up with theories that they avoid each because presence of two deviljho would destroy entire the ecosystem. There are others who claim they can’t risk fighting each other because it would most likely end in double fatality.

[@jonathanatkinson399]

@@Noot-Noot7305 There is a real world example of why equally powerful predators don't attack each other. Army ants are one of the few predators of ant colonies. They do so in what are described as large and aggressive hunting forages as they march out in a big column killing whatever gets in their way. But when they come into contact with other army ants they just walk away and past each other. Likely evolution selecting for only army ants that are aggressive enough to hunt everything but not so aggressive to hunt other things that would likely cause death of the colony/the predator. Kurzgesagt made video about it. The World War of the Ants - The Army Ant kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZDIYXZ3lNObl6c

[@Serpenfishil]

@@Noot-Noot7305 the latter theory is probably the more correct one there, as this video established that destroying entire ecosystems is rather difficult if not impossible in most cases

[@totozhu4543]

Aren't they cannibalistic at times

[@ganonsbaker3026]

I know I'm super late on this video, but I had a thought considering Jho's hunting habits. He's one of the very few non Elder Dragons to regularly weaponize Dragon Element, the only other one I can think of is Stygian Zinogre and he gets his power externally. Since this power is extremely detrimental to almost every elder, do you think its possible Jho has a niche preying on weakened/newborn Dragons? And with those being at such a low population density, provided the initial incentive to become a nomadic hunter? Every other monster that produces the element naturally is an Elder, so like poisonous frogs, this could be where it gets that power.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Diet-derived dragon element is an interesting theory, and one that was a big one for savage jho especially before iceborne came out (and still is as no one seemed to read that info...). But I think it's a bit flawed as due to the very low densities + seeming trace amounts of dragon they produce, neonate elders likely wouldn't give jho enough for the element to bioaccumulate for notable and regular use. (Ebony Odogaron also seems to be a natural dragon element producer too)

[@victory8928]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel agree, although that idea makes more sense in the new world and maybe savage is a result of different types of mutations maybe the jhos in world don’t have the same mutations as their old world relatives and to gain savage they need to eat a certain amount of elder flesh inorder to activate it by consuming the energy produced by elders. It is somehow enough to keep more pure elder eaters like rajang (although rajang only eats kirins and anything it can kill so it is less of an elder eater and more of a kirin eater) and nergi going so a less specialised elder eater can face similar results especially since the new world is a dying ground for elders.

[@CreamIc7]

Every monster has at least a TINY bit of dragon energy and it is said to damage you like look at nakorkos's death animation it gets finished of by the dragon beam that it wasn't healthy enough to fire and crimson glow valstrax is a valstrax that has gone crazy from to much dragon so that could have something to do with his insanity because he is in so much pain from sheer hunger or possibly it's the dragon energy sapping his life away so he eats to slow it down (I don't know if what I said makes any sense)

[@sandmountainsam9287]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel maybe they scavage elder dragons because they are usually massive (especially dragon element) and they hunt as a main, and the teeth are also made for ripping, so it would make sense that they scavenge

[@AztecCroc]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel Akantor also has Dragon element.

[@dicerson9976]

In a weird twist, your explanation of the turf wars making the other animals look dumb moreso than deviljho is strong actually makes sense. If, as you've presumed, Deviljho and it's oddities are the violent quirks of a dying race of nomadic therapod, it would make sense for most of his turf wars to consist of Deviljho approaches Monster is *extremely* confused about this freakish looking thing, which is honestly a bit terrifying and clearly some kind of higher end predator they've probably never seen before in their life Acts very cautiously, or even be totally scared because well *look at it* Gets dunked on as a result Lives because deviljho is really not that strong, but runs away anyway cuz *god that hurt* As for what Deviljho does with all that leg muscle power in its fat tail, efficiency in walking makes 100% sense, but also look at it's animations during fights. Deviljho is VERY jumpy, and often pivots *really* fast around his hips. It could be high muscle density combined with weight balancing to make it not just easy for him to pivot up and down, but at insane speed. This would also explain the teeth formations on the outside of it's jaws as well, if it's greatest strength is in how it can very very quickly pivot and bring itself down onto something, perhaps the deviljho's *entire body* is a form of serrated mace? It has those sharp spines lining the side of it's tail and main body as well. The entire monster is jagged and at the speeds it moves, lethal to make contact with. A careful balancing act with it's body weight making it very easy to pivot and move around it's extraordinarily strong legs. A thick and well muscled body covered in jagged teeth and spines so it can take the blunt force trauma of it's own swinging, as well as cause lethal lacerations to anything it touches. Additionally, it's teeth formations would be very good for digging up earth for scavenging purposes just by swooshing it's face around, it could also help digestively- basically tenderizing and ripping to shreds it's food before then devouring it in big shredded bites.

[@CrudDeposit]

Maybe the spikes on the tail are for protection against predation attempts. What if Jho wasn’t the top or was in competition as a top predator with a smaller social therapod species or maybe a massive snake? His height makes sense for if his main prey was something like larinoth, but what if it also helps swing off mounting monsters like a massive constrictor like a titanoboa along with his immense strength in pivoting?

[@thechickenwizard8172]

Im late to the party, but deviljho's story here reminds me a lot of the California condor of our world. You see, back in the pleistocene epoch, these huge, majestic vultures would feed on the remains of megafauna like mammoths and ground sloths. However, as temperatures warmed and humans arrived in north America, the megafauna died out, leaving the condors with far fewer options. They were able to continue on as american bison spread across the continent, providing even more food, but...humans again nearly wiped out all the bison too in the 1800s. The condors were reduced to coastal areas where beached whales could provide enough sustinence, but once again, mankind obliterated them with pesticides, lead and overhunting. Today, breeding programs started with the last 23 condors have seen the birth of over 500 individuals, but many of them are all starting to show signsof inbreeding from the lack of genetic diversity. The species, while still alive, is not thriving, and might not last much longer sadly. Tales like these, both fictional and real, are both depressing and inspiring; they show how species who belong to the past struggle to survive as their world rapidly changes, but also show the preserverence and durability of life when faced with even the harshest obstacles.

[@Nicol80145]

I do not believe Jo's teeth are for nothing. I think they are a vestigial organ like wisdom teeth. Look at the Uragaan. It has a LARGE lower jaw that it uses to smash its opponents. I believe Jo's teeth on the bottom are old remnants of its smashing ancestors. It has a large neck and stable legs that would support this kind of attack. Uragaan was just more adaptive being able to use metals from its environment.

[@Nicol80145]

I love the story of biology and ecosystems that world started to lay into. I do hope they continue it because these theories and debates among the fans are so interesting and fun!

[@cooldude6269]

I have good news on the Condors at least, which is that while their current population is descended from a small number of individuals, there’s a lot of genetic diversity buried in their genome from the past. If managed right, they have a good chance of making it out of this just fine

[@fang609]

Okay this was an excellently researched video both in real world examples and finding comparisons for them in the Monster Hunter world. Did really put a new spin on good old Jho as more of a tragic creature from a time that's been forgotten,one of the few survivors of what once was a very different world.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Thank you! And yeah I'm pleased with how many like the notion of jho as tragic rather than terrible - was fearful it may not have gone down well!

[@johncronk8867]

All this talk of Deviljho being a suffering remnant from a world far more kind to it is ironically reminding me of Tolkien Elves of all things.

[@raditz1101]

For the teeth I think of it something like a shark, if Deviljho is eating so much its going to loose teeth so a tooth moves back into place. Granted teeth dont do well when in contact with air for extended periods of time so theyre probably made out of a material similar to ivory. Another benefit to having teeth like that would be more damage to the prey when a chunk of flesh is taken out of said prey

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

I definitely think the shark comparison is apt, if jho's jaws are built for anything it's to inflict big, high blood-loss wounds.

[@gurburgandr]

New and old world monsters differ a bit when it comes to certain attributes, for example brachydios’ in the new world have longer arm spikes, new world zinogre are less bulky and more stream lined, I think the books in itself could be referring to jho in the new world, perhaps due to inbreeding they’ve gotten weaker and more grotesque, jho’s in the old world have less teeth while the ones in the new world have an extreme amount of them, this is further backed up by your theory about bigger monsters roaming around, the only monsters that could sustain jho are brute wyverns, diablos, bazelgeuse, and elder dragons when looking at size alone. The old world had gammoth, duramboros, gravios, larinoth, plesioth, blos’s, old world lavasioth, and elders, the difference in prey created a divide between new and old jho, new world had to constantly breed with each other and feed on small prey items, while ones in the new world have access to more mates and food. Its still sad but it’s an interesting theory to think about.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Yeah, the artbook makes several general comment but often does seem to refer specifically to new world individuals. I'd also agree whilst I don't think jho does well especially anywhere, it had better odds in the old world with larinoth and other large prey than the new for sure.

[@dr.masiaka7048]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel I'd imagine it'd be better off in the new world due to less human intervention, along with much of the New world being only partially explored in canon.

[@jonah_the_Nakarkos_admirer]

Also the old world has a lot less savage Deviljho. Savage Jho is the only Jho you encounter in Master rank of Iceborn, other than normal Jho from Yian Garuga cutscene. And he invades most quests. In the old world games tho, normal Jho is more common to invade than Savage Jho in G and high rank quests. If I'm remembering correctly, than in games like mhgu, high rank has four savage Jho quests (counting event quests) G rank has about two quests. In Iceborne, there are if I am remembering correctly, eight quest with Savage Jho (counting event quests) I think this means Savage Jho in the new world live at higher population densities than base Jho. In mhgu/the old world, there are six high rank normal Jho and four in G rank. Base Jho definitely have a higher population density in the old world.

[@kennethsatria6607]

@@jonah_the_Nakarkos_admirer They say Savage Deviljho are like mutations related to them starving themselves crazy or through cannibalism, so them being in the new world might mean they are worse off there than in the old world where you find more healthy individuals.

[@Zergliskful]

As a late idea, I see Deviljho having something like a literal bear trap of a mouth. Not made to crush, more like a pitbull with a focus of closing and locking in place before thrashing the victim. The acidic saliva, the teeth which both will cut up the prey as well as probably get lodged into the wounds.

[@magnarcreed3801]

Pitbulls don’t actually have lock jaw. That’s a myth. They’re just really determined.

[@anguishedcarpet]

@@magnarcreed3801 came to say this, they don't even really have THAT impressive bite forces compared to a lot of other dogs

[@magnarcreed3801]

@@anguishedcarpet It’s their desire to please which makes them so strong and capable but is what also makes them favorites in dog fighting.

[@wispyz0]

this behavior could’ve been likened more truthfully to crocs if i’m not wrong?? i always thought the danger pickle was based on a crocodile partly

[@TheRedMan77]

@@anguishedcarpet If you want a dog with a strong bite force, just take a look at the Cane Corso. Those fuckers bite harder than lions.

[@jasonvoorhees5180]

I'd probably have to disagree on the design aspect, the snaggle toothed jaw-chin appearance kind of gives him a certain amount of charm and unique gnarly looking aesthetic for me.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

I agree on the gnarliness, it's just to the extent it makes him somewhat harder to buy as a living monster.

[@kennethsatria6607]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel Its hooked teeth kinda reminds me of some shark species, as a thing that keeps eating I think it works pretty well. Its just an extreme version of shark and reptile teeth that keep replacing. And having teeth outside might also mean a shallow or near miss could still cause damage.

[@enzob9793]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel I think your conclusion on devilijho being endangered is a bit farfetched. It is fairly common in the old world.

[@kennethsatria6607]

@@enzob9793 Well I wouldn't put it past them being at least pressured in the new era or in the past that results in them being so giant yet still aggressive and ravenous.

[@prawn1717]

@@enzob9793 I think he's probably not so much "common" as he is aggressive, large and widespread. It'd be more accurate to say he's commonly sighted and hunted because of his size and threatening presence. It's a species that burns itself out, and with so many monsters better suited to scavenging and predation than him, I can definitely buy that Jho is likely becoming endangered as the world outpaces him.

[@dr.masiaka7048]

Loved this video, made me feel pity for the "World-eater". Can't wait for the day you do Brachydios. Ditto when that day will come.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Thank you, glad I was able to put a new spin on a classic monster. Brachydios will be quite a tough nut to crack but he'll get his due for sure!

[@Gregoji]

as a Deviljho fan I love this take/theory, makes me love the monster even more. good video, will share.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Thank you, and much appreciated!

[@MathouManson]

This channel deserve way more views and subscribers im hooked on your videos keep it up,every monster hunter fans need to see your amazing work

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Thank you for your very kind words!

[@royalhybrid4524]

Awesome video! Can't wait for the turf war where Deviljho starts bench pressing Gammoth into submission

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

If Rise is anything to go by they'd probably just reuse the diablos slamdunk...

[@jonah_the_Nakarkos_admirer]

Almost nothing can genuinely hunt down and eat adult Gammoths. It be such a waste of energy, it's trunk alone can grab, lift, and throw tigrex. And it's weight is more than enough to crush deviljho.

[@marcusgo6784]

@@jonah_the_Nakarkos_admirer ukanlos can

[@jonah_the_Nakarkos_admirer]

@@marcusgo6784 I said "almost" nothing. I know elders, deviants, some variants, and Ukanlos can.

[@diousthomas8878]

@@jonah_the_Nakarkos_admirer Deviljho’s aggressiveness, power of the deadly dragon element, pain resistance and more is more than enough for hunting Gammoth. Remember, it is very likely that Deviljho would takes chunks of Gammoth like how Gigas took slices off large sauropods. And this this would lead to very heavy blood loss. Gammoth would get definitely get the Diablos treatment.

[@blazethesteamdragon6202]

I always interpreted Savage Deviljho as having an affliction similar to Mad Cow Disease, Chronic Wasting Disease, or Scrapie; a brain encephalopathy that an animal can most infamously get after eating the brain or spinal tissue of its own or related species that's infected with prions--but the production of prions can also be genetic which is where they come from in the first place. It would explain its strange and erratic behavior as well as its deterioration; prion diseases cause rapidly progressive dementia-like symptoms.

[@Beefaroni_Bert]

savage jho is more akin to the wendigo myth and likely might be inspired by that story. it eats its own kind like some taboo, and in turn becomes mad with overwhelming almost supernatural power and seeks to consume anything it finds.

[@cicadeus7741]

@@Beefaroni_Bert fun fact; w* are based off the wasting caused by human cannibalism. The wild eyed people, eventually unable to feel pain and aggressive due to fear were very likely the start of the mythos. Its a story with a moral; do not eat the flesh of man. You will become a monster.

[@Dabajaws]

Well old world savage deviljho's were said to happen from a deviljho eating other deviljhos's and getting juiced off it while the ones in world just happen most likely from their hunting style or a specific mutation

[@TokiRoMorbii]

Next monster Hunter game features a single unrepeatable quest to kill the last deviljho

[@loganswalk8621]

My own personal headcanon on Jho's tail being so thick is that it acts as fat storage so in the event that it doesn't find food it's high metabolism does immediately burns itself out and this would explain why it's willing to eat its own tail when it's cut off as it's attempting to regain its lost nutrients.

[@DawnTyrantEo]

An alternate suggestion for Deviljho's mouth is that it's a dental battery- you can see that the inside of its mouth is full of small teeth, while the edges of its mouth are relatively blunt. This design is surprisingly common in nature, albeit not of the present day; it's most common in sharks, which follow this exact model of young teeth inside the jaw moving outwards, but variant designs exist in extinct relatives like Helicoprion, and a similar solution was evolved in certain reptiles, most notably hadrosaurid dinosaurs. (The teeth remaining attached once rotated out of service is odd, but not too unreasonable- I could see it as a battering ram like a Tylosaurus mosasaur's snout, or a sensory function like in a narwhal.) Additionally, this sort of texture is very common in sharks adapted to gripping, with a multitude of teeth creating a multitude of blunt points; this is very unlike the teeth of sauropod-hunters, which tended to be adapted for massive flesh trauma via using long or finely-serrated teeth along the jaws as a pair of serrated knives, using the neck muscles as the primary killing weapon. While I can definitely agree that Deviljho being an ecologically-stressed survivor makes sense, his massive musculature, slow speed and gripping, wide-gaped jaws would suggest to me that he's lacking in quantity of prey rather than quality of prey. For an idea of why that might be, consider the reproductive ecology of sauropods- they produce massive amounts of easily-obtainable meat in the form of weak, plentiful juveniles that could feed a massive variety of dinosaurs (compare a sauropod-dominated Morrison Formation diversity of ceratosaurs, allosaurs and megalosaurs to a hadrosaur-dominated formation dominated by a single carnivore such as a single large carcharodontosaur or tyrannosaur). This would fit the feast-and-starve ecology of Deviljho, as well as his aggression towards competitors (big powerful creatures often dominate easy ecological niches- reef sharks do it with ideal times-of-day for hunting); I'd suggest that Deviljho's original role in the ecosystem was to exploit 'boom cycles' in a world dominated by high-reproduction, low-success giants, and is currently living on a subsistence diet in a world that's shifted towards more difficult-to-catch wyverns such as Jaggi-type over Jagras-type and leaner, more wily medium-herbivores like aptonoth or dangerous, protective adults like diablos over the terrestrial equivalent of a sea turtle nesting event.

[@jessejones7251]

I love this take on Deviljho. Makes me think of it as no less intimidating, but even more "cursed" and therefore demonic, being malnourished, inbred, and desperate to cling to life. I will say one tidbit you could have mentioned while talking about its strange mouth is that Deviljho is based on komodo dragons, which have such nasty, bacteria filled saliva, that a single bite quickly becomes infected and rotten. This is also reflected in game as the ol' pickle inflicts defense down with mouth-based attacks while drooling. So rather than just bleeding out prey with toothy lacerations, they likely employ the same strategy

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Thank you! I'm always very pleased to hear how my take on deviljho was received. Re: the komodo monitors, new discoveries found their bites are actually venomous and cause great blood loss in their prey. So whilst jho may still have a septic bite this wouldn't be as reflected in science.

[@nuke2099]

Not sure I agree with the weak jaw part. Especially since Deviljho was based off the T-rex (similar to Anjanath which is known for a strong jaw) which was able to crush whatever it wanted apart from the thickest of armour plating like Ankylosaur which Apceros are similar too. Deviljho also has a corrosive bite from it's saliva which gives defense down. Also interesting you mention Gammoth. Tigrex and Gammoth have a predator prey relationship where female Gammoth protect Popo herds because Gammoth calves live amongst the Popo and Tigrex which prey on Popo will target Gammoth calves as well. This makes Gammoth have a extreme hatred of Tigrex.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

I feel it's just quite hard to justify him having a strong bite with that jaw arrangement, plus if he has the corrosive saliva to help him break down armoured prey surely he wouldn't need this if his jaws could already handle it. The challenges of trying to apply science to such things really! And I'll be looking into both of those and their possible relationships in future videos too!

[@nuke2099]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel I believe the corrosive saliva has more to do with the theory of T-rex possibly having a septic bite. A powerful bite that it would possibly only need to make once. Similar to the saliva that Komodo's have which mixes with venom that seeps from a gland and the venom keeps blood flowing.

[@kennethsatria6607]

@@nuke2099 Rex have no need for septic or venom bites, the puncturing teeth and bone crunching would be enough to get the job done and cause serious damage, it and the Komodo dragon's hunting style and hardware are extremely different. I wouldn't compare em. My theory is that Deviljho doesn't crush with its jaws, but as his fighting style goes, the jaws just firmly grip onto flesh and the misshapen teeth helps with that grip until they inevitably tear off flesh or are torn off themselves by which time the prey would have already been mangled and broken by his repeated slamming. Basing it off what I've read up about Abelisaurids here, things like Anjanath are more alike to Tyrannosaurus who actually crush things like bone and puncture flesh, but Abelisaurids have smaller teeth and deeper skulls that means they can hang onto struggling prey and take that stress. Though one hole in this theory is that Deviljho has a weak looking skull structure with how the top is so small and the front bends upwards... so despite the muscle its head wouldn't be suited. Eitherway I think that was what they were going for and I can see it as possibly being a kind of primitive alternate strategy of hunting that might eventually be outcompeted by other more efficient predators like Anajnath who simply bite things to kill. Kind of like with the Entelodonts.

[@nuke2099]

@@kennethsatria6607 Well Deviljho has saliva which corrodes as well. If the skull is too weak that's probably why it has that to even it out.

[@genocidegames8423]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel it could be possuble that the acidic saliva was more of a recent development evolutionaraly in response to armoured prey that his bite couldn't handle.

[@SagittariusAyy]

Honestly, you can’t be too mad whenever one of these guys shows up in the middle of a quest. They’re just doing what they can to survive, and if that means attempted theft of a hunter’s kill, so be it. Plus, there’s an odd kind of majesty to the thing…The added challenge from one of them showing up and the bombastic theme accompanying it also helps. Overall, you gotta respect the absolute tenacity of the Deviljho species.

[@SwaxMain4u]

I love the idea of deviljho just showing up and nearly everything just getting the hell out as soon as possible as joe sweeps through an area to get straglers before going to a neighboring biome

[@shadow_thiy]

As someone who's been playing since Freedom Unite, I find your content nicely refreshing and fun for speculative biology. I'll be looking forward to binging the rest of your content and I hope you're just as thorough when you cover the psuedowyverns like Tigrex, Tiger Rex not that silly Tea grex, and nargacuga. It's such a fun body profile and I'm curious on how they could speculatively fly like Barioth or glide from high locations like Tigrex while mostly being built as quadrupeds. That and how to justify their iconic powerful roars.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Thank you for your kind words! The pseudowyverns will definitely be covered in the future, each getting their own video.

[@ASpaceOstrich]

I can picture an ecoystem survival game where you play as an animal just trying to survive in a contained in game environment, and having a button that actually visually displays the landscape of fear. Would be an interesting visual way to allow a human player to experience something they aren't used to with our general removal from natural ecosystems.

[@TheBitingBat]

A year late on this video but Id like to add some stuff in regards to the oddly shaped teeth and jaws of Jho. Going from the theory that deviljho is a fairly ancient species, from an era with much larger prey, it's possible that its preferred prey were large hadrosaur, ceratopsian or sauropod like wyverns who were large enough to satisfy its appetite but also relatively tough and slow, able to break free and fight Jho but not fully escape it. Because of this, it adapted a jaw that it could use like a sledgehammer, similar to how Allosaurus hunted by slamming its open jaws down on fleeing prey, tearing open large gashes and dealing crushing blows that could break bone and stagger prey. Giganotosaurus is likewise a very close analog as you mentioned. Deviljho possibly even ate prey that was still alive, just too weakened and stunned to fight back. We see jho have similar animations in game where it rears itself up before slamming headfirst with enough force to rip up the very ground. Combine this with stout musculature of its upper torso and shock absorbant tissue around the skull and spinal cord, and you have a monster custom built to take on hardy prey. Its also quite fearsome and aggressive which could be behavioral adaptation to spooking and then running down prey as its primary hunting strategy. Now, its much too big and sluggish to keep up as its prey has gotten smaller and more nimble, so it has to take on anything and everything in order to try and secure a meal. Though I don't believe that theyre fully going extinct, as they are still able to go up against powerful animals and I would love for the return of the pickle in mh6 to flesh out his ecology

[@spacesaturnarts]

I know this is a few years late, but honestly when I look at Deviljho's teeth it makes me think of sharks. Its pretty common knowledge that sharks teeth constantly replenish themselves as they fall out, and they have several rows of teeth ready to deploy as soon as one falls out. Deviljho's staggered rows of teeth gives me the same sort of vibe. It makes sense (to me at least) that an animal who is a ferocious and voracious eater of any other animals in its habitat, it makes sense that it would have an endless supply of teeth. Broken or missing teeth can be a death sentence for a carnivore, and if Deviljho has to fuel its aggressive metabolism with constant feeding, then having backup teeth would ensure that it doesnt die young from broken teeth. Just a thought

[@The_PokeSaurus]

After a long time of thinking, I've come up with some thoughts about this. I don't entirely agree with the theory of Deviljho having a relatively weak bite force. It is true that he can't bite through anything like some other Monster's shells like Apceros, but Apceros are very well armored creatures so a part of me feels that is an unfair example. Also, Deviljho has been shown lifting and throwing other monsters with his jaws, which would take a lot of jaw power to through another monster, let alone lift it off the ground. Also, looking at Deviljho's neck reminds me a lot of a Crocodile's neck. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't a lot of the power behind a Crocodile's bite actually come from neck muscles?

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

It does, but muscular power isn't all that's needed for a strong bite. The shape of the skull and it's ability to withstand stress are key factors, are deviljhos's relatively broad, shallow jaws are very hard to rationalise as being able to withstand the huge amounts of stress that come with high bite forces. Deviljho may well have a strong body and neck to swing his head and jaws around with, but may not be able to apply huge amounts of force along the toothrow to things in his mouth.

[@The_PokeSaurus]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel Ah, I get that. Something else I had in mind was the idea of Deviljho maybe not being well adapted for eating bone, I had the idea that maybe Deviljho can't crunch bone apart but could swollow it whole like a bearded valture could. Any input on that idea?

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

@@The_PokeSaurus That could well work with smaller kills, jho presuming having strong enough stomach acid to digest it.

[@The_PokeSaurus]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel Yeah, considering his saliva is acidic enough lower defense I think the stomach acid itself must be powerful.

[@Beefaroni_Bert]

i think what makes jho so much more intimidating is that hes not picky, like at all. not because hes probably on the brink of extinction but because he really is just a monster with a high metabolism. they sleep in short bursts from what we can tell, scrounge for food, and travel far distances just to eat. but what doesnt really makes sense is if its truly so starved for food why does it choose to not eat when we see it? new world jho especially thrives, and while this could just be because world has better programming but he lasts less in traps, fights back HARD, and doesnt fall for raw meat as often as old jho does. He also weaponizes other monsters to fight us with. And how the hell did he get there? swim? godzilla breath facing backwards? I think theres a lot we don't know about it as a species and its honestly interesting when we do get lore on him. but to theorize that hes near extinction? idk it doesn't really seem that way. hes just one of the few monsters i think the creators really wanted to just be a mean hungry pickle dinosaur lol

[@serpentsaurus7969]

Deviljho has always been one of my favorite monsters and I loved this deep dive into its weirdness. Thank you!

[@cutlza300228]

I don't know if this comparison has been made in the 400+ comments but, Monster Hunter Frontier introduced Abiorugu, a brute wyvern with defined lower teeth and spike protrusion on the bottom of its jaw and back of skull. They are described as "notoriously aggressive monsters that relentless try to kill and consume anything that provokes them." (from the monster hunter wiki and banned lagiacrus on twitter) and their appetite is compared to deviljho, but they don't participate in cannibalism and even form hunting pairs (once again, from banned lagiacrus and monster hunter wiki). finally, Abiorugu also causes the defense down status effect, which besides deviljho, only two other BRUTE WYVERN shares, the other being glavenus and another frontier monster (giaorugu, which shares basically the same design philosophy of most subspecies by taking abiorugu, color swapping it, changing its element, and putting it in a new location) along with this Abiorugu shares a lot in common also with Glavenus, with a sharpened tail and ability to produce fire element. I feel like this could be used to show that Abiorugu is like a living transitional fossil between deviljho and glavenus, or at least a very close branching evolution of one if not both.

[@HolyNorthAmericanEmpire]

Regarding the jaws of Deviljho, in MH3 his upper jaw looked fairly normal with one row of teeth, similar to an alligator snout. MHW went overboard on it and altered the design of the jaws

[@atticoftheuniverse8631]

Thanks for giving me something interesting to listen to while grinding up my MR! Rare to find such thoughtful and analytic content that incorporates so much evolutionary and ecological biology.

[@nar1768]

huh, a less monstrous take on deviljho, interesting

[@theallmightyfish3027]

The deviljho species may be on its last leg My deadass watching the 40 deviljho I slaughtered, most of them without reason:

[@Claxis404]

Regarding why monsters often appear to have an almost unreasonable fear of Deviljho, it could be partly due to his dragon element. Very few monsters use dragon element outside of elder dragons, with those that do being highly dangerous. If monsters recognize that deviljho possesses dragon element in addition to literally dwarfing them in body mass it could lead them to be immediately wary of a monster class they would normally view as any other territorial threat. It’s always been one of my favourite monsters because it was the first monster in the series that legitimately scared me when I first played as a kid. The soundtrack and singleminded need destruction of its surroundings was unlike any other monster. While it may be unfortunate to see it’s flaws put on display, it is reasonable criticism and interesting to see the perspective of it as a dying species that has some of these flaws as a result of this. While I hope to see jho in future games, it would be interesting if they stopped including it for the reasons listed in this video, with a game making its last appearance as finishing off the last savage member of the species. Love the walking with dinosaurs vibes I get from your vids! Cheers!

[@honestscriberelaxation9542]

Man, I have never felt so sorry for the giant pickle before. The heading towards extinction explanation makes more sense than anything else I've heard regarding their behavior.

[@Planag7]

I could definitely see a time where these monsters are put on a protected species list like the Monoblos before. Honestly it would make sense give the monster break and a lore reason as to why they should be rare to hunt

[@dtaggartofRTD]

In the fourth gen games he's pretty much the only monster that will try and take a bite out of you before roaring. Preferred prey seems to be whatever Jho can get ahold of. Animals, people, his own tail, etc. As stated, he's out of place wherever he is. Given the threat he poses to nearby communities The Guild's shoot on sight mentality is understandable. The Guild's charter is generally focused on defense of the settlements they operate out of.

[@HlootooThunderhammer]

In defense of the jaw design.... What if it was evolved to add more melee damage while battling prey? After all, the mouth is their biggest weapon, so why not add extra teeth for slashing damage, or at least up the pain when ramming creatures with it. Which can also help to shred flesh for consumption? If not that, and going off your inbreeding theory, it's simply a mutation that's been worsened over multiple generations in a tiny gene pool.

[@pinkfridge6111]

There could be a possibility that deviljho might actually come from hakolo island (the starting area of monster hunter stories 2) since you can find their eggs more frequently there, it could also support your ice age theory since it looks like a cross of the jurassic frontier and the verdant hills it also has larinoth as a resident species there

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

I'm haven't had much to do with Stories, although I'm unsure just how canon it is.

[@Beefaroni_Bert]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel stories IS canon but the monster eggs and how many there are wouldn't be.

[@Beefaroni_Bert]

i think its really purely for the sake of obtaining them that eggs are so common. Stories 2 might be canon in lore regarding the overall WORLD on monhun but considering you can find eggs of a monster that does NOT breed, i dont think stories really holds up for big monster hunter canon in general. Nerg doesnt lay eggs and splits off by budding apparently, disgusting but just how it is for him(?). and while there are mammals that lay eggs irl i dont think palamutes are born with clothes on or hatched from eggs lol.

[@matthiasrauert8397]

I doubt they would ever do that but as the years progress the team could at some point specify how much time has passed in game since we first saw a jho in game and even run with the extinction idea letting it die out and making room for another terestrial roaming scavenger to take its place. Maybe be even taking a monster we already knew for a long time and giving it that place explaining how it adapted to that life since there have been fewer and fewer devil jho for some time now or making it so animals that were the most endangered could now thrive. For example Duramboros which in my oppinion is one of the only monsters meating jhos criteria for prey still alive which also happens to be rly rare in its appearances in the series so far. Then u could incorperate that in the lore over every upcoming title and have changing fauna and flora as the time progresses in the series and the real world and we could actually witness that. Playing an older game would then be like visiting a long dead ecosystem. Sure none of that will happen probably but the idea alone rly excites me.

[@eleanorgreywolfe5142]

Yeah i always found it weird with Deviljhos turf war with Odogaron, Odogaron is perfectly willing to fight a literal bioweapon in Vaal Hazak regardless of the consequences which fits it's personality but then a Deviljho shows up and it seemingly loses the will to live.

[@teanobeano6838]

Yup, this is my new headcanon now. I love the idea that all the research in the MH games are overexaggerated because the humans in this world are still scared and see these monsters as, well... monsters.

[@JaxDaHax1]

I like to think it's a smaller gene pool of deviljho in the new world, which is why there's so many savage jhos and they have a more jagged mouth to old world jho Great video btw

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

If they're just the smaller group of colonisers from the main population it would make sense for sure, and thank you!

[@Beefaroni_Bert]

the thing about monsters in monhun is the amount you hunt doesnt necessarily mean theres that many on the map. its more like just repeating the same moment over and over like a time loop. it has no real impact on story or the ecosystem when you take on 100 jagras missions lol. I mean theres literally lore reasons as to why you cant over hunt monsters, because of that old war and fatalis shit waay back when. good times good times. but yeah no, if theres truly that many savage jhos in the new world itd be a lot scarier since thatd mean theres a lot of nergigantes or xenojiivas or zoramagdaros. It really just boils down to however many missions involving these monsters theres only like LIKE many around that are specifically causing issues. rarely is that story related.

[@JanusHoW]

I've written about it all over the place, and Imma write here too, just in context of the video. In the Frontier games, there is a variant of the Deviljho that goes even further into starvation than the Savage...the Starving Deviljho. Starving Deviljhos get a golden hue (or perhaps a jaundiced one that sparkles like gold for some reason), its spikes and teeth become longer, its Dragon element organ becomes every MORE hyperactive, and just gets even faster and stronger than the Savage. However, considering that the Savage Deviljho is a specimen already on the verge of death due to starvation and autophagia (its own body consuming itself for energy and nutrients), it should probably be dead. But it's not. Here's an added kicker - up until Frontier's final months, there was only one place you could encounter them - The Arena, a man-made structure. This makes me think that a rogue element in the Guild took two captured Deviljhos, starving them to what should have been death, but also _keeping them alive through unnatural means, possibly with Dragon element experimentation_ . Even the World Eater doesn't deserve that. After all, it can't control its appetite.

[@kennethsatria6607]

A thought just occurred to me that Deviljho's upper jaw while as you said is kind of duckish is also very crocodilian-like. And they seem to handle the stress of large struggling prey as well as the force of the bite well enough, so maybe on the Jho its more fit for the job than you proposed.

[@Firegodot]

This makes me think of the terrifying concept of a well adjusted evolved modern deviljho subspecies, Smaller but build for both speed and brutality

[@thenerdbeast7375]

I was just following Deviljho on my new save file and I noticed an unusual behavioral pattern with Deviljho; whenever he entered a new area he would grind and scrape his snout into the ground, which suggests that his dental abnormality is giving him discomfort and isn't his natural condition. I think this supports your theory on Deviljho suffering from inbreeding.

[@razorblaze4522]

Your endangered monster theory makes me wonder just how Deviljho would evolve if enough genetic diversity were injected into their species so to avoid the degradation and mutation into Savage Deviljho. With enough intervention, do you think it could evolve into a less aggressive but much more survivable monster? Or do you think it would specialize even further into its dragon element use to further annihilate its prey, with the trade-off of a shortened lifespan and higher energy need? I would assume the former, but the latter would also be more than plausible, I assume, due to a decent amount of large wyverns that it could consume for that extreme energy need, up to and including Apex monsters like Zinogre and Rathalos.

[@YamiSilaas]

This all becomes even more interesting when we look at the way the people in the monster hunter world view 'Jho. All of these things about it that they are terrified of actually terrible deficiencies that will drive the creature extinct. The fact that the Savage genetic flaw exists at all means Deviljho breeding becomes less and less common over time. Their rapid extinction is almost inevitable. That said, if all of this is how the HM team thinks about the monster, how incredible would it be if we eventually have a Monster Hunter game in a different ecological setting, with a healthy population of Deviljho that don't share this stock's genetic deficiencies, which are better adapted to hunting in their environment? Maybe call em like... Regal Deviljho or something. Maybe they use their dragon element organ for something useful, rather than just being a big dumb breath attack. Maybe their faces aren't a horrific snaggle of death.

[@Crimson_Sun2486]

Me: **hears the Deviljho being called the "World Eater"** Also me, being very into Warhammer 40K: *HERESY DETECTED*

[@jessehutchings]

Bro I came here for Deviljho ecology and I got an entire lecture on the accuracy of fan theories

[@KsanUwU]

I feel bad for deviljho. Its always felt like an out of place, pained existance no matter where it runs into you. The way it wheezes as it uses the breath attack. Its always felt kind of cute to me for all the hideous reasons.

[@wildspirewarrior211]

I will never forget my first encounter with that beast. It was just supposed to be a simple jaggia hunt. I even decided to go fishing and foraging just to appreciate the island's natural wonders before I finished my quest. When I eventually reached the jaggia nest, there was a great jaggi. Nothing unusual and an easy fight but then.... A large green object I at first mistook for a boulder crushed the great jaggi, killing it immediately. Then I saw it's horrible maw that stretched across it's face far beyond what should be possible, and within that maw we're countless massive teeth that spilled out of it's gargantuan jaws. The monster's body was adorned with a tapestry of scars, likely from a lifetime of fighting. I stood there in a cold sweat, unable to move. I faced many titanic creatures in my short time as hunter but never anything like this. Just as I began to reach for my weapon, the beast turned it's eyes upon me; they glowed like burning coals, it's mouth began to drool like a waterfall as it scanned me. I turned an ran without another thought, my legs barely touched the ground as I quickly retreated to the village to warn them of what was lurking a few miles from their home. That was a long time ago and years later I have faced and killed many of those devils, but I still fell the fear from that day when I gaze into those dead hungry eyes.

[@Nicol80145]

I do not believe Jo's teeth are for nothing. I think they are a vestigial organ like wisdom teeth. Look at the Uragaan. It has a LARGE lower jaw that it uses to smash its opponents. I believe Jo's teeth on the bottom are old remnants of its smashing ancestors. It has a large neck and stable legs that would support this kind of attack. Uragaan was just more adaptive being able to use metals from its environment.

[@spinalspiral9901]

You lured me here with the promise of a video essay about the deviljho

[@TheSealMayor]

"Gammoth in the room" that was a good one

[@br3hbmc79]

Whoever came up with the idea that Deviljho not having a strong biteforce is smoking crack. Bro literally crushes boulders in his jaws.

[@a.humphrey9640]

I'm a bit late, but a couple things I'd like to add: -I completely agree with your suggestion that Devilijho's teeth are likely a genetic defect from inbreeding. And, to add to that, I'd like to point out that Devilijho is constantly growing new teeth; while not entirely unheard of in animals, in 'Jho's case it seems to grow them faster than they're worn out or damaged in battle- To the point of incessantly grinding its jaws on rocks to break off or wear down older teeth as seen in World. -I believe that Devilijho's also very likely an ancestor, or at least a relative of, the Anjanath. Both share the enlarged teeth protruding from their lower jaws being the best evidence of this. Perhaps Anjanath is an offshoot of Devilijho, that diminished in size along with its prey source?

[@a.humphrey9640]

Why did... I'm confused.

[@unloyal4847]

Deviljho is my 2nd fav monster, something about its simple design is appealing.

[@xeruexe1624]

Grandpa Deviljho, what numerous teeth you have. "The better to eat The Handler with, my dear."

[@ProboscusMonke]

You know, I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but Deviljho having the genetics equivalent to a Pug wasn't it 😂

[@anthonygorman94]

I love how this video maybe your conjecture, but it is presented reasonably and fairly logically! Right or wrong, it's still entertaining.

[@madzoroark5396]

Personally, I prefer to believe that Jho is more of a representation of humans. We're hyper aggressive, xenophobic destroyers of ecosystems. He's just the most literal incarnation of it.

[@joshuasgameplays9850]

I mean that's a fine way to view him metatextually, but that's pretty unrelated to the video since he's talking about the in-universe lore.

[@stormerjc9493]

I haft to say the light this shines on Deviljho acutaly makes me like him a lot it might be less fantastical then the destroyer of worlds but I love your much grounded and tragic take on him

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Thank you! I'm always pleased when my theory is accepted!

[@sharplosion1]

Definitely loved the video, as it's a very unique take on the monster when other channels have also done somewhat science-y vids on Jho. I love him, with my first game being Tri. The fear he instilled is something I'll never forget. I also posit the idea that Deviljho's mouth is actually used like a spiked club, rather than merely the slashing you mentioned. It's clearly muscular enough to take the force, along with it also using it's mouth to scoop at the ground to throw rocks at hunters. Overall just out-muscling most anything it fights. Also I completely agree on your views on Jho's turf wars. Odogaron going from 'patiently wait for Radobaan to strike than dodge and attack' to 'oh no please do hurt me' for Jho was absolutely disappointing and made zero sense for Odo. it felt like laziness on their part just to reuse the gimmick for other monsters Jho carries around... Which also doesn't make sense given it should be eating them.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Thank you! I was a little nervous releasing this one and am very glad its been received so well. The club like notion was something I considered from an old theory about allosaurids how they may have used their jaws almost like an axe, swinging it down to deliver force from the body itself over the strength of the jaws. I just wasn't sure how efficient this would be as a predatory tactic though as said theory was discounted. And yeah agreed - I'd be interested to see capcom properly take turf wars further and potentially have monsters predate each other but it'll take some fine-tuning so large monsters like jho don't just carry you through the game.

[@Godzilla_ultima_real]

This is probably why we can use deviljho in stories cuase it never really has to use much energy unless im battle so we get to see what a happy and full deviljho is

[@WarFoxThunder]

Yeah :D

[@titanosaurdy9493]

I know it's lats but what my theories about Deviljhos reproductive cycle is that they lay their eggs buried within a specific ground choices base on the environment for incubation like sea turtles and there maybe a chance that another deviljho whos laying a clutch of their own may eliminate a nest to prevent competition. It's more likely for deviljhos to cannibalize younger ones unless their old enough to release pheromones to prevent that, it maybe one of the reasons why their few other than having short life spans

[@sterm1ous]

Deviljho:too hangry to die

[@whitenoise8397]

1:21 - "Like a heron taking goldfish from a garden pond," ... This shit happens on my property frequently enough to make me say "Holup!"

[@DeinoSarcosuchus]

Severe dental abnormalities in wolves? Us humans sure are blessed with such skilled dentists fixing our dental abnormalities with braces and other things.

[@chancecomic1595]

I know this is 2 years late, but I'd like to throw in some thoughts and idea (Bit of a longer comment) I think it's likely that Deviljho is evolved to injure and brutalise any prey instead of hunting and chasing specific ones. This would go a ways to explaining its more unusual characteristics, such as its face teeth, relatively weak bite force, bipedal frame, bulk, aggression, and attack style. As mentioned by other commentors, Jho uses its face teeth to swing and slam into prey like a mace instead of biting like other monsters, but, looking at its attack style, it goes even further. Jho uses its face, its tail, its whole body, everything, to batter its prey, using its spikes and sheer mass to cause bleeding and (probably) fractures. Additionally, while its bite isn't crushingly strong, its mouth opens wide enough to grab just about anything, which lets Jho use its incredible bulk and muscle to swing and slam and bludgeon anything it can get its jaws around. Top that off with acidic saliva, and Deviljho doesn't really need speed or bite force. Prey can't escape if Jho uses the ground to turn its bones to sand. Even if it does escape, Jho doesn't need dash to chase prey if even a glancing blow causes bleeding, fractures, and potential acid burns. And it doesn't have to worry about crushing bones with its bite if it turns them all to splinters during or after the kill. This method of hunting could also explain its extreme aggression, as it heavily relies on Jho doing a lot of damage very quickly. It could even be an adaptation caused by losing its normal prey of nomadic mega herbivores. Less aggressive Jho might have died off from a smaller food pool, or retreating from unfavourable fights, while more aggressive Jho had less fear, took more fights, and got much wider variety of prey. This could give reason to Savage Deviljho, a new mutation on the standard aggression gene that causes even more extreme aggression to better kill anything it comes across. Fortunately and unfortunately, its aggression, nomadic nature, and lack of discrimination for prey basically makes any Deviljho a walking force of nature. It will attack anything that moves, and it won't stop until either it or its prey is dead. It's no wonder humans have a 'kill on sight' policy for Deviljho. They're trying to expand for population and industry. If a single Jho got into a settlement, or God forbid something like a village or city, it would be untold devastation and death. That's all. Do I believe in this theory? Yes. Did I make this whole comment because I love Deviljho and the thought of it slowly going extinct via inbreeding is really sad? Yes. Do I still like the theory that Deviljho is going extinct via inbreeding, a monster removed from its own time and refusing to go quietly into that good night? Of course Is the comment done yet?

[@jamescampbell4416]

After watching this along with both your Blos and Rath vids, I’m already a fan!

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

Thank you so much!

[@jamescampbell4416]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel I also want to say, looking back on this video, Deviljho might’ve use it’s toothy jaw like a spiked mace when attacking the huge herbivores to cause bleeding, though it eventually lost this behavior due to the decrease of the larger herbivores in the world

[@Reddotzebra]

That picture though... Elk: "In the landscape of fear... I have the high ground!" Wolves: "The center cannot hold!"

[@hammerheadxray8152]

I've been waiting for someone to do biology videos on Monster Hunter

[@The_Omega_Dragon]

Deviljho having a weak bite force doesn't make sense. If its jaws were that weak, how would it be able to carry around struggling flightless bird wyverns or fanged wyverns, especially heavyweight ones like Dodogama?

[@herobane6488]

something that i think about with deviljho's mouth is that the teeth covering its face may be useful for biting prey that are covered in spikes and thorns, blocking anything that can stab into the front of its head. the fact that the teeth continue a fair way into the roof of the mouth adds to this as the deviljho could break these spikes and horns, rendering the prey no longer defended and potentially even injured from broken horns. whether this is from intense inbreeding or intentional, these teeth could potentially serve as the last bastion as to how they could still be surviving, as they could potentially be consuming more well-defended prey by way of being able to ignore spikes and kill regardless of their prey's inherent defenses.

[@BruceWaynesaysLandBack]

I like the idea that Monster Hunter is a Mega Earth, with enough biomass and biodiversity to handle species such as Deviljho that can approach (but perhaps also through fear) localized extinctions. But taking your ideas as additional details on the creature is interesting- awesome video!

[@Linkfan001]

My first game was MH Tri in the Wii and I remember quite clearly the first Jho I met online. It was summoned by Qurupeco. We all freaked out and simply fled whenever it was near. It made the hunt go for a long time, since we could not possibly hope to hunt our quarry with Jho able to Oko anyone it hit. That was a spicy hunt. I also remember it ruining a few hunts by killing capture mission monsters or getting in traps that were not meant for it.

[@AztecCroc]

With regards to Deviljho's teeth that might be a difference between new and old world 'jho. Because while Deviljho in World has teeth that just bust out wherever, older games depict a much more organized formation. On the top jaw there's 1 row of perfectly normal teeth along the outside and one smaller row on the inside, and on the bottom jaw there's a matching row of internal teeth and the external teeth form roughly 4.5 rows of fairly neat columns of teeth.

[@benvictim]

Deviljo is very much a scavenger as well as a hunter. We see this very much through actions in game. Not only will he go after live pray: he's the one of the few monster to go and eat the tails and corpses of other monsters. Biting through bone most likely isn't possible (as you said, teeth not really designed for it and artbook says he got a weak jaw). However he's a ton of muscle with bone on the outside of his mouth (the teeth) acting as club to smash and shatter the bones into smaller pieces. EDIT: He could also very well scare other hunters (as you said) off their meal. X monster kills Y monster and then a Deviljho shows up. X monster is most likely going to flee not wanting to spend energy to fight the deviljho.

[@welldonesteaks3799]

I once saw a monitor lizard being fed a dead mouse in a pet shop once. Once it had it in its jaws it thrashed and banged it around in its enclosure before gulping it down. That’s how is see deviljho killing and eating its prey. With that in mind his strange mouth makes a bit of sense to me. If you’re thrashing around large prey animals like that you’re going to put a lot of stress on your teeth and they’re bound to fall out. So jho would need to replace his teeth frequently to keep feeding. Also I would think having the extra teeth would help with gripping Prey. As for the bite force surely it has a moderately strong bite, right? Maybe not strong enough to crush bone(or an apceros shell) but enough to keep a struggling large monster like a great jagras firmly locked in its jaws.

[@Ajehy]

I was so scared of the pickle in World that I didn’t hunt it until I was well into the elder dragon quests.

[@chiropteran2966]

the kill on sight treatment of Deviljho is likely due to it being borderline impossible to simply drive away, it will simply wreak havoc until it runs out of energy or is put down, and since it could easily wipe out a settlement or two before calming down, there is only one option to the hunters.

[@namename2040]

How I view turf wars and monsters "power levels" is basically all Apex predators are relative to each other Rathalos, Diablos, Tigrex, Zinogre, and so on. Some turf wars are accurate others exist just to exist but show off they are equals or close to each other. Deviljho is special he is so strong can rival and sometimes beat lesser elder dragons. There are few regular monsters that can do that others being rajang and bazel. There are also the deviants from GU but those aren't regular monsters. Deviljho was never meant to look like he was on their level. Magnamalo is probably under jho due to his interactions with the elders we will see if and when they add jho to rise.

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

But even then Capcom show Garuga drawing with jho, and monsters beneath jho committing feats on strength equal to or even on par with him. His place above them just doesn't seem very well represented other than developer bias. But, I do think this applies to elders too, and will also go into this discussion in the first elder video in a few weeks (months?...) too.

[@namename2040]

In Yian Garugas defense his is strong and obnoxious usually fighting him later in the games. He has a decently tough carapace. I think its a Thanos and hulk situation. Thanos has once stated he can very easily beat hulk and he can its just not worth the effort. Like imagine hearing yuan garugas sonic scream in real life. Also I look forward to the elder dragon videos. You have nice content

[@eneskaradeniz4311]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel very late but this point is a little more than mute. From the games perceptive we can see that with a single attack, Jho was able to knock garuga unconscious or in the least incapacitated long enough to draw it’s gaze towards the hunter. This can be drawn to deviljho simply not fixating, hyper aggressive to the point where the hunter is now the target and not the unconscious monster, or simply not viewing garuga as a persistent threat to where it shifts to the hunter. In all purpose, If the hunter was not present, the garuga would have been followed up on by the deviljho without question. This point alone can easily qualify that garuga and deviljho are most definitely not on the scale. Secondly, from the ecological sense, this can be simplified as deviljho not seeing finishing garuga worth it. I mean, this is common in the real world. Garuga as seen in the cutscene and in game has one of the loudest roars present in the series. Constant calls would probably drive any animal deaf. The armor present on garuga isn’t an issue as deviljho has corrosive saliva and has been shown to consume or break much harder materials. The issue lies in the extreme amounts of spikes and the substance that coats them. Garuga is extremely toxic. The risk to reward ratio especially considering how garuga is almost sickly skinny, would not be worth it. But in no way like you said does it mean it isn’t possible or that they are evenly matched. Simply put, the already constant upkeep deviljho must consume in perspective to how “annoying” it would be to kill garuga is not worth the 2 mouthfuls of spiked toxic plating. An adult jagras has 2-3 times the mass and can be killed with a single bite. Both from an in game and ecological standpoint, deviljho and garuga are on completely seperate tiers.

[@jonathanatkinson399]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel I think it is a skunk or honey badger vs a macro-predator scenario. A creature that is many times smaller with some unique weapon or aggressiveness than then the larger predator "winning out" by the predator forfeiting the confrontation. This doesn't mean there aren't flaws in the Turf war system. Just that Deviljho is meant to be powerful enough to fight some elder dragons but is still a animal prone to pain as delivered by Yian Garuga's venom tipped tail to his head as in the turf war.

[@TaosoftheVoid]

This is a very interesting video! I know I'm pretty late finding it but I wanted to put in my two cents! Considering the way Deviljho are talked about in Monster Hunter, it's entirely possible that people don't really understand much about them. Humans try to kill them on sight, they see them as "savage" beasts, and call them "world eaters". Of course we don't really get to see a super long entry in the games about each animal but the way people seem to talk about it like some sort of myth.... It may well be possible that they don't know enough about them to go off actual science and use myths or stories instead for briefing hunters. They claim it has a fast metabolism but is that really true? Could it just store as much energy as it can for the nomadic life it lives? Why DO they avoid each other so much when they supposedly need to be constantly eating? What purpose does that dragon energy organ serve? It's possible the commission doesn't actually know any of that, just going off stories and what hunters have seen before. It's possible they may live long lives but because of their rarity it's just assumed they're short lived. There's animals in our world we don't know much about because people just killed them without hesitation, right? Doesn't sound hard to believe in a world where the animals can be the size of a house. Personally, I like the design of it. Definitely a case of the designers trying to make it look unique but trying to keep it sort of believable. I can't quite remember WHERE I heard it but I remember hearing once that the Deviljho just keeps growing teeth somehow, thus leading to the weird teeth on the outside jaw thing. If I had to try arguing for some potential reason it may have adapted that, maybe it's something for defense or for cracking open shells? Sounds a little far fetched honestly but I just remember it slamming that jaw into me during so many hunts! As for the turf wars it has, honestly I just thought it looked cool watching it come from nowhere and grab whatever poor sucker I was trying to fight. I don't mind it being stupid, some stuff is definitely more for the spectacle than being accurate so uh yeah I imagine when you try to look at after it happened, probably did look super stupid.

[@charlesbellow1758]

The Deviljho’s teeth design has always reminded me of sheepshead fish who use their teeth for breaking apart tough-shelled crustaceans.

[@THEGRUMPTRUCK]

Deviljho: Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a pickle of wrath and rage.

[@Fuerst_Stein]

"Herbivores have a Life outside of just being eaten"... I like that

[@aussiepuppet5250]

I find the turf-wars even more egregious (even if I do personally like them) because Yian-Garuga's ecology PROVES that Deviljho are not invincible, and challenge the "hunts anything it sees until it or the prey is dead". It makes much more sense that a Diablos would do better against Deviljho. I do love the idea brought on here that while Deviljho absolutely *dominates* every fight it gets into, that doesn't necessarily mean it is a successful hunter. It's such a large and belligerent monster that most of it's prey escapes it before it gets the chance, and most of it's hunts with the larger wyverns might often end with them escaping and Deviljho with wasted energy. It makes sense that it's starving not just because of a metabolism problem, but because 9/10 hunts of larger prey are never successful.

[@thegardenofdagon]

Savage deviljho is just an elder Jho according to the MHW Official Complete Works book

[@unnaturalhistorychannel]

In his info description in Iceborne he's directly described as a mutation, but the artbook does indeed mention a case of an old jho dying as a result of age and dragon element that whilst not explicitly said to be savage can be reasonably inferred as such.

[@victory8928]

@@unnaturalhistorychannel maybe that is because the mutation only takes hold in older jhos maybe due to a variety of reasons, maybe it is corrupted gene for when jhos got older and had a different elder stage but when their prey got smaller and less efficient for them to eat the corrupted gene survived because it allowed them to reproduce faster before they die due to the need to age up or morph. Then when they do get older the gene is activated and causes them to go savage like a more species wide and more dangerous and more body focused form of dementia in a way, but again, maybe it was something they needed for maturing which may explain why they die so young, they have neoteny and one that keeps them from their older stages.

[@SorcererLance]

This is highly insightful and I never really thought about it... It's practically akin to a T-rex suddenly waking up in the modern day and the majority of potential food is too small and too fast to catch for it to be remotely satisfied, it's frustrated at the world around it while not wanting to adapt from what it knew its entire life. Basically it decided to turn into an agent of chaos knowing its time in this strange new world is extremely limited, so it may as well make its mark by any means by being a bully and making other living beings that are weaker and less fortunate than it to suffer due to its bitterness being an out-of-place living fossil. Not unlike our elderly politicians, heyo~!

[@vengeflyking2722]

One thing I find interesting is that it seems that the ancient people probably had similar bodies to Deviljho. The hunter is constantly hungry, posesses super strength and endurance and can reach a powered up state similar to Deviljho when using Demon Mode with the Dual Blades.

[@Gojimon630]

I actually had a thought about the Ice Age Deviljho Theory. In the present age of Monster Hunter, if a mainland Deviljho were to be marooned on an island like Hakolo Island from Monster Hunter Stories 2 which has a steady population of Larinoth. Which if we go by the Ice Age theory, may have been Deviljhos main prey. Could that Deviljho then be possibly more at home in the ecosystem than on the mainland?