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@@Eadragonixius it’s ironically her main problem. Gammoth has to be a base game or DLC expansion monster, as she’s so big maps have to be made with her in mind, otherwise she *literally* can’t get in.
I remember that comment you made about how almost all the major raptor groups have been represented by flying wyverns. But I didn't expect Astalos to represent Steamer-ducks
@@unnaturalhistorychannel i feel like just an absolutely massive heron based of the mythical Roc which was a bird big enough to carry off elephants could be a good monster design The valasic pickles promotion hunt a thon event quest with deviljho practically makes itself
I'm pretty sure there are a few species of snakes who only exhibit parental care towards their unhatched eggs, while possessing none for their neonates/snakelets. As a result, a good chunk of them have developed a tendency towards literally just getting as far from their nests as possible just before their eggs hatch, as though instinctively "aware" that, if they're present after they hatch, they'd be a bigger threat to their young than the very animals they protected them from prior.
The only snake 2 species of snake I know of that have some form of parental care for their eggs are the King Cobra and African Rock Python. Both the male and female King Cobras patrol the area around the nest and protect it. I believe they are only venomous snake that has a form of parental care. With African Rock Pythons the female will lay her eggs in animal burrows or old termite mounds and will curl around the eggs to incubate them. The mother won't eat till the eggs hatch and she will only leave them to bask in the sun for a bit before returning to them. There are probably other species of python that do this as well
Pit vipers like copperheads and rattlesnakes have their babies following them until their first she’s after hatching and attack anything that might threaten them. Pythons stay until the babies leave and rarely cannibalize.
such stuff can go very complex fish have these parental care things too where some like Angelfish or a lot of chichlids will actually care very long for theyr babys while others like many from the african lakes only care for the eggs and after releasing the young they dont care anymore but in this i have seen that they still can see that htese little fish ,,,are from theyr own species like they swim towards the little ones with great speed in a attempt to predate but suddenly stop ,,, then chase them away instead of eating them meanwhile if these are young of a diffrent species they will just eat them with no attempt of chasing them off
For all your gripes about Rajang, I do find it fascinating that it's one of the few Monsters that has specifically evolved around an Elder Dragon species, maybe even the only one, seeing as how young ones depend on being able to secure a Kirin's horn to progress into full adulthood. I imagine that a great deal of young Rajang perish in this quest, hence why the adults are so legendary; they need to have proven themselves against an Elder Dragon in order to ascend to that golden-haired state that so many Hunters fear.
It might not necessarily be depend on a Kirin’s horn but rather the high concentration of minerals in elder dragon horns and Kirin is just the most abundant and easy to capture
@@TsulaAngenati2292 I doubt just any kind of electricity using creature could suffice, though. The electrolytes in a Kirin's horns are sufficient to allow the creature to call down quite literal lightning, and it's not any other Monster has the kind of uniquely attuned and powerful singular body part equivalent to a Kirin's horn. It wouldn't surprise me if young Rajang who don't end up consuming a Kirin horn end up stunted or even end up simply dying because they're missing a vital component of their adult biology. It also makes Rajang rarity quite understandable if only the ones who successfully hunt a Kirin for its horn end up surviving into adulthood.
@@TsulaAngenati2292 Oh, okay. I thought you meant that they could somehow substitute the one-time Kirin horn for other substances. I was under the impression you thought that the Kirin horn wasn't necessary for them to initially gain the ability to turn gold.
Based on its cutscene Astalos also seems act as a living bug zapper. Luring in flying prey like vespoids with its green glow and then zapping them out of the air.
I have a theory that Astalos has a particular taste for Nercylla as a potential prey item and is probably the only creature a Nercylla truly fears; just like real world Tarantula Hawk Wasps go after Tarantulas. The former could easily use it's thunder element against the giant spider, who is weak to thunder element. In addition Astalos could like eating Male Seltas too
I also think it'd be really cool if Astalos was a big bug that had that similar relationship with Nerscylla, even if Gens was pre the World-level of turf wars and implemented behaviour.
@@reallycantthinkofausername487 We know Nerscylla is a very skinny and fragile animal, so an aggressive and determined Astalos could easily take one down, using its tail like a stinger to subdue the spider
I fully agree with you that Astalos should've been a truly strong and threatening neopteron. I think his design is all right, the fight is ok enough and his theme is a certified banger, but it does feel like a bit of missed potential. In a world of dragons, a dragonFLY that can rival them would be unique and interesting
We did it boys, UHC is growing up so fast that Astalos came to the real world, flew over to his house for a Nord VPN sponsor. I shed a tear of Joy man!
I never realized that part of the reason why Astalos felt so weird as a flying wyvern wasn't just that it felt like a neopteron-passing flying wyvern, but that it looked so much like Seregios and ended up having similar ecology as a rath rival. It always bothered me that I kept getting Sereg and Asta mixed up in my head but it didn't click until you put it into words.
Astalos might not have to work terribly hard to find Vespoids specifically, assuming the Vespid Queen is still considered canon, the eusocial insects congregating probably smell and make a lot of noise. But it's pretty clear Astalos isn't a insect exclusive predator, so I assume it's prey is basically anything small and fast (like dromes and kelbi), hence all of its grappling and paralyzing adaptations
I hope Vespoid Queen comes back, (with an updated fight with more than 2 moves, obviously). But I hope you can just find her from the start of the quest and you won't have to do the god awful vespoidicide in Area 5, 7 and 8 like in FU
Have you ever considered creating a monster redesign/fan made monster series? With all the effort you put into these ecology videos I’m interested to see your spin on the franchise.
@@reallycantthinkofausername487 Couldn’t agree more! If Unnatural History Channel were to dive into the pits of Frontier again I would like to see him do a video on the mega walrus.
On the whole Rathian and Astalos “breed” thing. There is an interaction in Rise where Astalos and Rathian go chill one next to another if left alone. It makes me wonder if maybe Rathian has a “soothing” effect on certain Wyverns maybe as a way to protect themselves and their nest. That or for some reason they don’t bother one another kinda like when Manatee and crocodiles just swim together without a hint of aggression.
Wolves in some areas mated with coyotes because of how much they were hunted finding a female wolf would be really hard so they had to go for the closest thing, maybe thats why astalos sometimes try to mate with Rathians, maybe in that area astalos are rare so finding a female to breed with would be extremely hard so they go to the closest thing
That interaction is just a quirk of game code. Both monsters have a programmed sit animation in that area and they'll do it whether or not other monsters are around. In Rise, monsters only become aggressive and attack each other when a hunter enters their area, likely to help players not miss the chance to get a free wyvern ride.
Heres an interesting idea, what if the reason Astalos has a Exoskeleton-like carapace is because when young, they sneak into Insect hives/nests to eat them? Like that one species of Spider who's shape kinda looks like a ant, and uses that kill ants? I feel thats an interesting idea
The talk about potential taxonomy and evolution of bipedalism in the Raths and Legiana has me realize how much I want a UHC video completely about monster taxonomy
What I love about the Astalos Rathian quest is that it mentions he's *courting* her. Implying the Rathian didn't attack him and actually let him do his thing. Girl was desperate.
Glad to see another of the Fated Four. Still some of my favorite designs in the series, although I can understand where you’re coming from when talking about how they feel out of place when stacked against other Thunder monsters.
You know, Astalos's supernatural abilities always struck me as a static charge. Maybe it's because of the paralyzing tail attack or the constant mobility, but rather than generating charges it feels more like he controls them. Maybe that's why I prefer him to other equally fantastical monsters, mainly the elders and especially Velkhana. I'm glad you highlighted animation detail too since I never realized he really has to pull himself from the ground with his wingclaws.
I love the Hoatzin mention as a neotenic adaptation in Astalos- those baby birds are CRAZY and I’ve never heard of another example of those claw wings in the oresent
Astalos are probably in the process of becoming a pseudo flying wyvern considering the way they use their wing claws and their comparatively more hunched over appearance. It would be interesting to see a form more close to Tigrex etc.
Astalos probably benefits from its high aggression against rathian, utilizing bright flashes of light and muscle convulsions to drive rath away and discourage future interaction.
it is my theory that astalos developed wing claws because it takes off with all four limbs, letting it invest in robust wing muscles for flight, takeoff, and combat similar to pterosaurs
I like Astalos's theme and fight, but I do think he feels a bit... meh? In terms of actual monster design. I appreciate that similarly to Mitzu, its exaggerated and colorful features make sense if we're only fighting males. Regarding why it might potentially be going after Rathalos, my one thought as to why it could do that would be to try and use its thunder to paralyze a Rath mid-air and let the fall kill or seriously injure it. If you're going to have the ability to paralyze your targets, given the sheer size of such wyverns, knocking them out of the sky from the altitudes we see Raths flying at would probably splatter them across the ground.
It’s something people have noted on other videos, too. Physically, Rathalos should slap down Astalos like any powerful ruler can do to a rebel. However, Thunder is the main weakness of Rathalos, which gives Astalos the extra punch needed for a reasonable fighting chance. It’s like a Dark Pokémon with Psychic moves fighting a Fighting Pokémon. The Dark Pokémon is technically equal to the Fighting Pokémon due to the coverage, but it’s a lot more…unstable, let’s say, than a typical neutral matchup.
I just finished watching your entire Monster Hunter ecology playlist and there's a new one a few hours later. Thanks for continuing my favorite channel on TH-cam!
Great as always, I’m glad you’ve done so well man! One thing I think is worth noting is that from what I’ve read or been told, Rajang requires a Kirin’s Horn in order to actually gain the initial charge it requires for its dormant sac to start working properly, which is why they go after them. Once that occurs iirc they have a general build up of energy from the process of converting things into calories, and they discharge the excess in the form of their famous Thunder Beam attack. So, it might kind of be the half-way point between Monsters who require outside or external sources or good conditions to make it work and something like Astalos, where it requires a jumpstart to begin the process but can somewhat manage after that point.
Your content is fantastic, by far the most high quality in-depth discussion on the speculative biology of Monster Hunter. You fill this niche better than other!
actually there's an animation in MHW of a great jagras feeding the normal jagras by eating an aptanoth, roaming to the nest, and puking it up to feed the pack of jagras. yes, it doesn't call the pack like the other dromes/greats but it will help feed them.
And there's the obligatory Nord sponsorship! Nice, congrats to you - that seems like an evolutionary step for most growing TH-cam channels these days. The classier alternative to a Raid sponsorship. Also, fantastic, fascinating video as always. I genuinely love your content, from introducting me to Primal to reigniting my passion for both Monster Hunter in specific and fantasy storytelling at large. The topics you discuss are exactly the sort of worldbuilding that I used to love in my preferred works of fiction. Wonderful work.
One of my favorite thunder monsters is probably Tobi-kadachi because of the way he gathers his element. He develops static electricity via his fur. I also use this to explain his water weakness in world(they changed it in rise). Hitting him with water dosent necessarily hurt him but causes his built up static to discharge. Losing his main attack and probably wasting alot of energy with no real gain.
Yeah, especially when you consider that something like Seregios is literally a top tier design, super agile and exceptionally intelligent. Like, what was their idea behind Astalos being another flying wyvern? How did they thought they could improve upon perfection???
I know deep in my heart of hearts that I will not get NordVPN, but I still didn’t skip the ad out of sheer respect for your content and the small chance that having a bit of extra watch time there makes your content seem more favorable to sponsors
I didn't believe they did a research paper on whether or not a wyvern who downloaded NordVPN and replaced its blood with Monster™️ F in chat for Jane Doe the dragon.
Honestly Astalos as a Flying Wyvern with Neopterons feature is cooler than making it outright a Neopteron. Though i still wish there will be a proper Neopteron that has wyvern's features. Astalos is like a violent evolution of a flying wyvern that seems downright twisted for a wyvern. Instead of evolving reptilian features, it ended up having appearance and features of insects, with heightened aggro as if it's cursed to live in its freaky body. It's like desperately evolved to absolutely give it every possible advantage to win in a battle with it's entire body consists of different weapons to utilize.
I'm a day late to the video but I just wanted to say how much I'm enjoying your content. I don't know if this will sound corny but the ecological and zoological breakdowns in this series has encouraged me to pursue a degree in those fields. I was having trouble figuring out what I was truly passionate about until I noticed how much time I was spending on speculative discussion and ecological material. So, thanks UHC, I hope to someday be as informed on these subjects as you are.
Ah Astalos. I remember he used to be my favourite of the Fated 4, because Lighting dragon and dragonfly asthetic, tho I liked Boltreavers colour scheme more. Nowdays I feel he has dropped on the list a bit, he just felt a bit much and almost overpowered in a way. But the breakdown of his ecology you did here did help put him a place lower than most of the community does and where his "extremeness" is kinda logical
I think I only ever listened to this before. Only just noticed the list of confirmed parental monsters. Seeing Lunagaron under confirmed as being and Radoban as confirmed as not makes me very curious to see their videos. Eventually.
I love Boltreaver, he's an Astalos that has a mutation where he's able to generate a whole bunch more electricity and hold that charge more then other Astalos. Its a natural step up to normal Astalos imo. As for base Astalos, Rathalos is actually weak to thunder, not as much as Dragon but its his second highest weakness along with Rathian. I love Astalos and want more like it, having more natural monsters that make sense is cool and all but we have to realize these are MONSTERS, they have to be whacky and cooky sometimes even goofy in some capacity or you're better off just getting up at 6am and heading out with a rifle and shooting a deer.
Boltreaver actually uses electromagnetism so it uses them against hunters since deviants lorewise are monsters that survived hunter encounters so boltreaver developed a unique ability to catch them by surprise
I agree that Astalos would have benefited a lot from being more insect-like, and I know many people have thrown around the idea of it being a major predator of nerscylla, which I really like. I’ve always ended up comparing Astalos’ design to Flygon from Pokémon, which had a mix of insect and draconic traits, but you could tell that the designer had a clear inspiration and understanding of ant lion lacewings. We could’ve had something similar with Astalos, but no, we got bootleg seregios.
It should be retconned as a Nerscylla hunter/killer. I think the giant spider tries to hide from the Astalos by wearing Gypceros hide, which would provide some protection from the wyvern's thunder element which it's naturally vulnerable against In addition it being a cannibal could be explained by its young offspring looking like Male Seltas from a distance, which would be an ideal meal for Astalos too
I'd be down for female Astalos as you describe it to be a variant fight. Smaller, faster Astalos with less lightning attacks and more flying and tail attacks? I'm into it.
Astalos and Seregios are the only real Rathalos Rival if you ask me Although Seregios are more likely to actually hunt a Rath while Astalos seem to only be build to repel Raths, its diet even seem to prefer smaller prey compared to Seregios large desert creatures Also i still dont know how Boltreaver Astalos can create Blackholes
Oh my god, your first sponsor!! Congrats!!! 👌👌 On a side note, regarding Astalos' electricity, I'm pretty sure it was mentioned that Astalos generates electricity through a process called "piezoelectricity". Not the same process as animals like electric eels do, I think.
Another solid video, the comparison of Astalos to Steamer-ducks was especially interesting. They always felt odd to me as carnivorous but also insectivorous grounded flying predators, but I feel you managed to make out a pretty distinct ecology for them that fits with what is observed in the games. The note on Astalos' occasional quadrupedality compared to the lack of quadrupedality in the Raths as an instance of one being more derived than the other is a not I never quite considered, and definitely something I'll keep in mind with future iterations of potential MH taxonomy. Looking forward to what you put out next.
Your first sponsor! You're on the big leagues now! Always loved Astalos, it's actually my favorite monster of the fated 4. I do I would also like if it was s true Dragonfly.
12:05 Wouldn´t it also be possible that astalos preys partwise on fish and sees mizu as potential threat? I could see him use his grabbing tail as tool for hunt even slippery prey like fish and smaller leviathans. This thing is rarely used in combat but has way more funktions than your average tail club.🤔
I love seeing another video from you popping up in my feed. One of the highlights of my week frfr. This channel is amazing and makes non stop greatness every post. Thanks for being you UHC, Have a great day.
Congrats on what I believe is your first Sponser you truly have come a long way and I’m very glad I found your channel Astalos is the definition of black airforce energy and a great flying wyvern. Any non elder that can give Rathalathos and Seregios a run for there money in the air that isn’t Magnamalo is going to be a huge steep up in my book. Great video as always now Gamamoth time
Ah yes, the Insect-Wyvern-Pseudo-Seregios. I seriously don't like Astalos, because just after Gen 4 and such an amazing flagship monster like Seregios they made something like this, which looks like an edgy thunder-bug version. I also didn't like how in the trailer it was attacking Rathalos. Astalos is super fragile looking and probably half the weight of Rathalos, like...was that particular Astalos rabid or did it just have a death wish? Also congratulations to your (first?) sponsorship! ^^
@@tahaelhour690 I see you are a very mature, and intellectual individual with compelling arguments and rebuttles. Truly someone you can have a civilised debate with
I think that the thunder can help even out a battle with Rathalos espacialy with the tail atack that is used in the Generation opening , the elctricety from that can paralyse the hunter and maby even up to a wing of Rathalos who is weak ( ore as sad in the Legiana Video not resistent) to Thunder , even the king of the sky would be ad a disatvantige with a Paralized Wing
For the next Monster Hunter video, I'd love to see something on the weirdo squid monsters, Yama Tsukami and Nakarkos have always stood out to me because of their oddness. Rather than be a reptile, mammal, or even recognizable bug, Yama and Nakarkos take the positively alien looks of cephalopods and take them both monstrous sizes and even taking such a body plan to the air. Plus, the fact that Yama Tsukami is like an indiscriminate omnivore with its descriptions saying it descends down from on high to devour forests, its huge battery of teeth would be adept at crushing up just about anything it bites into, whether it's wood, dirt, or whatever small animals were caught in the crossfire. It could be a case of one of those animals that has long periods of inactivity, then awakens and proceeds to go on a binge to refuel, explaining why's got moss and other plants growing on its body. As for Nakarkos, it's a strange predatory/scavenging squid that has a penchan for wearing bone armor. I don't really know what to say about it.
The plants on Yama Tsukami are actually parasitic. They’re basically only found on Yamas, and are very valuable for their rarity and quality relative to other woods.
I’m interested in knowing how you feel about Kirin? It’s hard to explain powers coming from a literal unicorn, but I love him. It’s probably one of the best “mythical” like elder deagons
Hearing you mention Gravios a few times in this video makes me sad that he seems to have been forgotten. Black Grav is still one of the coolest designs in the series, as well as the giant death beam being legit terrifying in whatever game Grav was in. With the return of Basarios in Rise I'm hopeful that we'll see a comeback
I'm sad that my current career path doesn't utilize my ecology degree but this channel does let me use to love MH even more so... thanks for that (I need a new path). Regarding Astalos, while not as extreme as Khezu or Lagi he does still seem to prefer wet environments. HIs main 3 maps are The Forest (where he hunts in moist leaf litter), the Flooded Forest and Jungle both of which are always wet
Honestly it would be really cool if you made fatalis a two parter with an initial video imagining his ecology from what we know of him so far, and a second video going over his ecology once we know more about his origins, assuming that they make him a highly specialized creature instead of a death god.
just a hypothesis, but instead of traditional electrogenic muscles Astalos might rub the more chitinous(or keratinous... idk if it's a bug or a dragon) portions of their carapace or their wing membranes against a metal part(their claws and spikes especially look very metallic in the Gen ecology cutscene) to generate static electricity that is later stored in some sort of metal organ like a living Van de Graaff, explaining why it seems to constantly rattle its wingfingers and allow it to have a set of muscles that are still competent in fighting. Electric eels and catfish, mormyrids, and electric rays are all extremely physically weak fish, and the electric eel specifically also sacrifice almost the entire length of their tails for electric organs, and astalos might be sacrificing a lot of its physical power if it does generate electricity that way. or I'm just dumb :p
I was just thinking about how well thought-out most electric monsters are compared to the rest of the elemental cast (especially ice). The posterboy of the whole group, Zinogre, honestly has a very reasonable and interesting explanation behind its power, even if the rest of its biology is more than a bit iffy. Namielle is just about the most grounded elder out there besides maybe Ceadeus or Vaal. Tobi and Lagiacrus make perfect sense, the list goes on. I guess electricity just lends itself well to the style of fantastical realism MH aims for. Our own bodies produce electrical sparks every second of every day, and there's a really easy and well-known animal to take inspiration from in electric eels. In a similar vein to fire, the natural world is already built around producing energy, Capcom just turns the dial a bit and bam, dozens of great creature concepts. Side note, but Namielle is my most anticipated monster for this series at the moment! Hope to see you cover it one day :D
The gullible housekeeper witness was hilarious xD, "too scandalous !" What I can say about Astalos is that his design is cool and his theme literally rocks
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Wtf, you have sponsors now!? Congrats!
With the risk of an Astalos hunting a bunch of vespoid!
Now no dirty hackstalos can use their monster energy 5G powers to access my 50 GB Folder of Minoto pictures.
Thanks Nord VPN!
UHC has ascended beyond the ranks of lesser channels
Glad you have a sponsor, it’s good to see
Now i can only imagine Astalos aggressively descending on someone without internet protection
Astalos is the hacker monster confirmed
xXxHackerBug420xXx
Astalos to the other fated four: I'm in guys.
@@zaxzainal.5077 gammoth cries in the corner lmao
@@Eadragonixius it’s ironically her main problem. Gammoth has to be a base game or DLC expansion monster, as she’s so big maps have to be made with her in mind, otherwise she *literally* can’t get in.
Boys, we did it, UHC finally got a Sponsor
From the thumbnail I was sure it was going to be monster energy for some reason lol
He made it out of the hood 🔥🔥🔥💯💯💯
"Electricity, belligerence, and neglect" I love that line so much
My biggest daydream is to be the calm and mighty Espinas, but my crackhead Astalos energy keeps coming through.
Hard to contain sometimes
The struggle
I remember that comment you made about how almost all the major raptor groups have been represented by flying wyverns.
But I didn't expect Astalos to represent Steamer-ducks
Soon we'll get the waterfowl wyvern group!
@@unnaturalhistorychannel great goocoo is real and will hurt you
@@unnaturalhistorychannel an ice/electric swan would be an epic flying wyvern
@@unnaturalhistorychannel i feel like just an absolutely massive heron based of the mythical Roc which was a bird big enough to carry off elephants could be a good monster design
The valasic pickles promotion hunt a thon event quest with deviljho practically makes itself
@@unnaturalhistorychannel a swan or goose based wyvern Sounds terrifying
Learning baby pterosaurs would have been known as flaplings made my day 😍😱✨️
I went around telling this factoid to my entire family.
I'm pretty sure there are a few species of snakes who only exhibit parental care towards their unhatched eggs, while possessing none for their neonates/snakelets. As a result, a good chunk of them have developed a tendency towards literally just getting as far from their nests as possible just before their eggs hatch, as though instinctively "aware" that, if they're present after they hatch, they'd be a bigger threat to their young than the very animals they protected them from prior.
The only snake 2 species of snake I know of that have some form of parental care for their eggs are the King Cobra and African Rock Python.
Both the male and female King Cobras patrol the area around the nest and protect it. I believe they are only venomous snake that has a form of parental care.
With African Rock Pythons the female will lay her eggs in animal burrows or old termite mounds and will curl around the eggs to incubate them. The mother won't eat till the eggs hatch and she will only leave them to bask in the sun for a bit before returning to them. There are probably other species of python that do this as well
"I'm sorry i cannot controll myself"
Pit vipers like copperheads and rattlesnakes have their babies following them until their first she’s after hatching and attack anything that might threaten them. Pythons stay until the babies leave and rarely cannibalize.
'Snakelets' is my new favourite word
such stuff can go very complex
fish have these parental care things too
where some like Angelfish or a lot of chichlids will actually care very long for theyr babys
while others like many from the african lakes only care for the eggs and after releasing the young they dont care anymore
but in this i have seen that they still can see that htese little fish ,,,are from theyr own species
like they swim towards the little ones with great speed in a attempt to predate but suddenly stop ,,,
then chase them away instead of eating them
meanwhile if these are young of a diffrent species they will just eat them with no attempt of chasing them off
For all your gripes about Rajang, I do find it fascinating that it's one of the few Monsters that has specifically evolved around an Elder Dragon species, maybe even the only one, seeing as how young ones depend on being able to secure a Kirin's horn to progress into full adulthood. I imagine that a great deal of young Rajang perish in this quest, hence why the adults are so legendary; they need to have proven themselves against an Elder Dragon in order to ascend to that golden-haired state that so many Hunters fear.
It might not necessarily be depend on a Kirin’s horn but rather the high concentration of minerals in elder dragon horns and Kirin is just the most abundant and easy to capture
@@TsulaAngenati2292 I doubt just any kind of electricity using creature could suffice, though. The electrolytes in a Kirin's horns are sufficient to allow the creature to call down quite literal lightning, and it's not any other Monster has the kind of uniquely attuned and powerful singular body part equivalent to a Kirin's horn. It wouldn't surprise me if young Rajang who don't end up consuming a Kirin horn end up stunted or even end up simply dying because they're missing a vital component of their adult biology.
It also makes Rajang rarity quite understandable if only the ones who successfully hunt a Kirin for its horn end up surviving into adulthood.
@@GunlessSnake I meant that Rajang can produce their own electricity but need mineral compounds for it to be sustainable
@@TsulaAngenati2292 Oh, okay. I thought you meant that they could somehow substitute the one-time Kirin horn for other substances. I was under the impression you thought that the Kirin horn wasn't necessary for them to initially gain the ability to turn gold.
His gripes with Rajang are more that he's very much a developer's pet like Deviljho and Magnamalo.
Based on its cutscene Astalos also seems act as a living bug zapper. Luring in flying prey like vespoids with its green glow and then zapping them out of the air.
I have a theory that Astalos has a particular taste for Nercylla as a potential prey item and is probably the only creature a Nercylla truly fears; just like real world Tarantula Hawk Wasps go after Tarantulas.
The former could easily use it's thunder element against the giant spider, who is weak to thunder element. In addition Astalos could like eating Male Seltas too
It's a bug-eat-bug world, man
I also think it'd be really cool if Astalos was a big bug that had that similar relationship with Nerscylla, even if Gens was pre the World-level of turf wars and implemented behaviour.
@@reallycantthinkofausername487 We know Nerscylla is a very skinny and fragile animal, so an aggressive and determined Astalos could easily take one down, using its tail like a stinger to subdue the spider
@@unicorntomboy9736 That's why Nerscy hide in its insulating Gypceros coat
@@bobisuncanny2760 It would be better if Astalos was canonically retconned to be a Nerscylla hunter/killer instead of a Rathalos rival
I fully agree with you that Astalos should've been a truly strong and threatening neopteron. I think his design is all right, the fight is ok enough and his theme is a certified banger, but it does feel like a bit of missed potential. In a world of dragons, a dragonFLY that can rival them would be unique and interesting
Damn, never occured to me where they could have taken the *dragon* fly pun into the design. Alas, maybe in 6.
Either way, #shouldhavebeenabug
At least we got Ahtal Kha, but I agree. Missed opportunity for another Seltas Queen level bug
We did it boys, UHC is growing up so fast that Astalos came to the real world, flew over to his house for a Nord VPN sponsor. I shed a tear of Joy man!
Actually, Astalos came to hack him. And so the Nord deal was the natural defence
"Violence is never the answer. Violence is the question, AND THE ANSWER IS YES"
~Astalos probably.
I’ve always loved this flying wyvern, truly one of the coolest crackheads of the monster world
You mean....
The *MONSTER HUNTER WORLD????*
@@reallycantthinkofausername487 that would mean hunters are the real- hey wait a minute…
I never realized that part of the reason why Astalos felt so weird as a flying wyvern wasn't just that it felt like a neopteron-passing flying wyvern, but that it looked so much like Seregios and ended up having similar ecology as a rath rival. It always bothered me that I kept getting Sereg and Asta mixed up in my head but it didn't click until you put it into words.
We thought Astalos was a giant electric bug dragon but he was in fact just a big ol fat duck.
I think you mean a duck of doom
Astalos might not have to work terribly hard to find Vespoids specifically, assuming the Vespid Queen is still considered canon, the eusocial insects congregating probably smell and make a lot of noise. But it's pretty clear Astalos isn't a insect exclusive predator, so I assume it's prey is basically anything small and fast (like dromes and kelbi), hence all of its grappling and paralyzing adaptations
I hope Vespoid Queen comes back, (with an updated fight with more than 2 moves, obviously).
But I hope you can just find her from the start of the quest and you won't have to do the god awful vespoidicide in Area 5, 7 and 8 like in FU
Have you ever considered creating a monster redesign/fan made monster series?
With all the effort you put into these ecology videos I’m interested to see your spin on the franchise.
I would be severely disappointed if a Sealion/Sealeopard like monster wouldn't be featured in such a series.
Truly underrated animals
Bro forgot Pokaradon like everyone else.
@@flygonsarchives he's one of the best Frontier monsters as well!
(But that is a low bar, tbf)
@@DefinitelyNotEmma
Pokarodon from Frontiers G1 is what you are describing, right?
@@reallycantthinkofausername487
Couldn’t agree more! If Unnatural History Channel were to dive into the pits of Frontier again I would like to see him do a video on the mega walrus.
On the whole Rathian and Astalos “breed” thing. There is an interaction in Rise where Astalos and Rathian go chill one next to another if left alone. It makes me wonder if maybe Rathian has a “soothing” effect on certain Wyverns maybe as a way to protect themselves and their nest. That or for some reason they don’t bother one another kinda like when Manatee and crocodiles just swim together without a hint of aggression.
I feel Crocs just don’t eat manatees because honestly they can’t even start trying to eat a manatee
@@fishyfishyfishy500akabs8 they're just too thiccccccc
Wolves in some areas mated with coyotes because of how much they were hunted finding a female wolf would be really hard so they had to go for the closest thing, maybe thats why astalos sometimes try to mate with Rathians, maybe in that area astalos are rare so finding a female to breed with would be extremely hard so they go to the closest thing
That interaction is just a quirk of game code. Both monsters have a programmed sit animation in that area and they'll do it whether or not other monsters are around. In Rise, monsters only become aggressive and attack each other when a hunter enters their area, likely to help players not miss the chance to get a free wyvern ride.
Heres an interesting idea, what if the reason Astalos has a Exoskeleton-like carapace is because when young, they sneak into Insect hives/nests to eat them? Like that one species of Spider who's shape kinda looks like a ant, and uses that kill ants? I feel thats an interesting idea
The talk about potential taxonomy and evolution of bipedalism in the Raths and Legiana has me realize how much I want a UHC video completely about monster taxonomy
What I love about the Astalos Rathian quest is that it mentions he's *courting* her.
Implying the Rathian didn't attack him and actually let him do his thing.
Girl was desperate.
Being so desesperate that in failing to get a Rathalos you settle for a Astalos for some relief must be so sad
Only in Monster Hunter can you have an animal that's analogous to both a Duck and an Electric Eel with a design inspired by insects
Glad to see another of the Fated Four. Still some of my favorite designs in the series, although I can understand where you’re coming from when talking about how they feel out of place when stacked against other Thunder monsters.
Nice to see you officially in the big leagues with your first sponsorship! I’m so excited to see the growth and development of this channel further
You know, Astalos's supernatural abilities always struck me as a static charge. Maybe it's because of the paralyzing tail attack or the constant mobility, but rather than generating charges it feels more like he controls them. Maybe that's why I prefer him to other equally fantastical monsters, mainly the elders and especially Velkhana.
I'm glad you highlighted animation detail too since I never realized he really has to pull himself from the ground with his wingclaws.
I love the Hoatzin mention as a neotenic adaptation in Astalos- those baby birds are CRAZY and I’ve never heard of another example of those claw wings in the oresent
Astalos are probably in the process of becoming a pseudo flying wyvern considering the way they use their wing claws and their comparatively more hunched over appearance. It would be interesting to see a form more close to Tigrex etc.
Astalos probably benefits from its high aggression against rathian, utilizing bright flashes of light and muscle convulsions to drive rath away and discourage future interaction.
it is my theory that astalos developed wing claws because it takes off with all four limbs, letting it invest in robust wing muscles for flight, takeoff, and combat similar to pterosaurs
I like Astalos's theme and fight, but I do think he feels a bit... meh? In terms of actual monster design. I appreciate that similarly to Mitzu, its exaggerated and colorful features make sense if we're only fighting males. Regarding why it might potentially be going after Rathalos, my one thought as to why it could do that would be to try and use its thunder to paralyze a Rath mid-air and let the fall kill or seriously injure it. If you're going to have the ability to paralyze your targets, given the sheer size of such wyverns, knocking them out of the sky from the altitudes we see Raths flying at would probably splatter them across the ground.
It’s something people have noted on other videos, too. Physically, Rathalos should slap down Astalos like any powerful ruler can do to a rebel. However, Thunder is the main weakness of Rathalos, which gives Astalos the extra punch needed for a reasonable fighting chance.
It’s like a Dark Pokémon with Psychic moves fighting a Fighting Pokémon. The Dark Pokémon is technically equal to the Fighting Pokémon due to the coverage, but it’s a lot more…unstable, let’s say, than a typical neutral matchup.
I just finished watching your entire Monster Hunter ecology playlist and there's a new one a few hours later. Thanks for continuing my favorite channel on TH-cam!
Great as always, I’m glad you’ve done so well man!
One thing I think is worth noting is that from what I’ve read or been told, Rajang requires a Kirin’s Horn in order to actually gain the initial charge it requires for its dormant sac to start working properly, which is why they go after them. Once that occurs iirc they have a general build up of energy from the process of converting things into calories, and they discharge the excess in the form of their famous Thunder Beam attack. So, it might kind of be the half-way point between Monsters who require outside or external sources or good conditions to make it work and something like Astalos, where it requires a jumpstart to begin the process but can somewhat manage after that point.
Your content is fantastic, by far the most high quality in-depth discussion on the speculative biology of Monster Hunter. You fill this niche better than other!
Grats on the sponsor!
actually there's an animation in MHW of a great jagras feeding the normal jagras by eating an aptanoth, roaming to the nest, and puking it up to feed the pack of jagras. yes, it doesn't call the pack like the other dromes/greats but it will help feed them.
Our boy’s got a sponsor! Well done
And there's the obligatory Nord sponsorship! Nice, congrats to you - that seems like an evolutionary step for most growing TH-cam channels these days. The classier alternative to a Raid sponsorship.
Also, fantastic, fascinating video as always. I genuinely love your content, from introducting me to Primal to reigniting my passion for both Monster Hunter in specific and fantasy storytelling at large. The topics you discuss are exactly the sort of worldbuilding that I used to love in my preferred works of fiction. Wonderful work.
Anything but a Raid sponsor...
@@reallycantthinkofausername487 Always a bummer when a TH-camr you like ends up doing a Raid sponsorship, ain't it?
One of my favorite thunder monsters is probably Tobi-kadachi because of the way he gathers his element. He develops static electricity via his fur. I also use this to explain his water weakness in world(they changed it in rise). Hitting him with water dosent necessarily hurt him but causes his built up static to discharge. Losing his main attack and probably wasting alot of energy with no real gain.
I wish Astalos had been a Neopteron instead of another Wyvern. Rathalos has enough Flying Wyvern rivals.
Near enough my thoughts exactly
Yeah, especially when you consider that something like Seregios is literally a top tier design, super agile and exceptionally intelligent. Like, what was their idea behind Astalos being another flying wyvern? How did they thought they could improve upon perfection???
And imagine how much of an impact the Fated Four would have made if they were all weird non-typical monster classes.
@@dwelfking8050 Neoptrean Astalos, herbivore Gammoth, Piscine Mitsuzune, and? Glavenus
@@bri1085 Glavenus is perfect the way he is and I won't speak anymore on this matter
I know deep in my heart of hearts that I will not get NordVPN, but I still didn’t skip the ad out of sheer respect for your content and the small chance that having a bit of extra watch time there makes your content seem more favorable to sponsors
I didn't believe they did a research paper on whether or not a wyvern who downloaded NordVPN and replaced its blood with Monster™️
F in chat for Jane Doe the dragon.
I love how astalos is literally the embodiment of an insect, beautiful yet merciless and cruel
Honestly Astalos as a Flying Wyvern with Neopterons feature is cooler than making it outright a Neopteron. Though i still wish there will be a proper Neopteron that has wyvern's features.
Astalos is like a violent evolution of a flying wyvern that seems downright twisted for a wyvern. Instead of evolving reptilian features, it ended up having appearance and features of insects, with heightened aggro as if it's cursed to live in its freaky body. It's like desperately evolved to absolutely give it every possible advantage to win in a battle with it's entire body consists of different weapons to utilize.
Best monster definitely no bias on my part with me naming my character Astalos and my cat boltreaver
Your favourite monster should have been a neopteran
I'm a day late to the video but I just wanted to say how much I'm enjoying your content.
I don't know if this will sound corny but the ecological and zoological breakdowns in this series has encouraged me to pursue a degree in those fields. I was having trouble figuring out what I was truly passionate about until I noticed how much time I was spending on speculative discussion and ecological material.
So, thanks UHC, I hope to someday be as informed on these subjects as you are.
You're on the right path then! Good luck in your journey and thank you for saying.
Ah Astalos. I remember he used to be my favourite of the Fated 4, because Lighting dragon and dragonfly asthetic, tho I liked Boltreavers colour scheme more. Nowdays I feel he has dropped on the list a bit, he just felt a bit much and almost overpowered in a way. But the breakdown of his ecology you did here did help put him a place lower than most of the community does and where his "extremeness" is kinda logical
Two down. Now to await Glavenus and especially Gammoth.
And congrats on the sponsor too!
Astalos one of my favorite monsters, and now I have more insight on them thanks To UHC
I think I only ever listened to this before. Only just noticed the list of confirmed parental monsters. Seeing Lunagaron under confirmed as being and Radoban as confirmed as not makes me very curious to see their videos. Eventually.
I like how the Astalos was first introduced in it's ecolgy video, it shows that it's a psychopath and violent
My bro got a sponsorship from Nord VPN! Good for you dude!
That Nord VPN transition was smooth as hell, legitimately made me double take. Well done, you magnificent bastard, and congrats on the sponsor.
I love Boltreaver, he's an Astalos that has a mutation where he's able to generate a whole bunch more electricity and hold that charge more then other Astalos. Its a natural step up to normal Astalos imo. As for base Astalos, Rathalos is actually weak to thunder, not as much as Dragon but its his second highest weakness along with Rathian. I love Astalos and want more like it, having more natural monsters that make sense is cool and all but we have to realize these are MONSTERS, they have to be whacky and cooky sometimes even goofy in some capacity or you're better off just getting up at 6am and heading out with a rifle and shooting a deer.
Good job on your first sponsor... And one of the big boys at that
10:01
Astalos wanted to go for that Rathussy
No.
@@reallycantthinkofausername487 Yes.
*gasp* You’ve done the unthinkable! You’ve openly named the glorious paper unlocker!
Boltreaver actually uses electromagnetism so it uses them against hunters since deviants lorewise are monsters that survived hunter encounters so boltreaver developed a unique ability to catch them by surprise
I always really liked astalos' theme
I agree that Astalos would have benefited a lot from being more insect-like, and I know many people have thrown around the idea of it being a major predator of nerscylla, which I really like. I’ve always ended up comparing Astalos’ design to Flygon from Pokémon, which had a mix of insect and draconic traits, but you could tell that the designer had a clear inspiration and understanding of ant lion lacewings. We could’ve had something similar with Astalos, but no, we got bootleg seregios.
It should be retconned as a Nerscylla hunter/killer. I think the giant spider tries to hide from the Astalos by wearing Gypceros hide, which would provide some protection from the wyvern's thunder element which it's naturally vulnerable against
In addition it being a cannibal could be explained by its young offspring looking like Male Seltas from a distance, which would be an ideal meal for Astalos too
YES ASTALOS! I was waiting for this one, I'm excited to see your take on him!
Our boy did it! He's getting sponsors wooooooooh!
Congratulations on 50k as well, your channel is everything I've wanted since I started with 4U.
I'd be down for female Astalos as you describe it to be a variant fight. Smaller, faster Astalos with less lightning attacks and more flying and tail attacks? I'm into it.
Oh!! I really like the idea of astalos chicks roaming around! Kinda like more aggressive vespoids without the potential to poison!
"Astalos may have considerably less brute strength than similarly sized wyverns."
* Flashbacks to getting punched across the zone *
Yeah, right.
Is this our first sponsor? It certainly feels like it. Congratulations 🎉 you definitely deserve it
Astalos and Seregios are the only real Rathalos Rival if you ask me
Although Seregios are more likely to actually hunt a Rath while Astalos seem to only be build to repel Raths, its diet even seem to prefer smaller prey compared to Seregios large desert creatures
Also i still dont know how Boltreaver Astalos can create Blackholes
It’s actually Electromagnetism. Hunters always have at least something metal on them.
Oh my god, your first sponsor!! Congrats!!! 👌👌
On a side note, regarding Astalos' electricity, I'm pretty sure it was mentioned that Astalos generates electricity through a process called "piezoelectricity". Not the same process as animals like electric eels do, I think.
Another solid video, the comparison of Astalos to Steamer-ducks was especially interesting. They always felt odd to me as carnivorous but also insectivorous grounded flying predators, but I feel you managed to make out a pretty distinct ecology for them that fits with what is observed in the games. The note on Astalos' occasional quadrupedality compared to the lack of quadrupedality in the Raths as an instance of one being more derived than the other is a not I never quite considered, and definitely something I'll keep in mind with future iterations of potential MH taxonomy. Looking forward to what you put out next.
Your first sponsor! You're on the big leagues now!
Always loved Astalos, it's actually my favorite monster of the fated 4. I do I would also like if it was s true Dragonfly.
12:05 Wouldn´t it also be possible that astalos preys partwise on fish and sees mizu as potential threat?
I could see him use his grabbing tail as tool for hunt even slippery prey like fish and smaller leviathans.
This thing is rarely used in combat but has way more funktions than your average tail club.🤔
Interesting idea. It being several very thin pincers instead of one big set would make it better at catching things underwater.
I love seeing another video from you popping up in my feed. One of the highlights of my week frfr. This channel is amazing and makes non stop greatness every post. Thanks for being you UHC, Have a great day.
Congrats on what I believe is your first Sponser you truly have come a long way and I’m very glad I found your channel
Astalos is the definition of black airforce energy and a great flying wyvern. Any non elder that can give Rathalathos and Seregios a run for there money in the air that isn’t Magnamalo is going to be a huge steep up in my book.
Great video as always now Gamamoth time
love the video man I find them so interesting especially as a person who wants to get into biology
Honestly, putting an environment background when not showing a research quotation is a very welcome change. Reduce the strain on the eye.
Finally in the big leagues got your own sponsor! Congrats on everything. Keep up the fantastic work!
I feel like the only question remaining after this video is what the hell even REALLY was boltreaver
Ah yes, the Insect-Wyvern-Pseudo-Seregios.
I seriously don't like Astalos, because just after Gen 4 and such an amazing flagship monster like Seregios they made something like this, which looks like an edgy thunder-bug version.
I also didn't like how in the trailer it was attacking Rathalos. Astalos is super fragile looking and probably half the weight of Rathalos, like...was that particular Astalos rabid or did it just have a death wish?
Also congratulations to your (first?) sponsorship! ^^
Thank you! And yeah, that's not so far off my thoughts on it too.
#shouldhavebeenabug
Cry about it.
@@tahaelhour690 I see you are a very mature, and intellectual individual with compelling arguments and rebuttles.
Truly someone you can have a civilised debate with
@@tahaelhour690 What do you think I'm doing?
@@reallycantthinkofausername487 you can cry about it too, Shapiro.
I think that the thunder can help even out a battle with Rathalos espacialy with the tail atack that is used in the Generation opening , the elctricety from that can paralyse the hunter and maby even up to a wing of Rathalos who is weak ( ore as sad in the Legiana Video not resistent) to Thunder , even the king of the sky would be ad a disatvantige with a Paralized Wing
Congrats for the sponsor UHC, your channel is so good, love your work man
hell yeah brother, you've earned the sponsor
Congrats on the sponsor. It feels like I watched this channel grow.
Hi! I just wanted to say I really like what you do. It's just as unique as amazing, just... Thanks
Thank you so much!
yo that ad was smooth, great seeing you getting sponsors
For the next Monster Hunter video, I'd love to see something on the weirdo squid monsters, Yama Tsukami and Nakarkos have always stood out to me because of their oddness. Rather than be a reptile, mammal, or even recognizable bug, Yama and Nakarkos take the positively alien looks of cephalopods and take them both monstrous sizes and even taking such a body plan to the air.
Plus, the fact that Yama Tsukami is like an indiscriminate omnivore with its descriptions saying it descends down from on high to devour forests, its huge battery of teeth would be adept at crushing up just about anything it bites into, whether it's wood, dirt, or whatever small animals were caught in the crossfire. It could be a case of one of those animals that has long periods of inactivity, then awakens and proceeds to go on a binge to refuel, explaining why's got moss and other plants growing on its body.
As for Nakarkos, it's a strange predatory/scavenging squid that has a penchan for wearing bone armor. I don't really know what to say about it.
The plants on Yama Tsukami are actually parasitic. They’re basically only found on Yamas, and are very valuable for their rarity and quality relative to other woods.
Okay but 'flaplings' is literally the cutest name for an infant/newborn creature I've ever heard in my LIFE
I’m interested in knowing how you feel about Kirin? It’s hard to explain powers coming from a literal unicorn, but I love him. It’s probably one of the best “mythical” like elder deagons
Fun fact: Kirin is a literal Kirin from East Asian mythology. Like, the one-horned dragonhorse is basically one-to-one.
all elder dragon powers come from it horn so no explanation need.
Great vid as always, congrats for getting big enough to get sponsors!
I'm surprised you didn't mention it's multifaceted compound eyes
Hearing you mention Gravios a few times in this video makes me sad that he seems to have been forgotten. Black Grav is still one of the coolest designs in the series, as well as the giant death beam being legit terrifying in whatever game Grav was in. With the return of Basarios in Rise I'm hopeful that we'll see a comeback
I'm sad that my current career path doesn't utilize my ecology degree but this channel does let me use to love MH even more so... thanks for that (I need a new path).
Regarding Astalos, while not as extreme as Khezu or Lagi he does still seem to prefer wet environments. HIs main 3 maps are The Forest (where he hunts in moist leaf litter), the Flooded Forest and Jungle both of which are always wet
Honestly it would be really cool if you made fatalis a two parter with an initial video imagining his ecology from what we know of him so far, and a second video going over his ecology once we know more about his origins, assuming that they make him a highly specialized creature instead of a death god.
just a hypothesis, but instead of traditional electrogenic muscles Astalos might rub the more chitinous(or keratinous... idk if it's a bug or a dragon) portions of their carapace or their wing membranes against a metal part(their claws and spikes especially look very metallic in the Gen ecology cutscene) to generate static electricity that is later stored in some sort of metal organ like a living Van de Graaff, explaining why it seems to constantly rattle its wingfingers and allow it to have a set of muscles that are still competent in fighting. Electric eels and catfish, mormyrids, and electric rays are all extremely physically weak fish, and the electric eel specifically also sacrifice almost the entire length of their tails for electric organs, and astalos might be sacrificing a lot of its physical power if it does generate electricity that way.
or I'm just dumb :p
I was just thinking about how well thought-out most electric monsters are compared to the rest of the elemental cast (especially ice). The posterboy of the whole group, Zinogre, honestly has a very reasonable and interesting explanation behind its power, even if the rest of its biology is more than a bit iffy. Namielle is just about the most grounded elder out there besides maybe Ceadeus or Vaal. Tobi and Lagiacrus make perfect sense, the list goes on.
I guess electricity just lends itself well to the style of fantastical realism MH aims for. Our own bodies produce electrical sparks every second of every day, and there's a really easy and well-known animal to take inspiration from in electric eels. In a similar vein to fire, the natural world is already built around producing energy, Capcom just turns the dial a bit and bam, dozens of great creature concepts.
Side note, but Namielle is my most anticipated monster for this series at the moment! Hope to see you cover it one day :D
With ice I suppose zamites make the most sense, as like aknaktors they're just swimming around under the ice and the ice happens to get stuck to it.
@@bungeetoons I'd say Gammoth is the most reasonable ice monster, since it's just blowing snow at you. Drilling through ice would be quite the feat.
@@prawn1717 fair enough, I'm actually not familiar with gammoth though. I've only played 3tri, 3ultimate, 4ultimate and rise.
@@bungeetoons Oh gotcha, np
Knowing astalos are shite parents makes me feel less horrible about eggnapping so many in Stories 2 :)
Astalos is my favorite out of the fated four in terms of fight. I wish he got more turf wars.
The gullible housekeeper witness was hilarious xD, "too scandalous !"
What I can say about Astalos is that his design is cool and his theme literally rocks
Hell yea. Congrats on finally getting a sponsor.
Super Nice, learning about punching ducks was unexpected