Probably one of the most successful video game franchises in recent years, Monster Hunter has always been a series that has captured the imagination of many people with its fantastical yet realistic creatures. From the scary Vaal Hazak to the goofy...
It's no mystery that Elder Dragons are some of the strangest classes in the world, possessing a wide variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and abilities. Yet despite the gargantuan variety we see today, we still know very little about the evolution of Eosdracons.
Although some of the more recent fossils from the Neogene period have given us an idea of how modern Eosdracons evolved, this only gives us a small portion of the full picture, as the oldest remains of this class date back to the early Triassic. Unfortunately, most skeletons which date from before the Neogene are highly fragmentary with only a few well preserved specimens ever found.
Besides revealing that the class likely originated from Reptiles before splitting off, looking at the anatomy of modern Eosdracons isn't particularly helpful either when it comes to deciphering their evolution, as they can be so different from each other that sometimes DNA testing is the only way of discovering their identity. A prime example of this conundrum is the Equigons. Also known as horse dragons and false unicorns, this order unsurprisingly looks more like the Equus genus rather than Elder Dragons, possessing long hoofed legs, a build made for speed and agility, and even patches of pseudo fur.
However, one feature which the Equigons don't have in common with the genus Equus is the long singular horn on their head. Similarly to the mythical unicorn they likely inspired, the horns of species like Cornigequus tonitruumi can seemingly grant them supernatural abilities.
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With most documented specimens standing approximately 1.7 meters in height and 2.5 in length, these animals typically called Kirins may have an enormous range - living from Eastern Asia, all the way to Western Europe, and as far as Southern Africa - but we still know very little about them, as they're surprisingly illusive. Even when sightings do happen, it's very rare for them to last longer than a few minutes, with the Elder Dragons usually fleeing the scene once they realize they are being watched.
Although Kirins have been spotted in a wide variety of environments, these animals primarily live in mountainous and heavily forested areas, as their incredible agility allows them to sprint through these hard to navigate places, making it difficult for predators to keep up. Although the creatures may be horse-like in appearance, their agility is more similar to those of goats, able to climb almost vertical surfaces with little difficulty.
The secret to their physics bending ability is their feet. Unlike most Elder Dragons who either have claws or lack them entirely, Equigons have two-toed hooves. Since hooves are essentially just huge nails or claws on which animals stand, this makes the Eosdracons' feet much smaller, allowing them to find a foothold on even narrow ledges. Since they're cloven, they can widen the gap between their toes, expanding the amount of surface contact they have with the ground, giving them better balance and helping in dispersing the creatures' weight. However, this on its own isn't enough to justify their bizarre abilities. To fully comprehend what's going on, we have to look at the undersides of the feet. Similarly to goats, Kirin hooves have tough yet flexible and grippy pads on the bottom which act as shock absorbers and give them better traction.
