Monster Hunter Sizes in Retrospect - 3
Gastodon (567.98cm) and Kestodon (524.41cm) being quite smaller than Aptonoth, both in length and shoulder height, is something I did not realize. Arzuros (558.1cm), Lagombi (525.11cm), and Volvidon (768.29cm), and Goss Harag (730.97cm) all being smaller than Aptonoth (though I am very confident that Goss has more mass than one) is a major wtf to me. In every game I've played, the early-game Fanged Beasts seemed to be massive in comparison to the local megaherbivore. This could just be my own memory playing tricks on me. Volvidon being the largest did not track with my memory either, though it may be able to simply by how plentiful the Bnahbra and Altaroth are (not to mention all of the insect endemic life). - Side Note: I am interested to know if Goss, which is an 'Apex-level' Monster on pair with Barioth as far as how the equipment tiers go and star-ratings are concerned, suffers from the steep competition akin to how Nargacuga may. We see it hunt the Anteka in its intro cutscene, but it *seems* large and agile enough to take Popo quite readily. It may be forced to hunt less profitable prey due to the likes of Barioth, Lunagaron, and the occasional Tigrex running around. However, it clearly seems willing to take Tetranadon, and physically dominate the large Amphibian, so perhaps it is much more of a 'If it bleeds, I can kill it" attitude towards predation. The Rachnoids (135.06cm) and Rakna-Kaadaki (857.93cm) showcase why body length is not a great measure of actual body mass. In no world is a Rakna-Kadaki, the mature brooding female, less massive than an Aptonoth. While I admit that I cannot estimate the mass of a scaled-up spider well Rajang (829.11cm in World, 845.91cm in Rise) is an example of a Monster that should never have been scaled down in size. I do not understand why they shrunk the monkey. Tetranadon (964.99cm) and Bishaten (924.79cm) are further examples of length not being a good measure of mass. The former is clearly bulky well beyond what an Aptonoth would be, while Bishten is clearly lithely built.
Kulu-Ya-Ku (901.24cm), Tzitzi-Ya-Ku (894.04), Yian-Kut-Ku, (898.6cm), Qurupeco (868.3cm), and Aknosom (996.33cm) are all less massive than I expected them to be. As usually being the stronger and larger early-game Bird Wyverns compared to the pack-hunting beginner monsters, the size ranges they have must often put them above the size of Aptonoth or other resident small megaherbivores. Further, while all of these wyverns are carnivorous (though specializations abound), none have been shown to ever attempt to kill anything the size of an Aptonoth, or even a small brute wyvern. Great Jaggi (934.3cm) and Great Baggi (1048.9cm in Tri, 1017.65cm in Rise) are both about the size of an Aptonoth at the shoulder, with the former having an epic cutscene at the beggining of Tri that shows it being that size. The rest of the Great Bird Wyverns (Wroggi, Izuzhi, etc.) are within ~150cm of Great Jaggi, though I imagine all of the above having less total meat on them than an adult Aptonoth, as far as bang-for-buck goes for hunting them. Bang-for-buck may also be a major reason why Aptonoth are so readily preferred as a prey item. They have defensive adaptations, but not at the same scale as many of the 'Yian Kut-Ku' tier of monsters such as Congalala (chemical defenses), Daimyo Hermitaur (armor), Lagombi (snow-sliding to flee), etc. Of course, as fast-breeding and herding animals, they do not need robust defensive measures beyond the herd and ability to flee (which they can and readily do). Thagomizers on the Aptonoth and Apeceros also provide a deterrent, but these are have never been shown in use beyond a defensive circle made by startled Apeceros in the New World. All that being said, the lack of large herbivores to act as prey, or simply to help bring about environs like savannahs through bulldozing trees and dispersing seeds across landscape whilst functionally immune to predation, is odd. Even if one counts the geophagous volcanic species (Gravios, Uragaan, Dogogama) as primary consumers, there are only Diablos, Bulldrome, Lagombi, Duramboros, Gammoth, Banbaro, & Garangom that have the size to be considered megaherbivores (though Bulldrome and Lagombi are clearly on the smaller end). Further, Diablos lives in extremely unproductive biomes, Banbaro is endemic to the New World (should've been endemic to just the Hoarfrost Reach), and both Duramboros and Gammoth haven't been seen in over a decade. Aside from Banbaro, the genuine ecosystem engineering that megaherbivores engage in is lost in what we see from these monsters. Even Garangolm, said to produce sap-like fluids, is treated like the act of gardening done through special secretions and not a lot of physical labor and fecal matter. Garangolm also suffers from the issue of not being able to really defend itself from predation; Lunagaron easily overpowers it, despite being several times less massive and fighting the monkey head-on instead of via an ambush. With Aptonoth and similar small megaherbivores, this is at least more reasonable with how vast the size differences can be in favor of the predator. But this.....come on, Capcom. Anyway, this was a ramble that went on longer than expected.











