#blango

Species Name: Blango

Average Length: 8 meters for a Blangonga

Classification: Primate Fanged Beast

Blangos are the closest known relative of the Conga, though their behavior and environmental preferences couldn't make them more different. Characterized by their thick white fur and brightly-colored faces, Blangos live in troops in mountainous tundras, and are carnivorous, eating whatever they can catch. Unlike Congas, they have a much more complex, cooperative social structure, working together to bring down larger prey than any individual could handle alone. Like their jungle cousins, though, Blangos have troop leaders, usually a male, that grows in size and ferocity thanks to hormonal changes and becomes a Blangonga.

As expected from a highly social species, Blangongas are active leaders, their extremely elongated canines acting as a sort of 'badge of office' displaying their dominant status. When threatened, a Blangonga will actively summon its troop to its aid with a loud, distinct roar; Hunters have observed that breaking the monster's canine teeth undermines its authority, as Blangos have been observed actively ignoring the commands of a Blangonga injured in this way.

A Blangonga dictates every aspect of the troop's life: territory boundaries, sleeping spots, even what to hunt. The leader will pick a target, then actively direct Blangos to either hide in the snow; the remaining Blangos then help their leader chase the prey into their carefully planned ambush. Watching a Blango troop hunt is truly awe-inspiring... though watching them savagely pummel and maul a Popo to death is less so.

As active predators living in a difficult, resource-scarce environment, Blangos are significantly more aggressive and temperamental than Congas; turf wars between rival troops have been known to cause collateral damage as they spill over into another monster's territory or a nearby human settlement, and a Blangonga's response to an intruder is immediate violence--there is rarely a threat display warning enemies away. They are surprisingly resilient, too, as a Blangonga's fur is extremely stiff and tough, forming a very effective armor.

Even a lone Blangonga is a serious threat, as they are as fast and agile as they are strong, capable of impressive leaps and deceptively fast charges. While they prefer to simply solve a problem with their fists or a thrown rock, these are not the only tools at a Blangonga's disposal. They can expel ice-cold air from their lungs at range; while not as directly devastating as, say, the icy blasts from a Glacial Agnaktor, this chilled breath freezes quickly on contact with the even colder air, creating slippery ice surfaces and potentially slowing or trapping prey and enemies to leave them open to a brutal beating. Blangos can utilize their freezing breath as well, though it is proportionally less effective due to their smaller size.

The so-called Copper Blangonga is a solitary, desert-dwelling subspecies with shorter, browner fur, enlarged musculature, and a thicker hide. Due to their solitary nature, a genetic quirk makes every individual of this species undergo the hormonal change into a Blangonga at a young age, allowing them to survive in their harsh environments alone. Why, exactly, this bizarre speciation occurred is a mystery, as Copper Blangongas remain rare and poorly studied to this day.

Attached: a photo of an Eastlands Blangonga, patrolling its territory in the Iceshard Cliffs.