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...
The Elephantidae family has without a doubt some of the most interesting species ever. With the combination of a nose that can seemingly do anything, a pair of teeth that can dig or defend, size that can deter all but the largest or most determined of predators, and a shockingly clever mind, it makes sense that we'd be fascinated with these behemoths.
Unfortunately, despite their winning combination of intelligence and power, four of the eight genera have gone extinct and all but one are endangered.
Humans have been the main cause for the decline in African and Asian elephant populations in recent years. Between poachers killing them for little more than their tusks, habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation, both loxodonta and elephas are struggling. In response to these senseless and cruel actions, conservation organizations are battling to protect these magnificent animals.
However, there's one Elephantidae genus who seems to have decided to take matters into their own hands. Gulyatogora ekranirovalitso, more commonly known as Gammoths, are legendary for their hostility towards anything that poses a threat to them.
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Towering at 4 meters in height, and weighing approximately 10 and half tons, Gammoths are one of the world's largest land Mammals. This alone makes them a massive threat to anything unlucky enough to anger them; however, their colossal stature isn't the only tool they use to fight.
Unlike any of their relatives, both living and extinct, Gammoths have horn-like sheets of skin that cover the lower halves of their legs and forehead. Though they're primarily used for protection against attacks, these armoured body parts can also inflict large amounts of blunt force trauma.
Their thick scale-like skin isn't't just good for protection though. The shield-shaped protrusions on their head act as effective battering rams, which they use to plow through forested areas like the East and Northeast Siberian taiga, and Selenge-orkhon forest steppe.
Because of the actions of knocking down trees, Gammoths create paths through the forest which act as natural highways as well as making space for new plant life to grow.
Meanwhile, the ridged skin on their limbs is more of a holdover from their ancestors. The appearance of this specific adaptation coincides almost perfectly with the beginning of the Quaternary glaciation, pointing to the drop in temperature as a cause for its evolution.
The thickness of the cornified tissue on their legs makes these limbs very poor heat conductors, which means that Gammoths don't loose a lot of the internal warmth through contact with snow and ice, and explains why the exposed skin only goes half way up the legs. This makes even more sense when considering how these titans uncover food from beneath the snow.
Because of the ridged plates on their limbs, these furry giants regularly pick up snow when walking in it, leaving behind exposed patches of plant life. This simple yet energy efficient way of finding food, with the only real effort coming from walking and brushing off the snow on their legs, is instrumental to their survival during the harsh winters of Russia, Kazakhstan, China, and Mongolia.
