Monster Hunter When Fantasy Comes To Life

Rajang

So what is it that gives these animals such amazing power? Part of the answer has to do with the fibers in the animals' forearms. The fibers seen in humans are long, giving us better control over the amount of strength we use, but it also means it takes longer for these body parts to fully contract. But when looking at those of Rajangs, their fibers are significantly shorter, allowing them to instantly gain a burst of power, but also resulting in them not having as much control over the amount they use.

But these fibers are only part of the solution to this question. The other half of this answer lies with what happens during the process of digestion. Just like most relatives, these Pelagi are omnivores, meaning that the Rajang diet consists of both animals and plants; however, in the case of these animals, they've taken their ability to eat just about anything to the extreme. Right after humans, Felyns, and Melynxes, these creatures are the most widespread of all Primates, found all over the old world. Because of this, these creatures have collected an enormous menagerie of bacteria in their guts, allowing them to digest even the most challenging of foods. One of these microbial organism actually converts plant matter into protein. The products are then absorbed by the Rajangs' body which helps build muscle, giving them their signature strength.

However, this brings up a new question. How did the Rajangs get lucky enough to aquire these useful organisms? Once again, the answer isn't so simple. The reason these animals have this treasure trove of micro organisms is due to populations from vastly different environments breeding with each other. It begins when young Rajangs reach a certain age and are chased away by their own mothers, forcing the offsprings to find and claim their own territory. It can take an incredibly long time for the subadults to find a suitable place, but even then, their homes can be very hostile.

At different points in their evolutionary history, some individuals gained beneficial organisms in their guts, allowing them to take full advantage of the food sources in their territories. Now because Rajangs have a breeding season and mating grounds, something that's unheard-of in any other species of Primates, it's not unusual for individuals from completely different ecosystems to meet and procreate with one another.

During these gatherings, males will show off their exaggerated horns and muscles, as well as fight each other for the right to mate with the females, and sometimes, these battles can become deadly. Once an alpha is found, he'll attempt to breed with as many females as he can and defecate near them, before inevitably getting lured away by challengers.

You may be wondering why the males relieve themselves next to females after mating with them. Well this is both a way for the former to affirm his dominance, but it's also food for the latter. Obviously this is disgusting, but it also gives the females a much-needed meal. However, there's another benefit to eating the fecal matter. By ingesting the dung, the soon-to-be mothers pass on to their children the bacteria of both parents.

With each new generation, Rajang digestive track and immune system became increasingly better, until the species became one of the fittest, strongest, and most adaptable Primate ever. However, these Pelagi are lacking in one department: intelligence.

Now Rajangs are far from being stupid, as they've shown themselves to be capable of problem solving and learning, as well as having a decent understanding of tool use, making them in fact pretty intelligent. However, these animals seem to have a harder time getting a grasp of more complicated puzzles, with which they have been observed getting frustrated and generally resort to using their strength to get around the challenge.

It's actually been proposed that the reason for the Rajangs' seemingly lesser intellect isn't because they aren't smart, but rather that they rely primarily on their strength. The theory goes that since these Pelagi learn from an early age that strength is very useful, they grow up to believe that they can power their way through anything life throws at them.