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...
Successfully bringing down something that is much bigger than oneself isn't easy, but luckily for these Temnocerans they're armed with the tools needed to accomplish such a feat. The most iconic weapon in their arsenal is their ability to produce sticky silk from their abdomen, allowing Nerscyllas to create webs, pull in and immobilize prey, and traverse a variety of terrains with little difficulty. Nerscyllas will usually build their webs near natural highways, increasing their chances of something walking into their traps. When this happens, the Temnocerans will use the vibrations caused by the struggling creatures to find them and deploy their extendable mandibles to grab them at a distance, keeping away from possible weapons their prey could use against them.
Once they have a grip on their target, the hunters will quickly shake the trapped animal, making sure that it's unable to launch any counterattacks. Only once they're absolutely sure that their prey is well and truly stuck will the Temnocerans close in for the kill. Using their hooked forelimbs, Nerscyllas will rotate their prey while simultaneously wrapping them up in silk. After cocooning their target, they'll use their fangs to inject their prey with digestive juices, turning the insides into an easy to consume pulp.
However, Nerscyllas may not eat their prey immediately after capturing them, instead injecting them with venom from their stinger to kill them, then hanging the corpses from their webs for later consumption. This chemical weapon becomes more dangerous with age, starting out with only doing enough damage to weaken their target, but becoming stronger and deadlier with each year of life. In addition to this, Nerscyllas can make their sting even more dangerous by feeding on and stealing the toxins of Gypceros. This robbery is beneficial to the Temnocerans in defensive ways too, as they can secrete the chemicals through the joints in their exoskeletons. But this can actually go even further. These animals typically sleep upside down from a single strand of silk which causes the secreted chemicals to congeal as toxic stalactites on their back. Because of how useful this ability is, Gypceros make up a large portion of Nerscylla's diet.
But there is one more reason why the Temnocerans target these Bird Wyverns, a species which is significantly larger than themselves, and who could easily make a meal out of them if they wanted to. In a graphic turn of events, Nerscyllas will skin the Gypceros they capture and wear the hide of their victim. Although this may seem like senseless violence, the Temnocerans have a good reason to do this.
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Unlike the skins they wear, Nerscyllas are actually quite bright in coloration, making it both difficult to sneak up on prey and hide from predators. Because of this, these animals will use the skin of their victims to keep them hidden in a behavior known as corpse camouflage.
This behavior is seen in a few other species of invertebrates, mainly assassin bugs who'll use dead ants to disguise themselves as one; by doing this, it can cause potential predators to leave them alone, as few would take the risk of having to deal with an angry swarm. Now in the case of Nerscyllas, their cloaks doesn't make for a very convincing Gypceros when viewed; however, the Temnocerans don't have to be seen to keep enemies away.
