Conflagration Rathian Ecology

In-Game Information
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Taxonomy
Order: Saurischia - Suborder: Wyvern Feet - Infraorder: Armor Shell Wyvern - Superfamily: Flying Wyvern - Family: Rath

One of the most recognized monsters, Rathian are a part of the Flying Wyvern classification along with their male counterparts, the Rathalos. The Rathian Variant isn't a very common sight as she has a mix of red and green on her shell, making her look like a mix between Rathalos and Rathian.

Habitat Range
The Rathian Variant has only ever been spotted in the Ancestral Tomb.

Ecological Niche
An alpha predator, the Rathian is the nestmate to the Rathalos, and together, the two actively patrol large territories from both land and air. After the eggs hatch, Rathians and Rathalos, will take turns caring for and feeding their young, swapping parental duties after their mate has returned. However, a Rathian is more likely to devote more of her time to rearing the chicks than her male counterpart. A very plausible reason for this is due to the fact that Rathians have slightly slower metabolism than Rathalos, since walking takes far less exertion than flying. This trait allows them more time to conserve energy and divert attention to the feeding and protecting of their young rather than themselves. Particularly favored food for Rathians would be Velociprey or Jaggi and their alpha forms as the lean, protein-rich muscles of these creatures and relatively weak skin are easy for young to digest and yield high nutritional value.

The young of Rathians and Rathalos apparently do not sport either the dark red scale colouration, or the deep green scale colouration that distinguishes each hatchling into being a Rathalos or a Rathian respectively when it reaches full maturity. Instead, hatchlings initially have a grayish, dull scale colouration, thus their true gender at this age can only be determined by checking the reproductive organs. While being powerful predators themselves Rathian compete with other fearsome creatures such as Tigrex, Zinogre, Seregios, Plesioth, Espinas, Gore Magala, Najarala, Ivory Lagiacrus, and Deviljho. All of which could seriously injure and even kill a Rathian if given the chance.

Biological Adaptions
The Rathian Variant has the same adaptions as a normal Rathian. What makes her different is the fact that she has some color in her scales that greatly resembles a Rathalos yet also resembles some unusually powerful Rathian individuals found in the Old World.

Behavior
Rathian Variant are very territorial, choosing to patrol from the ground while her male counterpart patrols from the sky.