Tetsucabra Ecology

In-Game Information
両生種のモンスター. 別名”鬼蛙”. 傾斜面でも自由に跳躍できる強靭な後脚を持つ. 発達したアゴと牙は、捕食はもちろん、岩を掘り起こして獲物を追い詰める役割もある. 尻尾は行動の軸を補佐しており、上半身に強い力を込める時などには柔皮が露呈するという.

Taxonomy
Order: Amphibia. Suborder: Scaled Amphibian. Family: Armored Frog. The Tetsukabura is the only known member of its family.

Habitat Range
Tetsukabura were first discovered in the Underground Cave, but have since been found in the Frozen Sea area and the Unknown Sea of Trees. In all instances, they live in or around water, though they have also been known to inhabit damp, underground locations.

Ecological Niche
Tetsukabura prey upon anything smaller than themselves that ventures too close to the water. This includes Kelbi, Jaggi, and Slagtoth. Due to their large size and tough armor, they have only a few predators. These include Stygian Zinogre and Kushala Daora. Tetsukabura are cannibalistic, and will eat smaller Tetsukabura if the opprotunity presents itself to prevent future competiton. They compete for territory with other aquatic inhabitants, such as Zaboazagiru in the Frozen Sea.

Biological Adaptations
Despite the scaled skin of the Tetsukabura, it is not a true reptile. Rather, it is a reptile-like amphibian. This means that despite the tough, scaly skin, it still requiers a source of water to habitate in. They also require the water to reproduce, laying their eggs in it and fertilizing through external fertilization. It has, in this instance utilized this need as a form of attack and predation. Normally, the Tetsukabura is an ambush hunter that remains in large pools of water. When an animal comes up to the pond to drink, the Tetsukabura strikes. The jaws of Tetsukabura are immensely strong, capable of crushing smaller prey between them. The tremendous bite force not only makes death immediate, but allows the Tetsukabura to pulverize prey with strong skeletal structures or thick armor. This also allows the Tetsukabura to crush boulders with such extreme force, what remains of the rock is fired out as shrapnel.

Though the Tetsukabura has two large tusks, these are not used for hunting. The primary function of these tusks is for defense and as a means to manipulate the enviornment. The tusks themselves are capable weapons, but the Tetsukabura is also capable of hefting up heavy boulders. The Tetsukabura flings these boulders out of the way of its path, but it can also use this as a method of attack.

Another facet of the Tetsukabura's biology is the ability to spit a glob of fluid at prey items. This sticky material acts as a powerful adhesive, sticking to the body and ground like glue. Even for a hunter, the adhesive quality of this material is not very strong, but it makes every movement a labor and greatly weakens the prey, leading to a reduction in stamina.

When the Tetsukabura exerts itself, its tail inflates. For reasons unknown, the tail is full of blood vessels. These vessels surge with blood, causing the flexible skin to inflate. This makes the tail very vulnerable to attack in this state, but this is only a temporary weakness.

Behavior
Tetsukabura are highly aggressive, highly territorial creatures. Their bodies are a testament to this. The short, stocky frame, well-armored body and strong tusks are all set up for one reason alone: fighting other Tetsukabura. Tetsukabura live entirely in solitude. When Tetsukabura encounter each other, the result is almost always violent. They will size each other up, then charge and begin to rut. These engagements can be brief, or intense battles to the death.

Tetsukabura are also extremely oprotunistic feeders. They are semi-omnivorus, but greatly prefer predation over foraging. When they need to eat something other than animal prey, they will pull up rocks and dig through the dirt. Often times, this is to find large grubs, but they will also eat roots and tubers. Most of the time, however, they will eat any animal they can fit in their mouths. This even includes other Tetsukabura; it isn't unusual for a fight over territory to end with one Tetsukabura swallowing a smaller rival. Tetsukabura, despite their strong teeth, do not chew their prey. They are crushed and pulverized in one bite, then swallowed. Tetsukabura's ravenous appetites sometimes hinder the animal's instinctual judgement. Hunters have recounted tales of watching at Tetsukabura attempt to swallow another animal, only to start choking on it. A Hunter can never know if they are being attacked as a territorial threat, or if they are being targeted as prey. Often times, the answer is simple; it's both.

These amphibians are surprisingly agile. They can move extremely rapidly and constantly orient themselves to keep their tusks in front of a prey item or a rival. These frog-like creatures also posess a strong sense of accuracy. They can leap out of a pool of water to catch a small prey item running along the shore and snatch it in mid-leap and throw a boulder at a moving Hunter with reliable accuracy.