Yian Garuga Ecology

In-Game Information
A breed of Yian Kut-Ku with a hard, black shell and a long mane. Known for its trap-avoiding slyness and poison-loaded tail, it is a particularly evil wyvern, so beware!

Taxonomy
A subspecies of Yian Kut-Ku, which are small Bird Wyverns that are rather common. Yian Garuga is unique among Bird Wyverns, as it shares some traits with true Wyverns -especially the Rath family- making it the most powerful Bird Wyvern so far. Yian Garuga could represent an evolutionary link between Bird Wyverns and true Wyverns, but little is known about this elusive creature. There also seems to be a metaphoric relation with loneliness and wolves, possibly due to their solitary lifestyle, as hinted to by the quest titles and weapon names.

Habitat Range
Yian Garugas have only been observed so far in the Jungles and the Forest and Hills, nesting high in mountain caves. Given Garuga is even tougher than its cousin Kut-Ku, it can thrive in any area that Kut-Ku can. Being of light frame and with limited body mass, Yian Garuga would most likely not survive well in colder regions; its black shell would also serve as poor camoflouge in the snowy regions. Recently Yian Garuga have been seen inhabiting the Great Forest and Gorge region.

Ecological Niche
Yian Garuga hunt almost exclusively at night, injuring its prey only to retreat back to the skies and wait for its deadly poison and for blood loss to finish off its victim. It will commonly prey on Kelbis, Mosswine, and even Hermitaur, crushing the crabs shell with its immense beak. If hunting another predatory species such as a Velocidrome, Yian Garuga will first stun the creature with its roar before launching any attacks. Rathalos, Rathian, Abiorugu, Rajang, Tigrex, Espinas Subspecies, Dyuragaua, and Berukyurosu are fierce competitors of the Bird Wyverns and are even capable of killing them if an opportunity were to arise. However being one of if not the most feared member of the Bird Wyvern class these creatures are fully capable of defending themselves against or attacking potential threats.

Biological Adaptations
Yian Garuga posseses keen night vision and is aided in its night time hunts by its dark purple/black shell, making the creature very hard to spot from below. Yian Garuga is far more proficient in lobbing fireballs than its cousin, Yian Kut-Ku. It is nimble enough to perform backflips, whipping its foe hard with its spiked and poisonous tail. Yian Garuga has large ears, just like the Yian Kut-Ku, however the lack of sonar dish-like structure renders it immune to sound based weaponry, such as the Sonic Bomb unlike its cousin. The ears assist in both cooling the creatures head and in hearing its prey from great distances. Yian Garuga's beak and shell are especially hard for a Bird Wyvern, throwing some inexperienced hunters off guard as they are too accustomed to the much weaker Yian Kut-Ku. Yian Garuga's mane is only evident in males, where it is a sign of dominance.

One of its most peculiar adaptations is its remarkable intelligence (for a Bird Wyvern). One example is its ability to avoid certain traps. Also, evidence suggests that the Garuga is able to learn moves from other monsters, such as the Rathian’s backflip. In addition, it is much better at linking and more effectively using its attacks to disable the unwary hunter. Like their relatives the Kut-Ku these creatures also have shovel-shaped beaks that are capable shoveling up smaller prey.

Behavior
Highly aggressive for a bird wyvern, Yian Garuga is known for attacking in a rapid, aggresive fashion similar to a Rathian. It enjoys combining its deafening roar with a ram or back flip. Yian Garuga is one of the few bird wyverns intelligent enough to avoid pitfall traps. However, when enraged it often is far too distracted to notice such traps. Yian Garuga is described as "particularly evil" but this is in fact due to the creature's lack of fear toward humans, causing them to be as violent toward man as they are toward prey.

Yian Garuga are very solitary creatures, going most of their lives without seeing another member of their species, with the exception of their mother. This behavior changes shortly during the mating season, when males will "sing" to attract females to their nesting grounds. If the mating is successful, the male will abandon his nest, leaving it for the female to raise her eggs. The males will then enter a nomadic stage of his life, actively searching for a new nest while avoiding contact with other wyverns. This behavior leads some Yian Garuga to attack human settlements, most likely because of hunger (it does not want to compete with other local predators).