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In-Game Information[]
Rathian is the female version of the Rathalos. It shares many characteristics with its male counterpart, although Rathian tends to patrol its territory on the ground. Its tail spikes are filled with poison.
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. There are three known species of Rathian: The Old World Species, New World Species, and Val Habar Species. There are also two genetic mutations of the Rathian, the Pink Rathian and the Gold Rathian.
Habitat Range[]
Rathian of the Old World are seen inhabiting the Forest and Hills, both Swamps, both Deserts, both Jungles, Gorge, Highland, Great Forest, Ancestral Steppe, Sunken Hollow, Everwood, Heaven's Mount, Dunes, Primal Forest, Misty Peaks, Ruined Ridge and Tower. New World Rathian are seen inhabiting the Deserted Island, Sandy Plains and Flooded Forest. They can also be found in the Wildspire Waste and the Ancient Forest. It is also found in the Guiding Lands.
Ecological Niche[]
Rathian are high-ranking predators in the food chain. She is the female land-dwelling counterpart to the male Rathalos who patrols the skies. Both will work together to capture prey and ensure the safety of their nest from predators. Rathian often target smaller monsters such as Kelbi, Velociprey and Velocidrome that she can easily carry back to her nest, while the stronger Rathalos captures more larger herbivores and lesser Wyverns instead. Rathian sits in a position directly below her male counterpart and is more likely to be challenged by monsters such as Anjanath, Jyuratodus and Plesioth. Yet the female Fire Wyvern is also ready to engage in precarious fights, especially when it concerns the safety of her nest. Her wrath can only be truly overwhelmed by apex predators such as Tigrex, Nargacuga, Zinogre and the aggresive Diablos. In particular, Glavenus are serious competitors of Rathian, and gruelling scars found on Rathian can often be attributed to an attack from Glavenus. Invasive monsters, Elder Dragon-Level Monsters, and Elder Dragons can also prove serious threats to Rathian and her nest. However, her posion-tipped tail and powerful fire sac allows her to inflict serious injuries to other apex predators, which may cause them to cease their attack on her and her nest quicker. Furthermore, if she is in a dire situation, Rathian can emit a distinct roar that will summon her male counterpart into battle. As Rathalos is an actual apex predator that is far more aggressive towards such monsters, her chances of repelling the aforementioned intruders increase drastically when fighting alongside him.
Biological Adaptations[]
Rathian have a poisonous tail, but lack the poisonous claws of the male wyvern. They instead have developed poisonous barbs that deter most attackers. The roar of a Rathian is just as fierce as that of a Rathalos and its land-based maneuverability is even greater. Both Rathian and Rathalos have a spike protruding from their chin, but it grows much larger and sharper on Rathian, making their tackle attack even more dangerous for wyverns and hunters alike. Rathian have the ability to perform backflips to knock a foe out of its way while simultaneously poisoning them. Even if a hunter was to sever a Rathian's tail, her backflip attack would still poison the hunter, suggesting that the poison-producing organ is near the base of the tail or near the flame organ.
Depending on the region, Rathian can vary greatly from each other. This is due to there being a few different subspecies of Rathian found throughout the world. The three known ones are the Old World, New World, and Val Habar species.
Some rare, individual Rathian of the Old World have grown a larger amount of poison spikes on their backs, wings and tails along with purplish claws. Other rare individuals also develop a unique flame sac and use a new technique allowing their fireballs to scatter on impact.
Behavior[]
Rathian are very territorial, choosing to patrol from the ground while her male counterpart patrols from the sky. It will become very aggressive to potential threats, especially when it is taking care of its young.