Nergigante Ecology

Disclaimer: This is merely a plausible explanation for the monster(s) in this article, and may or may not be considered canon to the series.

Taxonomy

• Order: Elder Dragon
• Suborder: Extinction Dragon
• Family: Nergigante
• Species: Nergigante and Ruiner Nergigante

A predator that was recently put into the Elder Dragon class, Nergigante is a highly aggressive monster that will bring destruction to everything that it encounters.

History

From how mysterious Nergigante is there are few reports on it since witnesses rarely ever saw it. For a long time, Nergigante was an Unclassified Monster until the Research Commission found that all of its appearances in the New World overlapped each Elder Crossing, hinting that Nergigante had some connection to this mysterious phenomenon. When the Fifth Fleet came to the New World, the Research Commission soon discovered that Nergigante had been coming to the New World to prey upon other Elder Dragons, and classified it as an Elder Dragon.

Habitat Range

Nergigante has no fixed habitat, so it wanders from place to place as it searches for powerful monsters to feed on. It has been seen in the Wildspire Waste and Elder's Recess , and has occasionally been seen following Zorah Magdaros into the Great Ravine and Everstream.

Ecological Niche

Nergigante easily asserts itself at the top of the food chain, even more so than its brethren. Nergigante has a peculiar taste for other Elder Dragons and powerful monsters like Tempered Monsters, though will feed on just about any creature it encounters. The reason Nergigante hunts down powerful monsters like Elder Dragons is from the highly pure bioenergy they produce in their body, which Nergigante finds to be a delicacy. Weaker monsters don't produce this highly pure bioenergy, but powerful monsters do, making other Elder Dragons prime targets for Nergigante. So far, Nergigante has been seen attacking Barroth, Zorah Magdaros, Kushala Daora, Teostra, and Lunastra.

The Fifth Fleet speculates that Nergigante acts as a regulatory element of the ecosystem, as its habits have the side effect of destroying Elder Dragons whose power threatens their natural habitats with an ecological collapse.

Biological Adaptations

• Length: 1848.12cm
• Height: 590.6cm
• Foot Measurements: 190cm

Covering Nergigante's head, arms, tail, and wings are small spikes that break easily with enough damage. These spikes are believed to be made of a material similar to enamel and can break in a number of ways, though they mostly break from the sheer force of Nergigante's attacks. Unlike other Elder Dragons that use elemental abilities to survive, Nergigante uses brute strength to take on its prey. The force from some of its attacks is enough to send a hunter flying as well as breaking the spikes on its body. From it injuring itself with its own attacks, one would think that's a disadvantage to the Elder Dragon, but Nergigante has a special ability. Nergigante has extreme regenerative abilities that allow it to regrow lost spikes, up to 1800 of them, in mere seconds. Researchers theorize that this regenerative process starts when its spikes have taken a certain amount of damage, and it is said that it can regrow them an infinite number of times. From these new spikes growing recently, they are still young and white, making them vulnerable to attacks, but they will harden and turn black if they're left to oxidize in the air. When all the spikes on its body turn black and their weight becomes too much for Nergigante to carry, it will perform a devasting attack that can easily kill most foes in a single blow to replace them all at once. It also seems to have the ability to sense highly pure bioenergy.

Natural Phenomenon

Nergigante isn't known to cause any natural disasters, but its sudden appearance is enough to scare off other species, including Elder Dragons, which can cause them to invade other areas.

Behavior

Aggressive and single-minded, Nergigante is driven by its insatiable hunger to seek out other powerful monsters. It is known to appear when other Elder Dragons are near, and its destruction is well-documented by the Guild. It has even been nicknamed the Extinction Dragon from it killing and destroying everything that it encounters.

Breeding Habits

Nergigante doesn't have a gender and reproduces asexually. It needs large quantities of bioenergy to propagate, but the way it does so is bizarre compared to other species. When Nergigante regenerates its spikes, some of them may gain the bioenergy it has used and begin to produce germ cells, allowing Nergigante to produce another of its kind without the need of a mate. Since Nergigante needs more bioenergy than usual to produce the next generation, it needs to find a food source with incredible strength which is likely the reason why it was after Zorah Magdaros during the latest Elder Crossing. Interestingly, the offspring are genetically identical to their parent.

Sources

• Monster Hunter: World
• Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
• https://www.famitsu.com/news/201806/04158397.html
• https://youtu.be/Qrg3SFGslUs?t=2159
• http://dengekionline.com/elem/000/001/721/1721574/
• "Monster Hunter: World Hunting Thanksgiving 2018 Official Brochure" (Japanese モンスターハンター：ワールド 狩猟感謝祭 2018 公式パンフレット)
• "Dive to Monster Hunter World" (Japanese DIVE TO MONSTER HUNTER: WORLD モンスターハンター:ワールド 公式設定資料集)