Skimios

Skimios are a species of crested wingdrake that were first introduced in Monster Hunter: Evolution.

Physiology
Skimios are man-sized flying monsters that are mostly white in color, save for a few black markings found on their wing tips and head crest. The head of this monster is narrow and long, with the jaws being a large toothless beak similar in shape and design to those found on skimmer birds, the back of the skull is topped with a spade-like crest similar to that found on geosternbergia. The body and wings are nearly identical to that of a typical pteranodon pterosaur and are covered in pycnofibers.

Behavior
These wingdrakes are known to fly in large flocks around deep bodies of water where they hunt small fish. They are docile monsters and will typically flee when they feel they are in danger.

Abilities
The only notable ability these monsters poses is flight, other than that they are completely defenseless.

Taxonomy

 * Order: Pterosauria
 * Suboroder: Pterodactyloidea
 * Family: Pteranodontidae
 * Subfamily: Aviapoda
 * Genus: Skimios
 * Species: S. gracilis

Habitat Range
Skimios can be found around nearly any large and deep body of water, making them common sights around coastlines around the world. They can be found above arctic seas as well as tropical ones effectively making their range world wide.

Ecological Niche
Due to their widespread nature, these wingdrakes play an important role in the global food web. These wingdrakes are predators of small fish and despite being adept fliers they are commonly consumed by large predatory fish and marine wyverns and beasts.

Biological Adaptations
These wingdrakes have long kite-like wings that allow them to soar on thermals which allows them to travel in a highly energy efficient way across entire oceans. They are also capable of diving into and skimming the surface of the water to grab fish.

Behavior
These monsters are passive in nature and are known to form large flocks when traveling across the vast seas of the world. When they feed they are known to try to steal food from each other and aerial fights are common when multiple individuals go after one fish.

Trivia

 * This monsters takes inspiration from the pterosaur Geosternbergia and Skimmer birds.