Vulpaeoras

Vulpaeoras is a Behemoth appearing in Monster Hunter Venture.

Physiology
Vulpaeoras has a large, stocky body with four short legs. Its tail is long compared to its body, and ends in a large,lumpy, metallic club. The monster's back is covered in a jointed, bumpy shell of the same material as the tail club, and its sides, limbs, tail, and face are studded with ostoderms. On the top of its head is a helmet-like crest that also slightly resembles an anvil. Its nostrils are large, and are attached to inflatable sacs that droop from its face when not inflated. On its cheeks are two pick-like horns, and its mouth is shaped much like a scoop. These tools help it dig through rock and magma to find ore, which it then digests and converts into molten metal in its large stomach.

Abilities
Vulpaeoras can smelt ore inside its body to "craft" armor and weapons for itself. It releases the heat created by the smelting process through its large nose, creating hot smoke. Even without its crafted armor or weapons, Vulpaeoras can still use the heavy club on its tail to crush almost any threat.

Low Rank and onward
Hammer Smash: Vulpaeoras lifts its tail into the air and slams it down, causing tremors in a wide range.

Hammer Swing: After raising its tail upward and forward diagonally, Vulpaeoras swings it in a full circle around its body.

Hammer Flip: The monster places its tail on the ground and jerks it skyward, launching any hunters or smaller monsters hit into the air.

Hammer Sweep: Vulpaeoras places its tail on the ground and sweeps it twice in a horizontal direction.

Batter Down: A downwards headbutt that knocks hunters and smaller monsters onto the ground.

Hip Bash: The monster hipchecks a threat. Hunters and smaller monsters can be sent flying when it hits.

Ore Burrow: It sticks its lower horns into the ground to dig up chunks of ore, then sends these chunks flying at targets. Causes Earthblight to hunters hit.

Magma Blaster: Vulpaeoras spits out a chunk of molten ore which explodes upon contact with a target or a wall. Being hit by this attack can cause Earthblight and Fireblight.

Smoke Burst: The monster expels a large cloud of black smoke from its nostrils, which lingers on the battlefield for roughly 5 seconds. Walking into the cloud causes Poison.

Smelting Gas: Like Gravios and Uragaan, Vulpaeoras releases a blast of hot air from its underside which causes Fireblight to hunters in range.

Bursting Bellow: After inhaling a large amount of air, the monster lets out a yell that sends a cyclone of air forward. This attack causes Windblight.

Enraged Only
Armor Smelt: Vulpaeoras digs a large crevice, empties a stream of molten metal into it, then rolls around in it on its back. This rolling builds up a metallic armor on its back, and can come in the form of either the Spiked Armor or the Layered Armor.

Spiked Armor: Vulpaeoras emerges from the crevice with a new, spiky shell that covers its back. As long as it has this armor, it can perform a new attack.

Iron Maiden: It leaps into the air and lands on its back in an attempt to impale a threat on its spikes.

Layered Armor: Vulpaeoras rises from the crevice with a new, armadillo-like shell that covers its back. As long as the shell is covering its body, it can perform a new attack.

Iron Sphere: The monster curls itself into a ball and rolls around the area, eventually skidding to a stop.

Weapon Smelt: The monster digs a medium-sized hole in the ground, spits a stream of molten metal into it, then dips its tail into it and stirs it in the metal. It builds up a metallic covering on its tail that acts as a weapon, and it can come in the form of the Warhammer or the Morningstar.

Warhammer: Vulpaeoras lifts its tail from the hole to reveal that the formerly lumpy club on its tail has been covered in a large structure that resembles a warhammer. Its tail attacks now cause more damage and can cause further knockback, and with the warhammer attatched it can perform two new attacks.

Warhammer Fissure: In a manner slightly similar to Hellblade Glavenus, it lifts its tail into the air and holds it there before slamming it down. The impact creates a large fissure on the ground, which causes Earthblight.

Warhammer Throw: Like Duramboros, the monster spins around slowly before picking up speed and launches itself forward.

Morningstar: Vulpaeoras lifts its tail from the hole to reveal that the metal coating its tail has hardened into sharp spikes, making it resemble a morningstar. Its tail attacks now cause more damage and can be performed much faster, and with this morningstar on its tail, it can perform two new attacks.

Morningstar Tornado: Vulpaeoras tenses its body and growls before spinning wildly and releasing hot gas from its stomach. Getting hit by the heat it spews can cause Fireblight.

Morningstar Whip: The monster rapidly swings its tail back and forth behind it.

High Rank and onwards
Magma Shove: It digs its side into the ground and pushes, sending forth a wave of molten rock. Getting hit by the wave causes both Fireblight and Earthblight.

Belly Flop: The monster makes a low jump and crashes on its stomach, causing tremors in a wide area.

Smoky Sprint: Vulpaeoras blows out smoke from its nostrils while charging, creating smaller smoke clouds that float around the battlefield. The smoke clouds can cause poison.

Molten Ore: Vulpaeoras spits out blobs of molten metal, which create puddles when they hit the ground. Coming into contact with the puddles causes Fireblight, Earthblight, and Windblight.

Enraged Only
Counter Shell: When it has the Layered Armor, Vulpaeoras can counter attacks by turning its back to a hunter when struck. It then follows up with a tail swipe that knock hunters back.

Bladed Shell: When it has the Spiked Armor, it can crouch down and spin around in its shell to attack with the spikes on its back.

Warhammer Launch: With the Warhammer attatched to its tail, it can launch burning rocks at the hunter by hitting them with its tail. These burning rocks can cause Fireblight and Earthblight.

Morningstar Shredder: When wielding the Morningstar, it can carve out pieces of rock from the ground and scatter them around. These pieces of rock can cause Earthblight.

G-Rank Exclusive
Barrel Roll: Like a Royal Ludroth, it tucks in its legs and rolls forward on its side.

Double Flip: Vulpaeoras performs its Hammer Flip attack, then quickly performs another one with almost no windup.

Magma Fissure: It digs a fissure of magma with its horns and mouth which erupts infrequently before disappearing. The eruptions can cause Fireblight.

Enraged Only
Warhammer Eruption: With the Warhammer on its tail, Vulpaeoras lifts its tail high into the air before slamming it down forcefully. A plume of magma erupts from the point where it connects with the ground, causing Fireblight and Earthblight.

Morningstar Waves: With the Morningstar, it swipes across the ground with its tail and sends waves of magma forward. The waves of magma cause Fireblight and Earthblight.

Taxonomy

 * Order: Ornithoscelida
 * Suborder: Ankylosauria
 * Superfamily: Plated Skin
 * Family: Paeoras

Habitat Range
Vulpaeoras inhabits the hot, volcanic areas of Genoia, such as the Volcanic Coast and the Magma Cauldron.

Ecological Niche
Vulpaeoras is an herbivore. Since plant matter can be hard to find in the regions it inhabits, it also consumes rock and ore. It competes with Uragaan and its subspecies for food and territory, and as both monsters are highly territorial, encounters are highly likely to turn violent. Monsters such as Agnaktor, Rathalos, and Brute Tigrex typically stay away from Vulpaeoras, while Brachydios, Glavenus, and Glacera will go after it if they are desperate and hungry enough. The nomadic Deviljho typically does not hunt Vulpaeoras as it is not well-suited to hunt large prey. The only creatures that actively prey on it are the rare Akantor and Elder Dragons like Teostra.

Biological Adaptations
With armored skin, the ability to digest rock and ore, and a powerful tail club, Vulpaeoras is well-suited to its volcanic habitat. Its tail is used not only for fending off predators, but also to split open tough rocks and break them into smaller, more easily swallowed pieces. The gas it releases from the pores on its stomach prevents its body from overheating so it does not injure itself, and the smoke it releases from its nostrils is a natural waste product. Its pick-like horns and strong forearms help it dig for root vegetables and choice ore alike, and they are also used to dig the "molds" for its armor and weapons. A Vulpaeoras's shell and tail are coated in very heat-resistant metal, but this metal bends and dents easily. To resolve this issue, it smelts ore within its body to coat its body parts in fresh metal.

Behavior
Vulpaeoras is an aggressive creature. Preferring to live alone, intruders to its territory will almost invariably find themselves crushed by its mighty tail or burnt from the magma it flings. It has been seen attacking smaller monsters violently for seemingly no reason. Young Vulpaeoras live in small holes dug by their mothers, who supply them with food. Other than this, parental care is minimal, and the mother and her offspring quickly part ways.