Battara

Battara is a Behemoth appearing in Monster Hunter Venture.

Physiology
Battara has a body structure similar to that of Rhenoplos, to which it is distantly related. However, there are a few key differences. Battara has more pronounced muscles, especially in its forelimbs, which have hard plating on them much like the back and head. The frill on the back of Battara's head is large and axe-shaped, with an axe-shaped beak and nasal horn as well. Its face is covered in small, warty horns. The tail has a tall, fatty hump at the base and a cluster of spikes at the tip, much like the tail of Rathian or Apceros. Battara has small, pointed ears unlike the large ears of Rhenoplos. It also has four fanglike tusks that protrude from its mouth, two on the upper jaw and two on the lower jaw. The main body is a reddish-brown, with golden yellow plating and horns. Battara also has bristly black fur on its stomach, ears, back, and tail.

Abilities
Battara's large forelimbs and tough hooves can be used to smash threats and rock alike. They also enable it to run at high speeds so that it can ram into enemies with its large horn. It is also capable of breathing out a stream of sand and pebbles from its mouth.

Alone
Ramming Horn: Battara rams its head forward to hit a combatant with its horn.

Body Smash: Battara rears onto its hind legs, then comes crashing down.

Snapping Tusks: The monster bites to the side, trying to bite something with its tusks and beak.

Bull Charge: Battara paws at the ground like a Bulldrome before charging forward, knocking over smaller targets in its path.

Hoofed Strike: Swinging a forelimb forward in a manner similar to Tetsucabra, Battara puts its thick hooves to use by lashing out with them.

Tail Whip: It swings its tail twice in a wide arc behind it.

Head Bash Combo: The monster crouches and tenses its body, then swings its head once to each side and finishes with a Ramming Horn.

U-Turn Charge: The monster charges forward, then makes a U-turn in a fashion slightly similar to Jade Barroth.

Hoof Smash: Battara raises a front limb and smashes it onto the ground.

Hipcheck: It attacks by shifting its weight quickly to the side.

Enraged Only
Grinder Charge: Battara sticks its nose horn into the ground, then charges forward, spraying dust and pebbles to its sides. The rocks can cause Earthblight.

Dust Devil: In a manner slightly similar to Blangonga, it breathes in before spewing out a stream of sand, dust, and pebbles with its breath. This attack causes Earthblight.

Rocky Trample: It raises the front half of its body, then rushes forward while stomping and scattering rocks and sand. This attack can cause Earthblight.

With Khugala
Note: any of the above attacks can be used against the Khugala, but these are the attacks that will only be able to work if both Khugala and Battara are present.

Raptor Bodyslam: Battara grabs its rival's tail in its mouth, then slams it down. This causes heavy damage to Khugala and any hunters the attack hits.

Battering Ram: Battara paws at the ground for a long period of time, then sprints forward at Khugala with such great speed and force that the Bird Wyvern is sent flying like a missile. Being hit by Khugala can Stun hunters.

Rival Hammer Throw: The monster bites down onto Khugala's tail and starts to spin around in a movement that resembles a hammer throw. It proceeds to throw the Khhugala forward at a high velocity while the Bird Wyvern flails its claws in panic. Getting hit by the Khugala can cause Bleeding.

Combined Roar: Both monsters roar at each other loudly, creating a combined roar that requires HG Earplugs to block.

Enraged Only
Desert Duelists: Both Khugala and Battara make a threatening growl at each other before charging at each other. When they collide, they begin to roll around and wrestle with each other as each monster attempts to pin its rival. As they move around the battlefield, they can cause high damage to hunters they collide with.

Raging Sandstorm: Both monsters scream loudly before unleashing their respective breath attacks. In the center, Khugala's Slicing Sirroco and Battara's Dust Devil collide to create a small sandstorm that grows in size for a brief period of time before exploding across the area. The sandstorm lasts for 5 seconds, causes Windblight and Earthblight, and causes continuous but weak damage.

Taxonomy

 * Order: Ornithoscelida
 * Suborder: Marginocephalia
 * Superfamily: Ramming Head
 * Family: Battara

Habitat Range
Battara can be found in hot and dry areas such as the Stone Canyon and the Blasted Desert.

Ecological Niche
Battara is an omnivore, and will eat almost any organic material it happens upon. It can chew and digest bark, greenery, decaying flesh, cacti, invertebrates, and even bones with relative ease. Battara has also been known to ingest small stones and pebbles, likely to aid its digestive process. Its key predator is the Khugala, although it serves as prey for many other monsters such as Nibelsnarf, Sand Barioth, and Feraleos. Battara is also known to avoid the large herbivores Rust Duramboros and Fuming Kubatemolu due to their high aggression and power.

Biological Adaptations
Battara is well suited for life in the desert. Its skull is adorned with numerous wart-like horns which protect the head from damage and amplify the damage its headbutts and charges cause. The axe-like blade formed by its nose horn and beak is used for defense against predators, along with the cluster of spikes on its tail. Its large tusks can bite through bone for easy sources of calcium. The stones and sand it swallows for digestion can be spat up, and this is used as a final, desperate defense. For survival in the harsh temperatures, its digestive system processes its food so efficiently that it gets almost all of its moisture requirements solely from its diet. The hump on its tail stores fat reserves so that it can go days without eating, and its large forelimbs allow it to burrow underground when temperatures on the surface become too hot.

Behavior
Battara is a belligerent, territorial monster. Due to its poor eyesight, it cannot properly distinguish threats, and so it is known to charge at almost anything it doesn't like the look of, including rocks, trees, and smaller monsters. When faced by its rival Khugala, it becomes even more aggressive, and it will fight against the Bird Wyvern until its predator has been sufficiently driven off or killed. Battara will also run from Khugala if it feels its life is truly in danger, but this is a rare occurrence as most times it is the Battara who chases the Khugala off. Unlike most Scelidians, it does not raise its young or look after its eggs: the female lays her eggs in a hole in the sand, then abandons them.