Monster Categories

These are the categories in which monsters are split based on shared traits and/or common ancestry.

## Serpents

***Serpents*** are reptilian monsters most often resembling snakes or large lizards. The Serpent category is split into two groups: The ***Lithe Serpents*** and the ***True Serpents***.
***Lithe Serpents*** are medium-sized quadrupedal serpents. Their front legs are much larger and much more muscular than their back legs, which are almost vestigial in some cases. They have slender bodies with long necks and elongated tails. Much like their True Serpent brethren, they have long, sharp fangs protruding from their mouths. Some of them, like the Ridalian or Varunachilas, use their fangs when attacking, where as others, like the Zinthorion, use their fangs to transmit deadly venom. They are usually powerful predators that hunt smaller animals.

***True Serpents*** are enormous serpents that lack legs. They have a snake-like body plan, with a cylinder-shaped flexible body, a large mouth and short tails. True Serpents also usually possess a forked tongue and sharp fangs. This subcategory is currently occupied only by the Okadadachi and its variant, the Bilge Okadadachi.

## Squamae

***Squamae*** are small monsters that resemble lizards or salamanders. They inhabit both arid and wet areas, with different species having different adaptations. Squamae are mostly carnivorous, yet they are towards the bottom of their respective ecosystem's food chain.

## Hexapods

***Hexapods*** are small to medium-sized monsters that resemble insects or other arthopods. Their bodies are segmented into three parts: the head, the thorax, where the legs are located, and the abdomen. They also have spinnerets at the back part of their abdomens, from which they spin silk.
Instead of jaws, they have powerful mandibles or chelicerae, which they can use to snatch prey.

## Mammalians

***Mammalians*** are monsters that resemble various kinds of mammals. They vary drastically in size from each other, ranging from tiny to enormous. They are split into two groups: ***Aquatic Mammalians*** and ***Terrestrial Mammalians.***
***Aquatic Mammalians*** are mammalian monsters that live and/or hunt underwater. They have a variety of adaptations that help them live and move underwater, such as strong tails or flipper-like forelegs. Much like their land-based counterparts, they most often have fur, give live birth and nourish their young with milk.

***Terrestrial Mammalians*** are mammalian monsters that live and hunt on land. They usually exhibit strong legs that allow them to run, a long tail to help with balance and horns, spikes or other means of display and protection against predators. Much like their sea-dwelling counterparts, they most often have fur, give live birth and nourish their young with milk. They are mostly herbivorous, yet there are some omnivorous species.

## Avians

***Avians*** are monsters that resemble birds. Their sizes, as well as their wingspans vary wildly from each other, with some being smaller than a human and others growing larger than even the mightiest Saurians or Wyverns. Monsters of this category are distinguished by their bony beaks and front legs that have been modified into feathered wings. Most species of this category are also covered in feathers, which protect them from the cold and allow them to become more aerodynamic. Avians are a diverse and adaptable category of monsters, with species found in warm deserts, dense forests and frigid mountain peaks.

## Saurians

***Saurians*** are a category of reptilian monsters that vary in size. They most often resemble dinosaurs of various kinds. For example, the Dilokoduun resembles a bipedal theropod dinosaur, whereas the Lariniwa resembles a small sauropod. These monsters are covered in scales or feathers and have quills or spikes on various parts of their bodies. They can be carnivorous or herbivorous.

## Carnoreptilians

***Carnoreptilians*** are carnivorous monsters that resemble various reptiles. They are most often quite large and have a bulky, stocky build. They are ambush predators, waiting in hiding for prey to come by and then attacking with great force to take it down. They are often top predators in their environment, and are not easily outcompeted by others.

## Wyverns

***Wyverns*** are four-legged draconic monsters of various sizes. Their forelimbs have been modified into membranous wings, which they use to take to the skies. They exhibit masterful control of the elements and are capable of producing fire and ice, light and electricity. Wyverns are powerful predators that can best almost everything else in their ecosystems in combat.

## Crustaceons

***Crustaceons*** are a unique family of medium to large-sized monsters. While most of its member species resemble some kind of wyvern or dragon, they are actually crab-like crustaceans that have taken on these forms as a means of intimidation. They have eight to ten main legs, as well as many smaller legs, which helps hunters distinguish them from Wyverns or Dragons. While some species thrive in the water, where their ancestors did, most live far from it, in areas where it is very hard to come by. Crustaceons, despite their unassuming origins, are actually some of the strongest monsters a hunter can ever face.

## Dragons

***Dragons*** are six-limbed reptilian monsters that resemble dragons. They have four legs and two membranous wings, similar to those of wyverns. They usually have long tails and bony horns on their heads and are covered in scales. Much like wyverns, they are often masters of the elements and can deftly wield them in combat. They are the top predators of their ecosystem and dominate every environment they are found in. Some are even granted Elder Beast status due to the danger that they pose.

## Elder Beasts

***Elder Beasts*** are powerful monsters that pose an immediate threat to the survival of mankind or the ecosystem. While most monsters are compiled into categories because of shared traits and common ancestry, the only thing Elder Beasts have in common with each other is their immense destructive potential. Each Elder Beast is also assigned to another biological category.

## ??? (Pending Categorization)

***???*** monsters have not yet been compiled into a category.