The Tonnage Rat: Rockslide Fixers of the Mountains

The Tonnage Rat (a.k.a. the Engineer Rat) is a species of colonized, reptilian-like rodents that live in large burrows in the mountain sides throughout the Rockies and the Appalachians of the United States. This creature barely comes out of their burrows unless food and water supplies run low. The Tonnage Rat in appearance are large, slim rats with some reptilian-like features underneath their fur. They are insectivores and only hunt underground unless the need to search for more food comes. The Tonnage Rat are the favorite prey of avian predators such as eagles and young Thunderbirds. This rodent-like creature only comes out from its burrow if a rock slide occurs that exposes the Tonnage Rat's burrow. After a rock slide occurs, hundreds of these rats race against time to recover the rocks which exposes their homes by placing them back in correct order. This usually takes about two hours for completion unless a predator arrives then it would take longer. These modern day synapsids (prehistoric mammalian reptiles) do lay eggs but, these large eggs are squarish in shape and are stacked amongst each other to keep them warm.

The photograph above is of a rock slide. Usually the Tonnage Rat does re-fix the rocks into their correct place unless the natural disaster doesn't expose their burrows. The greatest threat to these creatures are the Slide-Rock Bolters of Colorado, which created rock slides to capture prey.

The Bladenboro Lynx: The Vampire Beast

The attacks started in 1954 in Bladenboro County of North Carolina when a large feline-like creature started attacking people's pets for a food supply. The Beast of Bladenboro (now known by Monstrologists as the Bladenboro Lynx) is a species of strange felines that live deep in the swampy areas of Bladenboro County and favor the blood from small animals such as pets like dogs and cats. The Bladenboro Lynx is an endangered species and only a small population of these fascinating creatures live in that one county of North Carolina. Being stealthy and nocturnal, these creatures sneak upon their prey and spring into action by snapping their prey's jaws/neck then drains out the blood. Though this species was once part of a larger population throughout the South-Eastern seaboard of the United States, extinction soon followed after being hunted for the protection of livestock and pets. The natural rivals of the Bladenboro Lynx are larger predators such as black bears, feral dogs, and even the cougar (if such an animal is in the area). It is now illegal to shoot and kill these heavily protected species which are on the verge of extinction once more.

Though terrifying in appearence, this 'Vampire Beast' are actually shy of humans and rarely attack. Cougars, feral dogs, and black bears are usually the main caulprits of killing pets/small animals and people then assume its the Bladenboro Lynx as the real killer.  

The Peruvian Swamp Slug: Venom vs. Antidote

The Peruvian Swamp Slug is only native to the moist jungles of Peru and are quite horrifying in appearance. This black slug with sharp teeth can reach up to one feet in length and are venomous. The venom doesn't attack the body directly but, the person's mind by altering their behavior and personality. Hallucinations are also known to occur if the venom isn't treated and will later result in insanity then death. Though this gastropod only eats small animals such as insects, other gastropods, small birds, reptiles, and mammals; larger creatures such as careless humans will become bitten if provoked. Thankfully, the Peruvian Swamp Slug's body holds a secret weapon: an antidote to counter the venom. This safety mechanism allows the slug to re-choose its victim or to heal itself after being bit by a rival Swamp Slug. Humans and other animals with knowledge of this secret use it to their advantage by just being re-bitten by either the same or different animal. Peruvian Swamp Slugs are ambush hunters by staying still for hours or even days until a prey source of a right size happens to cross its path.

The Peruvian Swamp Slugs may be venomous, but they can become great pets mainly due to their safety mechanism and are easy to care for.   

The Borlak: Attacking from Beneath

The Borlak is a modern day cousin of the dreaded dinosaurs which walked the Earth millions of years ago. This six to seven foot tall lizard is capable of weighing between 350-500 pounds, which gives the creature the edge on taking down medium sized prey. Though shy in nature, the Borlak will attack if provoked in order to defend its life or territory and rarely the creature will attack humans as a food source. In appearance, this human sized reptile resembles a prehistoric-looking beast with blue skin with yellow spines. The Borlak is an excellent swimmer which makes this creature dangerous as in the water than on land. Being an ambush hunter, the Borlak will dive beneath its victim (ex: a swimming moose) and then charge up to its prey to drag it underneath the water with its powerful jaws. The Borlak can be found in both the Americas and Canada in either swamps, rivers, and freshwater lakes.

Did you know that the Borlak can't digest fur, hair, clothing, or feathers? Due to its failure to fully digests birds and mammals, the Borlak had invented a low acidic vapor that could dissolve the fur or feathers of any animal. When a Borlak hunts, either on land or in water, it will release this vapor from its mouth to helpfully dissolve the items that cannot be digested. On land, the Borlak sprays it out of nowhere toward its victim and will either run off (due to a human or larger predator's presence) or will consume the prey item. In the water, if the prey isn't an amphibian, reptile, or fish, the Borlak will instantly spray its victim as it drags it underwater to successfully remove anything indigestible before consuming. Though the vapor can't melt the prey item's skin, it has been known to leave rashes on the body of humans if somebody has a reaction to the low acid the Borlak creates.   

The Borlak (image above) can both survive in cold and warm climates. It has adapted the ability to create body heat during the winter months through the United States and in Canada. The creature is known to hibernate if the weather worsens (heavy snowfall) but, will awaken once temperatures get into the right settings once again.

The Repticore: The Salamander Hunter

The Repticore is a creature of great size and has one of the largest appetites in Monstrology. Ranging between twelve to twenty feet tall and weighing up to 32000 pounds, this beast is a frightening creature to run into. In appearance, the Repticore is a massive, green reptilian beast with huge jaws, has five tendrils from their chins, black eyes, and two long tentacles protruding from its body. For locomotion, the Repticore travels on two stubby legs which only allows the creature to run slower than any human but, replaces speed with strength and durability.  The Repticore's hide is extremely durable against temperatures, predator attacks, and acids. The two tentacles are capable of lifting a medium sized vehicles from the ground without any trouble and doesn't have any trouble squeezing another animal to death. The five tendrils on its chin are used as close range feelers and are used to drag the Repticore's victims into its dangerous jaws.

Having a large appetite, the Repticore only enjoys one species of monster: the Salamander, a fire-eating amphibian. Salamanders are the Repticore's main prey source and are attracted to the fire proof slime they give off. Though with Salamanders being smaller than a Repticore, the creature itself has to gobble up a whole colony to finally please its hunger for a day. That is why the Repticore is also an active predator of deer, livestock, other predators, and even humans. Once eaten, the prey item will become digested fully in about a week (similar like snakes). The Repticore, though slow, is an ambush predator who attacks without warning toward its victims. They're native to both the United Kingdom and Eastern Europe.

You'll be lucky if you could get this close to a Repticore. Though they do have poor eyesight, the tendrils or the tentacles can easily find you and allow the creature to gobble you up. The only way to defeat a Repticore is destroying it from inside.

The Boobrie: Scottish Horror Bird

The Lochs of Scotland is filled with dangerous creatures from the famous Loch Ness Monster to the vicious Kelpie. There is another predator of avian origins and its called the Boobrie. This Terror Bird sized creature is like a mixture between a Great Northern Loon (Gavia immer) and a White Stork (Ciconia ciconia). Extremely carnivorous, the Boobrie eats from a range of small aquatic creatures such as fish to larger land mammals such as calves and even humans. The Boobrie itself is a creature which favors hunting on the side of Lochs in tall grasses but, will occasionally swim into the middle of the large body of water to dive for larger fish. On land, the creature is more agile and can run up to speeds that can outrun any land animal or a small car. Also to make this menacing creature more dangerous, it can fly thanks to it's large stork-like wings.
In Scottish folklore of this dangerous creature, it was said that the Boobrie is metamorphosed form of the Each uisge (which is a water horse-like creature related to the shape-shifting Kelpie) and the Tarbh-uisg (which is a species of water-bull also related to the Kelpie). This is both false and true; the Boobrie itself is a species of pure terror and other creatures know this. Shape-shifters such as the Kelpie, the Each uisge, and the Tarbh-uisg learn by copying the image of another apex predator at an early age for protection or to strike fear into an intruder. Kelpies are known not to copy a Boobrie's image but, young Each uisge and Tarbh-uisg do for these reasons. Its a survival strategy used by many monsters and everyday animals called camouflage.

 The illustration above is what a Boobrie looks like appearence. Terror Bird size and appearence, Stork's structure, and the Loon's markings.

The Onryo: Vengeful Ghosts of Japan

The Onryo is either a male or female spirit which cannot move into the afterlife due to the entity's goal to seek vengeance against the people or person who wronged them. The most common type of Onryo are female humans who were murdered, abandoned, or raped by the most evil of men (the same with males but, mostly uncommon). Being more aggressive and violent then any type of Japanese spirit, they're relentless on seeking revenge on the person who wronged them or anyone who has a mutual relationship with the target (new wife, children, and friends). In appearance, the Onryo wears either the clothing which she/he wore during burial (mainly white burial kimono for Japanese females); wild, unkempt long black hair, and either white or indigo colored faces. The only way to get rid of an Onryo is by either accepting one's fate or exorcisms.

The illustration above is a perfect example of a female Onryo. These types of ghosts can be also linked to natural disasters and are usually seeking for justified vengeance but, this isn't always the case.

The Yuki-onna: Cold as Ice

The Yuki-onna is an all-female species of yōkai that lives anywhere in Japan that happens to obtain snowfall or during a full moon. This apparition's appearance are mainly described as a tall, Japanese woman with long black hair and blue lips. She wears either a kimono in different cold colors (blue, white, etc..) or is completely nude. The Yuki-onna's skin is pale or transparent which can easily blend in with the wintry surroundings. Abilities of a Yuki-onna allows the spirit to freeze anything she desires, turn into mist, levitation, and doesn't leave footprints which can make the Yuki-onna hard to track in the snow. The only thing she desires, depending on the spirit's personality, is a true love that won't abandon her.

Though the Yuki-onna are known to be succubus-like, they're actually gentle creatures to their surroundings. They can also be either good or evil such as for example, one Yuki-onna may save a traveler from a snowstorm or another may freeze the corpse for food. The Yuki-onna are known to feast on life force but, some simply choose not to consume other living beings. Back to the true love, whenever a Yuki-onna reaches a certain age (1,000 years old), the spirit must search out for a mate which only lasts for three days. If she finds one, she can be freed of her icy appearance only if the her man promises not to say what she really is; a Yuki-onna. If one does so, the Yuki-onna leaves and never come back or may just kill you on the spot. These ghosts aren't the vengeance type but, can be obsessive over victims.

The illustration above is a what a Yuki-onna looks like in appearance.