Caustic Monitor

Caustic monitors are enormous lizards native to eastern Minata known and named for the corrosive enzyme in their mucus, saliva, and other bodily fluids. These corrosive fluids originally developed as a means of protection from large insects such as giant mosquitos. The thick layer of mucus that naturally coats the monitors' scaly skin makes it difficult for most other creatures to get too close, let alone prey upon the lizard.

Caustic monitors also use their corrosive biological features to their hunting advantage, particularly by expelling the acidic contents of their stomach at prey. Even when not making use of their acid, caustic monitors can be deadly predators: They grab onto smaller creatures using their powerful forelimb muscles and are remarkably agile, considering their size and weight.

Most caustic monitors live among rocky terrain such as pebble beaches, natural caves, and along sandy river shoals. A caustic monitor's mucus corrodes only flesh, so its den is safe from damage, but corroded plant life near a cave is a telltale sign that a caustic monitor lives nearby. Hardy adventurers and fortune seekers must weigh the potential benefits of hunting this beast -as its acid is highly prized among alchemists-against the obvious risks.