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Description
First discovered in Germany by the 16th century theologian, physician and alchemist Johann Konrad Dippel, the Behemoth is one of the few known mammalian gigafaunal organisms from Eurasia. This mysterious giant remained an obscure detail in occult lore until Dippel's lost manuscript resurfaced in 19▇▇ in Imperial Japan, to be confiscated by IGOR after WWII together with what remained of Dippel's research. The exact location of the Behemoth itself wasn't rediscovered until 1958, when an earthquake revealed the collapsed entry tunnel to the underground cavern where the animal was hibernating. Based on radiocarbon dating of shed fur collected during initial exploration it had remained buried underground at least since the Middle Atlantic period, approximately 7000 BP.

DNA analysis indicates that the Behemoth is of proboscidean origin, most closely allied with elephantids which also include modern elephants and the extinct mammoths, but parted way with them in the Middle Miocene, around 15 mya. As is typical for gigafaunal organisms, the Behemoth has a bodyplan greatly modified from its genetic ancestors, sporting extremely long, powerful and mobile front limbs that resemble those of gorillas, ground sloths and chalicotheres. They appear to be used first and foremost by the creature to burrow through soil, though it is also able to use them to manipulate objects and presumably defend itself thanks to the long curved claws. While it has only been observed feeding thrice, it appears to be a pure herbivore subsisting on both coniferous and deciduous trees, ingested wholly including the trunk. Additionally it shows an increased ability to absorb radiation from its environment to fuel its cellular processes, which allows it to function for extended periods of time without other sources of sustenance.

The Behemoth remained in place for most of the 20th century until ▇▇ May 1986 when following a weak earthquake the IGOR team monitoring the animal noted it had disappeared leaving is underground den empty, yet mostly intact. The next reliable sighting was in ▇ June in Ukraine near the recently established Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. IGOR managed to open communications with the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union as well as local authorities to discuss options for subduing the animal and concealing it's presence from the world at large. Fortunately the Behemoth quickly created a new burrow and entered a state of hibernation inside the heavily contaminated Red Forest next to the abandoned power plant. It has since awoken periodically to roam around the Exclusion Zone only to return to its resting place within a week. Areas visited by the Behemoth have been noted to show decreased levels of ionizing radiation, higher productivity and biodiversity, and plants and animals in these regions show higher tolerance to radiological damage. It appears that the presence of this giant is somehow helping flora and fauna adapt to the harmful effects of Chernobyl's nuclear fallout, even though no genetic changes associated with gigafaunal organisms have been found in said wildlife.

It is currently unknown if the Behemoth is the last of its species, as is the case with some gigafaunal organisms, or if others still remain elsewhere similarly hibernating underground. A few apocryphal stories from the early 20th century describing an immense intact mammoth dug up by fossil hunters that disappeared mysteriously overnight before having been fully unearthed suggest that other smaller individuals may exist elsewhere in Eurasia, primarily in regions of Permafrost. Whether or not these individuals share the Behemoth's ability to increase fertility and adaptability of organisms remains an unresolved question.

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I saw lots of room for improvement in my 2020 sketchy redesign of the Behemoth Titan of MonsterVerse fame, and decided to refine it for use in the Gigaia continuity. I decided to strengthen its ties to occult demonology while retaining features ascribed to the movie version.

For more Gigaia content, see: Gigaia: Titanosaurus, the spinosaurid kaiju

Description
First discovered in Germany by the 16th century theologian, physician and alchemist Johann Konrad Dippel, the Behemoth is one of the few known mammalian gigafaunal organisms from Eurasia. This mysterious giant remained an obscure detail in occult lore until Dippel's lost manuscript resurfaced in 19▇▇ in Imperial Japan, to be confiscated by IGOR after WWII together with what remained of Dippel's research. The exact location of the Behemoth itself wasn't rediscovered until 1958, when an earthquake revealed the collapsed entry tunnel to the underground cavern where the animal was hibernating. Based on radiocarbon dating of shed fur collected during initial exploration it had remained buried underground at least since the Middle Atlantic period, approximately 7000 BP.

DNA analysis indicates that the Behemoth is of proboscidean origin, most closely allied with elephantids which also include modern elephants and the extinct mammoths, but parted way with them in the Middle Miocene, around 15 mya. As is typical for gigafaunal organisms, the Behemoth has a bodyplan greatly modified from its genetic ancestors, sporting extremely long, powerful and mobile front limbs that resemble those of gorillas, ground sloths and chalicotheres. They appear to be used first and foremost by the creature to burrow through soil, though it is also able to use them to manipulate objects and presumably defend itself thanks to the long curved claws. While it has only been observed feeding thrice, it appears to be a pure herbivore subsisting on both coniferous and deciduous trees, ingested wholly including the trunk. Additionally it shows an increased ability to absorb radiation from its environment to fuel its cellular processes, which allows it to function for extended periods of time without other sources of sustenance.

The Behemoth remained in place for most of the 20th century until ▇▇ May 1986 when following a weak earthquake the IGOR team monitoring the animal noted it had disappeared leaving is underground den empty, yet mostly intact. The next reliable sighting was in ▇ June in Ukraine near the recently established Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. IGOR managed to open communications with the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union as well as local authorities to discuss options for subduing the animal and concealing it's presence from the world at large. Fortunately the Behemoth quickly created a new burrow and entered a state of hibernation inside the heavily contaminated Red Forest next to the abandoned power plant. It has since awoken periodically to roam around the Exclusion Zone only to return to its resting place within a week. Areas visited by the Behemoth have been noted to show decreased levels of ionizing radiation, higher productivity and biodiversity, and plants and animals in these regions show higher tolerance to radiological damage. It appears that the presence of this giant is somehow helping flora and fauna adapt to the harmful effects of Chernobyl's nuclear fallout, even though no genetic changes associated with gigafaunal organisms have been found in said wildlife.

It is currently unknown if the Behemoth is the last of its species, as is the case with some gigafaunal organisms, or if others still remain elsewhere similarly hibernating underground. A few apocryphal stories from the early 20th century describing an immense intact mammoth dug up by fossil hunters that disappeared mysteriously overnight before having been fully unearthed suggest that other smaller individuals may exist elsewhere in Eurasia, primarily in regions of Permafrost. Whether or not these individuals share the Behemoth's ability to increase fertility and adaptability of organisms remains an unresolved question.

-

I saw lots of room for improvement in my 2020 sketchy redesign of the Behemoth Titan of MonsterVerse fame, and decided to refine it for use in the Gigaia continuity. I decided to strengthen its ties to occult demonology while retaining features ascribed to the movie version.

For more Gigaia content, see: Gigaia: Titanosaurus, the spinosaurid kaiju