User blog comment:Lord Loss/Monster Hunter Theory... Blog/@comment-5043481-20121008184014/@comment-125.165.93.249-20121029042544

In MH D&D chapter 23, the idea behind Nephitas (Mother of All Jhens, which also a subspecies) which I also submitted to Capcom states that the unusual coloration and crystalization is occuring because of their internal DEFENSE MECHANISM. Yes, you read that right. Along their growth, Jhens ingest a vast amount of sand, containing bits and pieces of metal elements inside. Just like almost all living things, they did need metals as precursors to enzymes for catalyst of their metabolims. The thing is, they ingested waaay too much metallic particles, that they are always in verge of poisoning. Thus, Jhens cope with this situation by using all of those excess metals and minerals to grow something that can be used to 'vent' those excess: their shell and ridges (note the mining point's coloration? And the weak point exposed when you break open those cracks?). In younger Jhens, the coloration beneath the dull, rock-like surface that's continually eroded by contact with sand particles are actually azure-bluish due to Machalite particles that are rich in Great Desert, but as they age and travel to more deeper strata in the desert they came across different kind of ores, namely Carbalite and Dragonite, that colors their shell differently as well as making it more resistant to abrasive forces: this all combined made their shell strikingly appear crystalline.