Dalamadur is an Elder Dragon introduced in Monster Hunter 4.
Dalamadur is a massive serpentine Elder Dragon similar in appearance to Najarala. It has a snake-like face, with bright red eyes, numerous fangs, and many hook-like spikes along its body which start out clustered around its head and neck, and becoming more spread out along its long body, with a small cluster near the tip of its tail, which is topped with a pair of red barbs that it can rattle in a manner similar to rattlesnakes. The back has 2 massive spikes with medium-size ones behind them. It has a pair of large clawed forearms like Najarala, but the only remnant of hind legs it has are small spurs, similar to pythons, boas, and anacondas. Its chest has glowing vents, which huff steam when it is enraged. Its face and tail will also glow red when in its raged state.
Dalamadur's barbed body and clawed hands allow it to tunnel through stone and cling to terrain with ease. Its immense size lends it nearly unmatched physicality, to the point where its burrowing can cause massive tremors and its attacks can collapse rock formations. Its tongue has a paralytic agent that can immobilize foes, and it can breathe an unknown substance that burns like fire. It also has the ability to summon meteor-like projectiles from the sky, although the basis of this ability is unknown.
Dalamadur lives high in the peaks of the Heavenly Mountains that surround Cathar Village. Its numerous hook-like spines may help it navigate the treacherous terrain, as they may provide a more secure grip than it could generate with its claws and body alone. Local rumors suggest that the falling debris that is common in the Heavenly Mountains is the result of Dalamadur's burrowing. While there have been no live sightings outside of the Heavenly Mountains, skeletons have been found both in the New World and the Forbidden Lands suggesting that they do travel outside of the region at times.
Like many other Elder Dragons, Dalamadur is highly territorial and will violently attack anything in its domain,
Shah Dalamadur is an Elder Dragon and a Subspecies of Dalamadur introduced in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate.
Compared to regular Dalamadur's more monochrome coloring, this Subspecies possesses a paler body and differently colored spikes, having changed from a blueish-grey to red and gold. Though many say the spikes on its head appear bigger than usual, it is hard to confirm this due to the sheer size of the monster. Apart from those previously mentioned changes, as with most subspecies, Shah Dalamadur appear otherwise identical to their original counterparts.
Shah Dalamadur is a Dalamadur that has very recently undergone a shedding process. As a result, it shares most of its abilities - such as its immense size and physicality, a paralytic tongue, burning breath attacks, and the ability to summon meteors - with the regular Dalamadur. However, these Dalamadur have no ability to thermoregulate or control their metabolism, leading to wildly fluctuating body temperatures, which take shape in the form of fight-affecting phases. While cold, its body hardens and becomes highly resistant to attacks of any kind. When hot, the Dalamadur's body softens up again, while also emitting a constant damaging heat aura.
Most likely due to their newly molted state, Shah Dalamadur are more aggressive and fierce, with faster, stronger, and even completely new attacks. As many reptiles feel vulnerable and uneasy after shedding, we can assume that to be the reason for the Shah Dalamadur's new-found aggression. With confirmed sightings being very scarce, however, the specific circumstances of it's molting are unknown, so very little is know about these elder dragons.
Contrary to the definition of a subspecies and as stated above, the Shah Dalamadur is actually a regular Dalamadur that had recently molted. It is one of the few subspecies to not live in a different environment or to have a confirmed mutation of any kind. Due to this, they fit the definition of a variant better than that of a subspecies.