North Island Taniwha

Taniwha (Hiragana: タニファ) is from Maori word means for this dragon, than a shark translate in Old Maori language and shared with other Polynesian languages. In Japan as Wani dragon (Kanji: 鰐) means crocodile from Old Japanese.

Proto-Austro-Tai *(m)baŋiwak ("shark"; "crocodile", "monitor lizard"), posited by Paul K. Benedict and proposed by him to give rise to the Tai word, as well as Japanese 鰐わに (wani, “crocodilian; shark”), 魚うお (uo, “fish”).

The North Island Taniwha was described as having a grotesque form with tuatara or crocodilian scales on the back, whale fluke, Maori tattoo markings on the detail head, gill-like appendages that resemble shark's gills but didn't function as fish's breath, short horns jagged from eyelashes, fin ears, two fangs present, five short spikes on the shoulder, five pairs of prehensile spikes during enrage when rise up, a metallic blue skin tone (to a brownish color that turned camouflage for mistaken for a driftwood), shark teeth on the upper fangs, leopard seal's teeth on the lower fangs for filter feeder, and the eye color of taniwha was blue eyes like Europeans.

Changes in 2025

• The face color was changed to blue, and the four legs are now able to navigate in both land or water.

• The gill-like appendages switched their color palette from dull tan to silvery blue.

• The neck wrinkles found in baleen whales were increase for Taniwha, and adding some spines.

Taniwha is capable of breathing water when the ice, upon impact, is enraged; in the subtropical regions, breathing cold water causes frostbite. Can camouflage it to form a driftwood for disguise, and the spikes will shut off, and the spikes will be shut off and made mistaken for the whale. Taniwha can float themselves with their own aura to guide a wind; if the aura exhausts, they will now be swimming or walking normally instead of flying.

Skills

• Aesthetic Disguise: Taniwha capable of forming the spikes will be shut down until 4 seconds have elapsed, and then they will enhance their own damage.

• Recollect Drift: Taniwha dashes faster and passes through the obstacles without any reason.

• Cold Breath (Japanese: 冷たい息 "Tsumetai Iki"; Maori: マナワ マタオ "Manawa Matao"): Taniwha breathes frozen water beams.

• Taonga's Blessings (Japanese: 天然記念物の恵み "Ten'nenkinenbutsu no megumi"; Maori: 秘蔵キタガ オ テ 恵み "Manaakitanga o te taonga"): Taniwha is able to give protection to allies, thanks for their blessing.

Taniwha is capable of cooling the water level and even controlling the cool temperature for their home.

• Temperature Changing

• Tsunami

• Raining

Taniwha was an ambush predator and a top predator in Aotearoa and Japan, without any reason. Taniwha hunts pinnipeds, tunas, snakes, dolphins, sharks, gulls, krill, squids, bats, wetas, and even moas (this flightless bird is now extinct by overhunting for the iwi), but humans to patupaiarehe or namahage are the only main prey for the sacrifice. Taniwha was formerly the top predator on the shoreline of its prior ecosystem, but because of its current way of life, it is unable to easily catch some larger prey. Fish, lobsters, and even isopods are among the deep-sea prey that Taniwha now specializes in hunting.

Taniwha is semi-aquatic and lives both terrestrially and marinely, forging dolphins or skuas away from the sardines. If taniwha never harm Maoris and even Pakehas (Europeans, Asians, and Eurasians), only non-Pakeha and non-Maori residents will be messed up into the unstoppable and killed under the tapu.

Pania, or Tamatori-hime, was a princess who was abducted by Taniwha itself. Many rich women are also missing in action because of their natural beauty; even the children are actually Pakehas (Asians and Europeans only), and Japanese people also abducted due to the rules of tapu.

Taniwha was very aggressive towards non-New Zealanders and non-Japanese people; no one else can eat whole.

Personality

Mysterious, aggressive, vengeful, intelligent, black-hearted, prideful, resourceful, overprotective, ill-tempered, sneaky, scary, abusive, calculating, overprotective, blasphemous, persuasive, dangerous, powerful, manipulative, irreligious, genocidal, betrayal, ruthless, murderous, ferocious, violent, reckless, clever, hungry, thirsty, voracious, savage, cruel, destructive, greedy, carnivorous, fatherly, motherly, intimidating, arrogant, mogul, articulate, malevolent, comical, selfless, bold, fearless, brave, religious, edacious, perfectionist

The formidable, 200-year-old species, the Taniwha, has grown enormously over the years, either totally relocating to the land or the black sea, or vice versa, due to its vast size. The Taniwha are said to live in the deepest part of the water. The South Island to Hokkaido is the only real place to hunt one down if one gets the chance to travel in it.

• Movement Pattern: Nomadic

• Individual Type: Solo

• Population Trend: Unknown

• Population: Unknown

• Locomotion: Amphibious

• Habitat: Warm River; Cold River; Lukewarm River; Subterranean River; Warm Pond; Cold Pond; Warm Lake; Cold Lake; Salt Lake; Aquifer; Warm Littoral; Cold Littoral; Warm Intertidal; Cold Intertidal; Kelp Forest; Coral Reef; Barrier Reef; Guyot; Neritic Zone (Warm); Neritic Zone (Cold); Pelagic Zone (Warm); Pelagic Zone (Cold); Benthic Zone; Abyssal Zone; Hadal Zone; Hydrothermal Vent; Brine Pool; Cold Seep; Demersal Zone.

• Earth: 

  • Extant (Resident): Aotearoa; Nihon

• Berbania: 

  • Extant & Introduced (Resident): Hirohito Islands

• Reinachos: 

  • Extant & Introduced (Resident): Coast of Thiponlia

Taniwha likes sweet potatoes and eels. If you need palm leaf wrapping as a gift and feeds, only place near Taniwha's nesting site and now tamed.

coming soon

Past and Present Incidents Individuals

• Koraka (ancestor of Tadashi)

• Aramoana (ancestor of Aria)

The Recollections of Queen Arianna Individuals

• Aroha Tadashi (Berbanian male)

• Kauri Aria (Tadashi's girlfriend, Reinachan national)

coming soon

• Phase One: Monster Hunter Dos - Tower Theme - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CLkBrqEuStI 

• Phase Two: Monster Hunter 3 - Rare Species Theme - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iL3sI0q4xY8 

• Phase Three: Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth - See You Again Instrumental - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzi2LrHOQDM

Earth

• Maori: Taniwha (Maori Hiragana: タニファ)

• Japanese: タニファ (Tanifa) / 鰐 (Wani; means crocodile/alligator)

• Samoan and Tokelauan: tanifa (lit. "shark")

• Tongan and Niuean: Tenifa (lit: "shark")

Berbania

• Dairk: Teneévas

• Corachan: Tanivá

• Dinojerullese: Tanifá

Thatrollwa

• Delphian: Таниффас (Taniffas) 

• Delphian Creole: Та́нифва (Tánifva)

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taniwha

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/Taniwha-878114046

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/North-Island-Taniwha-2025-1183524168