Bewilderbeast

"Every nest has its queen, but this is the king of all dragons!"

- Valka to Hiccup

The Bewilderbeast is a gigantic, Tidal Class dragon species that appears in How to Train Your Dragon 2.

Appearances
In How To Train Your Dragon 2, there are two specimens confirmed; Drago's "Muddy" Bewilderbeast serves as Drago Bludvist's secret weapon in his army. The second Bewilderbeast, also known as the Valka's "Snowy" Bewilderbeast, is an ally of Valka in the film and serves as king of the Dragon's Den. The two dragons were seen battling each other outside Valka's home. The Snowy Bewilderbeast is likely killed by the Muddy Bewilderbeast, who stabs him in the underside using his large tusks.

Characteristics
The Bewilderbeasts are the biggest of all dragon kinds known in Berk, even exceeding the Red Death in size. Today, only a few of these titans remain out there. They have never been abundant in numbers, but it is unclear whether their populations are small by nature or if they are endangered. In stats, they are stronger in attacks and heavier in build, but less agile than their fire-breathing counterparts. They are flightless and have a low shot limit as well.

Dragon Appearance
The Bewilderbeast is a very large, spiky dragon with two big mammoth-like tusks and huge multiple wings. The front side of its body is covered with burr-like spikes, along with two lines of spikes along the eyelids, giving an impression of eyebrows. 'King's frills' can be seen on the occipital region. Their size is considerably larger than that of the Red Death. Protrusions from the back of their head form a frill. Unlike Red Deaths, Bewilderbeasts are unable to fly as not having big enough wings for flight, mostly due to their colossal body sizes, and it is likely they use their wings to assist them in swimming, similar to a penguin. This makes one of the few weaknesses that makes this species vulnerable. Proportions of upper and lower jaws are unlike those of usual reptiles, having a fish-like mouth with small teeth. Their lips are similar to those of mammals like humans to enable them 'blow' actions. Interestingly, no nostrils are visible on their faces. Its hard, "coral-like amphibian skin" covers the whole body and the scales provide surprisingly robust defenses to the dragon. In total, this species has many unique characteristics, making it a very mammal-like dragon. Its many colours include ice white, muddy gray, and dark purple.

Class 10 Leviathan
Being a leviathan (the tidal class equivalent of a titan wing). Fishlegs mentioned that the Bewilderbeast is a class 10, which means it is the biggest and highest ranked tidal class dragon. It is unknown if a class one leviathan differs to a class 10.

Behaviors
The Bewilderbeast is truly the king of dragons. They are currently the most powerful dragon, and also the largest of all dragons known so far. It is normal for them to have their own 'nest' and be protectors or guardians of smaller dragons nearby, and they are seemingly generous to fellows in the nest. Generous individuals even chase around fish and gather like baleen whales to feed dragons under their care. Societies well ruled by each Bewilderbeast have highly advanced organization constructions that work for the goodness of every member of the community.

On the other hand, however, they can force or enslave the other dragons even against their will to do the Bewilderbeast's bidding. This feature is quite identical to what the Red Death had demonstrated, but with a much stronger influence, and the fates of the minions really depend on each Bewilderbeast's morality and situation. They are leaders of dragons, and are essentially living 'nature' themselves to preordain entire ecosystems; being gentle, 'father nature' or malevolent, 'natural disaster or storm'.

Bewilderbeasts are not born alphas they earn that position through fighting and gaining their subjects when they finally reach the alpha status and become a class 10 leviathan they are rarely challenged and are true kings of their nest.

Nest Creating
Bewilderbeasts utilize their blizzard abilities to create icy shells over their nests. In the process, Bewilderbeasts choose ideal environments to involve natural hot springs (possibly near volcanoes), and they enjoy pleasant hot waters themselves, despite being Arctic sea dragons. The trend of habitat selection adjacent to volcanoes is similar to that of the Red Death. The Bewilderbeasts are also rather fond of designing their own kingdoms in terms of ice arts. Additionally, the palaces of kings may also function as obvious marks to show their territories and to show kings' mightiness to avoid needless conflicts with threat effects (may also be useful to find other members of their kind), or as signs of safe shelters or homes to back for those who need or desire security. It was revealed in Dragons: Rise of Berk that the dragons living in the ice nests are called Primals.

Ice Spikes
See Fire Types.

The Bewilderbeasts are Arctic dragons and their bodies have a high tolerance to harsh natural environments or frozen and windy oceans.

A Bewilderbeast's most notable and feared abilitiy is to burst streams of ice-turning water on contact like liquid nitrogen. This ice-blast is extremely powerful, and can create immense 'glacial explosions' on contact that can destroy and penetrate any artificial structures with ease. Bewilderbeasts can either contain freezing air in their bodies or can create cold mists themselves, and adapt this ability to shoot destructive projectiles. This ability to shoot ice is similar to the Groncicle or the Doomfang, a large sea dragon that shoots "blue fire" to freeze its victims. However, unlike the Doomfang, the Bewilderbeast shoots large ammounts of freezing water that eventually turn into ice on impact. Seemingly, they can create glaciers and ice masses that are far larger than their own bodies. The fact that Bewilderbeasts prefer the hot springs near the volcanoes indicates that they do not take cold water into their bodies to utilize ice blasts. The Bewilderbeast's breath appears to be freezing cold, which may be how they eject the sea water and are then able to reduce its temperature to below freezing right as it crashes into its target due to the water undergoing rapid decompression, thus loosing vast quantities of heat.

Large Tusks
The Bewilderbeast can use its tusks and head to battle. In the trailer, both Bewilderbeasts battled with their tusks and headbutt, which is similar to how moose, deer and other animals with horns or antlers. Also due to the Bewilderbeasts large size they can throw themselves on to enemies and their weight is heavy enough to crush one of Drago Bludvist's war machines easily. Despite being quadrupeds, they can also stand quite well like some cats and dogs, or bears.

Underwater Adaptations
Being aquatic, these dragons can submerge and stay underwater for considerable amount of time despite being a species of pulmonary respiration. Also, despite their enormous sizes and rather terrestrial form, they are true to their class; capable of swimming in surprisingly fast speed which is faster than the most fine ships. Swimming speed of fully matured Bewilderbeasts are beyond belief; they are capable of ignoring drastic hydraulic drags and water pressures due to their titanic body masses, being agile enough to chase oceanic fish to feed other dragons, and are fast enough to demonstrate surprise attacks despite being so large. Also, the swimming itself produces devastating side effects at top speeds. It is likely they use their wings to aid in swimming.

Dragon Controlling
"He who controls the Alpha, controls them all."

- Drago Bludvist

Ice Blast is probably one of the most unique of all behaviors demonstrated by the Bewilderbeasts, right next to their amazing ability to take control of even the strongest of wills and minds of lesser dragons using ultrasonic sounds. According to Dragons: Rise of Berk, they use their eyes and emit ultrasonic sounds to control minds. However it seems very unlikely that the eyes are the emitters. As shown in the second movie, the Bewilderbeast's bony spines on its head were rapidly vibrating, making it seem more likely, plausible, and believable that they are what broadcast the ultrasound. It was once unclear whether this ability is a separated ability or is merely one of its behaviors, but it was later revealed that besides possessing hypnosis like abilities (based in sound waves), each Bewilderbeast devotes sufficient efforts to gain trusts and respects from nest mates, and successes must be accompanied by moralities and the kings' own wills to bring happiness and fortunes to other dragons. Once controlling is actuated, all other smaller dragons in the vicinity are under the alpha's command, unable to resist without countermeasures. The one weakness of harmonic control is being that it only applies to mature dragons, babies, especially Scuttleclaws, who "listen to no one" are shown to be immune.

Natural history of this species about how they gained this ability is currently unknown.

Known Individuals

 * Valka's Bewilderbeast
 * Drago's Bewilderbeast

Trivia

 * In an interview, Dean DeBlois said that the Red Death was the "queen" of Dragons, with the Bewilderbeast as the "king."
 * There are two known Bewilderbeasts, one that belongs to Drago Bludvist that is dark and menacing, and one that belongs to Valka which is snow-white and calm.
 * After the Scauldron, this is the second dragon species to spray water as its ranged attack. But it also differs from the Scauldrons' water-breath due to that the Scauldrons spray boiling water, while the Bewilderbeasts spray freezing water.
 * Their combat style is somewhat similar to that of horned mammals, such as muskoxes or other animals such as elephants, or walruses.
 * The Bewilderbeast's naturally kind nature (the gentle giants of the sea) is quite similar to those of baleen whales and other marine megafaunas such as whale sharks, basking sharks, manta rays, and so on. However Drago abused his and turned that Bewilderbeast into a enslaved war machine.
 * In original concepts, the Bewilderbeast had a more aquatic form.
 * So far, The Bewilderbeast has the highest attack power, joint highest defense with the Fireworm Queen, highest firepower and the highest jaw strength in the series.
 * The Bewilderbeast is said to be inspired by a mammoth, a polar bear, an otter, and a lion mixed together.
 * According to DeBlois on a USA today article, Bewilderbeasts ingest massive amount of seawater and store it in the ridges called goiters along their necks. When the water is released, their icy breath freezes it mid motion, turning it to ice upon impact.
 * The Bewilderbeast is the second species of dragon credited with the ability of hypnosis, with the first being the Changewing.
 * The Bewilderbeast is the only ice breathing dragon that appeared in any How to Train Your Dragon movie so far.