The move put stress on Kig-Yar females, which led to an increase in infant mortality, while Unggoy that were forced to share habitats with the Kig-Yar occasionally trampled their nests, inadvertently. The growing Unggoy population on High Charity forced Kig-Yar to relocate their homes to accommodate the Unggoy. The higher-ranking races of the Covenant have often ignored this rivalry. Induction into the Covenant īeing the lowest-ranked species of the Covenant, they are bitter rivals with the Kig-Yar, who are also low-ranked. They were subsequently returned to their homeworld Balaho, where they began re-building their culture. The Unggoy were one of many species indexed by the Librarian for preservation on Installation 00 from the firing of the Halo Array. However, the planet and the Unggoy civilization was devastated by the collapse of its biosphere due to massive global over-industrialization. Prior to the activation of the Halo Array, the Unggoy had managed to achieve a Tier 4 society on their homeworld, Balaho. Unggoy are believed to have evolved from smaller amphibious primates. They are commonly referred to as 'Grunts', mainly because they are considered weak compared to other former Covenant species and because they performed the majority of the labor required by the empire. Unggoy were primarily used by the Covenant as laborers or-in combat situations-cannon fodder. During their tenure in the hegemony, Unggoy were always the lowest-ranking species in general terms, and were frequently mistreated by members of almost every other race, especially the Kig-Yar, Jiralhanae, and Sangheili. In 2142, the Unggoy became the fourth species to be assimilated into the Covenant. Unggoy ( Latin, Monachus frigus, meaning 'cold monk'), also known as Grunts by many individuals, are a sapient species of squat bipedal xeno-arthropodal vertebroid lifeforms from the planet Balaho. ' When in doubt, flee.' - Unggoy philosophy Short, stocky, round-headed, endoskeletal and exoskeletal, vertebroid and arthropoidal, wrinkly skin, high-pitched voices, stubby limbs.

Halo 1 grunt