{"id":16612,"date":"2022-05-06T11:00:51","date_gmt":"2022-05-06T09:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/?p=61258"},"modified":"2022-05-06T11:20:13","modified_gmt":"2022-05-06T09:20:13","slug":"10-pokemon-characters-inspired-by-real-wild-animals","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/10-pokemon-characters-inspired-by-real-wild-animals\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Pok\u00e9mon characters inspired by real wild animals"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Leoma Williams\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 06 May 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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The Pok\u00e9mon universe is made up of over 900 different weird and wonderful creatures. These are often based on plants, animals, and even mythological creatures from our own world.<\/p>\n

The connection between the game and the natural world started early. Pok\u00e9mon was the brainchild of Satoshi Tajiri, who was an avid insect collector as a child \u2013 this is cited as inspiration for the \u201cgotta catch \u2019em all\u201d concept of the game. He was keen to ensure that children could experience the same joy in taxonomy, even in a virtual environment.<\/p>\n

Themes of ecological vulnerability, extinction, and climate change have also been woven into the game, as well as an emphasis on the wonder of the natural world. Here are some of our favourite Pok\u00e9mon-real animal pairings, as well as fascinating facts about the animals themselves.<\/p>\n

10 Pok\u00e9mon characters inspired by real\u00a0wild animals<\/h2>\n

1. Dragalge\/leafy seadragon (Phycodurus eques<\/em>)<\/h3>\n
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Dragalge Pok\u00e9mon<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

This aquatic character is based on a leafy seadragon (Phycodurus eques<\/em>), a species of marine fish that is found off the coast of Australia. Although the resemblance is close, unlike the Pok\u00e9mon, which sprays an impressively corrosive poison, sea dragons are entirely harmless and sedate. They instead avoid predation through their elaborate camouflage<\/a> which allows them to blend in with floating seaweed.<\/p>\n

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Leafy seadragon (<\/em>Phycodurus eques), Australia. \u00a9\u00a0Alastair Pollock Photography\/Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

2. Drowzee\/Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus<\/em>)<\/h3>\n
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Drowzee Pok\u00e9mon<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

With its short flexible trunk and barrel-shaped body, this\u00a0Pok\u00e9mon closely resembles a tapir. Tapirs<\/a> are not just one species, but a whole family, currently made up of four different species from different geographical locations.<\/p>\n

Drowzee is perhaps most similar to the Malayan kind (Tapirus indicus<\/em>) as it also has a body made of two contrasting colours, although not quite as vibrant! These large mammals stand at about 1m high and are herbivorous, using their prehensile trunks to rip fruit and vegetation off branches.<\/p>\n

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Malayan tapir (<\/em>Tapirus indicus). \u00a9 Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

3. Krookodile\/gharial (Gavialis gangeticus<\/em>)<\/h3>\n
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Krookodile Pok\u00e9mon<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n\n
Although Krookodile is based (unsurprisingly) on crocodilians in general, with its long and narrow snout that widens at the tip, it perhaps looks most like a gharial (Gavialis gangeticus<\/em>).<\/div>\n\n
Gharials<\/a>, also known as fish-eating crocodiles, can be found in freshwater river systems in India and Nepal. Although odd-looking, their long snout is perfect for catching fish. Instead of stalking their prey like other crocodilians, gharials use these specialised snouts to detect vibrations in the water around them and grab fish as they go by.<\/div>\n\n
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Gharial (<\/em>Gavialis gangeticus), Chambal River, India. \u00a9 RichLindie\/Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>

4. Dewgong\/dugong (Dugong dugon<\/em>)<\/h3>\n
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Dewgong Pok\u00e9mon<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n\n
Although it also has attributes similar to a narwhal and a beluga whale, as the name suggests this creature is based on the dugong. Dugongs, also known as sea cows, are plump and sedate marine mammals that can be found munching on seagrass<\/a> in the warm coastal waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans.<\/div>\n\n
Despite the name, they bear no close relationship to cows, and are close cousins of manatees. The animal and the Pok\u00e9mon character are really not very much alike, however, as Dewgong instead prefers lower temperatures, living on icebergs in frigid oceans.<\/div>\n\n
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Dugong (<\/em>Dugong dugon), Marsa Alam, Egypt. \u00a9\u00a0Sven Gruse\/EyeEm\/Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

5. Mankey\/Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus<\/em>)<\/h3>\n
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Mankey Pok\u00e9mon<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n\n
Although perhaps not that similar in appearance, with its odd round body and pig snout, this character does nonetheless seem to be based on a monkey, and some have suggested a Barbary macaque<\/a>. It is an agile climber, and a social animal, living in large colonies in treetops. If its tail is anything to go by, however, it is more similar to a New World monkey\u00a0than a macaque.<\/div>\n\n
Like Mankey, New World monkeys have prehensile tails, differentiating them from their African and Asian relatives. They use these tails like an extra hand, grasping branches and vines, and even supporting their full body weight. Mankey also has only three fingers on each hand, however, unlike any primate, who almost all have five\u2026 He is hard to classify!<\/div>\n\n
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Barbary macaques. \u00a9 Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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