#pokemon morphology

[professor-amaryllis]

Pokemon Subspecies: Velvet Beedrill

Velvet Beedrill are a Unovan native species of solitary Beedrill, Meaning unlike the common Kantonian variety they do not make hives, instead living individually in a small underground nest that they hollow themselves. Females will generally raise from 1-3 weedle each year, which will be closely guarded within the nest until they are large enough to fend for themselves, after which they are evicted from the nest.

More info and shiny under the cut :)

Although omnivorous in their weedle stage, adult Velvet Beedrill eat only nectar and fruit, and will only hunt to stock their nest directly before laying eggs. Because f this and the fact that they do nt keep large nesting structures and colonies to protect, Velvet Beedrill are generally much more docile when compared to the Kantonian variety, and are generally considered harmless to humans when unprovoked.

While Kantonian Beedrill can be found in Unova due to human intervention and do compete fro many of the same resources, the less common Velvet Beedrill is considered much more desirable to trainers both for its agile movement and its much more powerful venom which, while not deadly, is extremely painful.

Unfortunately it can be difficult to tell the weedle stage of these pokemon apart, with the only difference being a slightly hooked tail stinger, and the Kakuna stages are entirely indistinguishable until they evolve. Many trainers each year require medical care after attempting to catch a weedle directly from one of these ground burrows and running afoul of the angry mother.

[celebisanctuary]

I’ve seen some people say that snubbull aren’t cute pokemon so i figured I’d show this old man. He’s been at the sanctuary for about 10 years now, after his f owner could no longer take care of him. He enjoys playing with baby pokemon and napping. Interestingly enough his pattern is atypical for the snubbull species. However I think it fits him.

- Victor

((inspired by this post by @nerdpokemonheadcanons )

[starlit-cervidae]

I found a couple pictures of one of the marill at our sanctuary. We got him as an azurill and he’s always had an odd pattern. Most notably it resembles that of an Azumarill, however is missing a couple of spots. Also a white sock + tail tip. Figured I’d throw them together to show his growth.

- Victor

((inspired by This post by @nerdpokemonheadcanons ))

[professor-amaryllis]

OK SO i have safely contained our two anomalies. Aside from their slightly off colors, they have some physical features that i believe are from the father-side of their heritage.

The leftmost inkay has a thorn-like spike in the top if it's crest that isn't soft like the rest of him, and his crown coloration leans toward the red/orange part of the color spectrum. His de saturated lower body and arms seem almost greenish, especially compared to the other inkay. He has flared tentacles, with a frill like end, unlike the straight edges of his siblings. He also shows a very aggressive temperament, and i now have several tiny holes in my hands and arms.

The rightmost inkay is very saturated compared to her siblings, with a bright pink and blue body, and her lights are so neon shes hard to look at when she flashes them. Her crest consists of three bubble like half spheres all squished together rather than an arrow like crest. She has long eyelash-like growths above her eyes that seem to act as eye protection, and a serrated beak that is quite sharp. Her tentacles end in two round "fingers" with a touch of purple on the ends.

I'm pretty sure i know the parents now, but I'll wait til the tests get back in a few hours to be sure. I may keep these two back for observation at the lab.

[professor-amaryllis]

If you don’t mind me asking, why does your Meganium look so different?

Beetroot is a variegated pokemon! meaning some parts of her body do not produce chlorophyll! Variegation happens through natural mutation or viral infection and results in a reduction of chlorophyll in some of the plant's cells which causes the appearance of yellow, white, or rarely pink areas amongst green. Normal plants can show these same mutations as well! She showed no sign of it s a chicorita, but when she evolved into a bayleaf it scared the hell out of me! I thought she was sick and rushed her to a pokecenter. Nope, she was healthier than ever, just spotted!

Variegated pokemon need extra care and attention to their diet, as the lighter areas can no longer produce energy from the sun! Beetroot gets a vitamin d supplement every day, among other things. Also, Sickness, too cold or too hot weather, and prolonged stress can actually cause a variegated pokemon to permanently revert to their normal colors!! So a pretty spotted pokemon is a sign of good care!

My two new mystery pokemon here are good examples of different forms of variegation. Pinkie's leaves are have beautiful rose sections in her leaves where the chlorophyll is gone, with hard edges, while Finnegan has stripes of half-chlorophyll throughout and stripes of no-chlorophyll in the edges!

I believe this boy belongs to @veevee-power, i hope you don't mind me using your image! This guy is a good example of a mottled variegation, with spots of half and no chlorophyll scattered seemingly at random. He also exhibits patches of lightened color in his body, commonly seen with variegations as well, but considered a "flaw" in poke-plant shows.

[professor-amaryllis]

Do we know what makes these different groups of venomoth have either poisonous or paralytic scales? Is it regional diet?

It is not, although that is a very good theory!! You see, if you take a Venonat from Sinnohan ancestry and raise it in Kanto its entire life, it will still develop that same paralytic agent in its scales, and the same goes the other way around.

By studying the genetic heritage of preserved Venomoth from different regions as well as comparing the many different populations we do have an incredibly strong theory. It seems that in the past All Venomoth were of the paralytic variety! It seems that somewhere between 7 and 10 thousand years back a small population in Kanto diverged and developed their unique poison! This must have been quite advantageous as that subspecies took over the niche entirely from their predecessors, spreading to cover both Kanto and the conjoined Johto region!

Aren't they just such fascinating little creatures? Jester herself is of the Johtoian variety :)

[professor-amaryllis]

(Sending again on anon, sorry, I dislike being perceived) What are your thoughts on Toxel and Toxtricity? They're my favorite poison types, I just think they're such goofy fellas...

Oh i think they're quite delightful! I've only had the chance to work with them a couple times, I had an acquaintance that raised one and I got to hold her as just the smallest little newborn toxel.

One of the things that's always stuck with me about them is the way their poison feels. I mean, touch many electric types and you may feel that tingling of static, but it clears quite quickly. But toxel's poison is such an exact match to the feeling of static that your hands feel like you're touching a Tesla coil for hours!!! It's fascinating!

Don't do that though, please use gloves when you handle poison types, especially those such as toxel and croagunk that secrete toxin through your skin. don't be like me.

Toxtricity is so very interesting as well, as they're the only pokemon currently on record that evolves into it's two different forms based on their nature alone, which I have always found quite intriguing, especially as the Amped form has an entire two extra sound organs! From what I remember the sound of my acquaintance's Toxtricity was quite lovely, she was a low key form and the deep reverberations could be oddly soothing for how loud they could be.

[professor-amaryllis]

Are Weedle actually edible? Is that even a thing? Edible to people, I mean. People Edible.

Yes and no. If you just go out and eat a Weedle with no preparation you are going to end up poisoning yourself. You have to remove the venom glands below the horn and tail barb WITHOUT rupturing them for them to be safe for consumption. For this reason it is not recommended to eat them unless you are 100% certain that you both know how to and have the skill to do these things.

Weedle are interesting as their venom works as a poison as well, and ingesting it can range anywhere from quite painful to dangerous, and anyone experiencing any stomach pain after eating one should seek medical attention.