I’m now over halfway done with my series explaining the origins of all non-fish aquatic Pokémon. Today will be covering my first generation of games: gen V. To see previous parts of this series see gen I part 1, gen I part 2, gen II, gen III, and gen IV. To see my previous series where I covered all the fish Pokémon see here. You can find the fish of gen V in that series, I had a surprising amount to say about Basculin. As before, starters and mythicals/legendaries will be in their own series.
I’ll start off by saying that Panpour or Simipour aren’t aquatic. For this series I define “aquatic” as meaning the Pokémon has been depicted as living in water in its Pokedex entries or location in the main series games. Neither are true for the monkeys, they’re forest dwellers that use water in their attacks. The actual first aquatic line in the dex (besides Oshawott) is the Tympole line. This line is based on developing frogs, with Tympole being a tadpole, Palpitoad being a tadpole undergoing metamorphosis into an adult, and Seismitoad being an adult.
(image: multiple stages of frog development. source)
Frogs are born as fully aquatic larvae that undergo metamorphosis into adults, with the tail being reabsorbed and limbs growing as the body takes its adult shape. Palpitoad is an intermediate stage, still having the tail of a tadpole and having begun to grow hind legs while the forelegs have not yet begun to grow. Seismitoad has lost its juvenile traits and is now an adult toad. Thanks to an interview with Ken Sugimori, we known specifically that Seismitoad is based on the Japanese common toad. The lumps on the line that produce sound and hold poison are based on the lumpy parotoid glands of toads which can release a number of milky secretions collectively called bufotoxins.
(image: the parotoid gland of a toad highlighted. source)
The lumps on the Tympole line are additionally based on the electrodynamic speaker drivers used in loudspeakers, which convert electrical signals to sound waves by means of vibration. There are always two lumps on the head in this line, possibly a reference to the tympanum, the ear-like organ just behind a frog’s eye that transmits sound to the inner ear.
The Tirtouga line is probably the least interesting of the fossil lines. I think the fossils should look distinct from modern pokemon species but Tirtouga and Carracosta could be modern sea turtles and noting would have to change about their design. Anyway, this line is based on extinct sea turtles, fossils of which can be found at least as far back as the cretaceous period and a proto-sea turtle may have been found that’s 220 million years old. There are a lot of unanswered questions about the evolution of sea turtles. It appears that turtles have evolved to be aquatic multiple independent times and it’s not clear which lineage is the ancestor of modern sea turtles. There have also been several examples of non-turtle reptiles evolving a sea-turtle like body plan. Tirtouga and Carracosta are based on Archelon iscyros, the largest turtle ever discovered, with the largest specimen measuring 4.6 m (15 ft) from head to tail.
(image: fossil reconstruction of an Archelon with a human for scale)
Ducklett and Swanna are based on the story of the ugly duckling. As such, Ducklett is based on both a duckling and a cygnet (juvenile swan) and is nothing special to look at. It looks a lot more like duckling than a swan to me.
(image: wild ducklings)
(image: a cygnet)
The Pokedex says that Ducklett’s favorite food is peat moss. I tried to look up if ducks can eat peat moss but all I could find were people discussing using it as bedding for pet ducks. Ducks are omnivores and aquatic algae is an important part of their diet. The fluffy feathers in Ducklett’s bottom looks like a swim ring and is based on a duck mid-molt. Swanna is based on the mute swan, which has been introduced to North America (where Unova is) which is home to the largest populations outside of the species’ native range.
(image: a mute swan)
Swans and ducks are closely related so a duck turning into a swan is not nearly as bizarre as a clam turning into eels (still not over that). Swanna’s plumage makes it look like a ballet outfit and they dance at dusk, a reference to the ballet Swan Lake. The Pokedex mentions that Swanna has powerful wings, which is true to real life as swan wing muscles are strong enough to break human bones.
We finish this entry off with the surprisingly disturbing Frillish line. These regal jellyfish have some very unsettling behavior including sinking ships to feed on the crew and building lards of sunken ships. Also, female Jellicent’s design is extremely creepy to me. It legit gives me uncanny valley vibes. I think it’s the lips, take those away and I wouldn’t get so uncomfortable looking at it. Anyway, they’re jellyfish. Based on their size, hadopelagic habitat, and wide, fabric-like tentacles, they are likely based on Stygiomedusa gigantea, a gigantic (up to 10 meters long with a 1 meter diameter bell) deep sea jellyfish with very distinctive tentacles.
(image a giant phantom jellyfish, one of only a few ever filmed)
Its dark red coloration is similar to the female Frillish line’s pink. They are also inspired by two yokai: the nurarihyon and kurage no hinotama. The former is depicted as either a monstrous jellyfish that looks like a human head or a jellyfish-like slimy old man in regal clothing. The latter is a type of will-o-wisp that looks like a glowing jellyfish and appears over the sea to lead sailors astray. The line also looks like princes and princesses or kings and queens, combining the regal attire of the nurarihyon with Victorian-era fashion. Their behavior of attacking ships and feeding on sailors draws from various sea monster legends from around the world.
That ends gen V. Tune in next time for gen VI as we enter the finishing stretch for this series.
