Vulpes bicaudata
Charmander Fanboy
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- Seen Mar 31, 2011
Lest anyone think that real-life animals are boring compared to Pokémon, I decided to make a thread discussing real animals with Pokémon-like powers.
By the ways, let's not bother with powers that a multitude of animals have; I don't want people saying "oh, cats can scratch and bite."
Here are a few I came up with:
Electric fish: Various fishes (such as electric eels, electric catfish, and electric rays) can create electric shocks powerful enough to stun prey, and maybe even kill humans. The Pokémon resemblance here is obvious.
Archerfish: They shoot a stream of water out of their mouths to down insect prey above the water. Many water-type Pokémon shoot water.
Mimic octopus: This octopus can change its color, texture, body shape, and movements to imitate other species, such as sea snakes, sting rays, and jellyfish. This resemblance to Ditto is obvious.
Trapjaw ants: These ants can bite the ground so hard that they are launched into the air. No real parallel with a current Pokémon, but still pretty cool.
Bombardier beetles: These beetles can shoot hot, burning chemicals at predators.
Pistol shrimp: They can shoot bubbles capable of knocking out fish.
Carpenter ants: Certain species of carpenter ants, when defending the colony, will explode, launching a glue-like substance at their attackers. Obvious Selfdestruct similarity.
Click beetles: Click beetles can launch themselves into the air using a click mechanism.
Nudibranch: These sea slugs can incorporate the cells of their prey into their body. Some can utilize the stinging nemocysts of hydroids, and one clade, Sacoglossa, can use the chloroplasts it obtains from the algae it eats.
Speaking of hydroids, Turritopsis nutricula can revert to an immature polyp stage after reaching adulthood, meaning that barring disease, predation, and accidents, they are effectively immortal: they won't die from aging.
I have a few more I might break out later, but for now, are there any that you'd like to share?
By the ways, let's not bother with powers that a multitude of animals have; I don't want people saying "oh, cats can scratch and bite."
Here are a few I came up with:
Electric fish: Various fishes (such as electric eels, electric catfish, and electric rays) can create electric shocks powerful enough to stun prey, and maybe even kill humans. The Pokémon resemblance here is obvious.
Archerfish: They shoot a stream of water out of their mouths to down insect prey above the water. Many water-type Pokémon shoot water.
Mimic octopus: This octopus can change its color, texture, body shape, and movements to imitate other species, such as sea snakes, sting rays, and jellyfish. This resemblance to Ditto is obvious.
Trapjaw ants: These ants can bite the ground so hard that they are launched into the air. No real parallel with a current Pokémon, but still pretty cool.
Bombardier beetles: These beetles can shoot hot, burning chemicals at predators.
Pistol shrimp: They can shoot bubbles capable of knocking out fish.
Carpenter ants: Certain species of carpenter ants, when defending the colony, will explode, launching a glue-like substance at their attackers. Obvious Selfdestruct similarity.
Click beetles: Click beetles can launch themselves into the air using a click mechanism.
Nudibranch: These sea slugs can incorporate the cells of their prey into their body. Some can utilize the stinging nemocysts of hydroids, and one clade, Sacoglossa, can use the chloroplasts it obtains from the algae it eats.
Speaking of hydroids, Turritopsis nutricula can revert to an immature polyp stage after reaching adulthood, meaning that barring disease, predation, and accidents, they are effectively immortal: they won't die from aging.
I have a few more I might break out later, but for now, are there any that you'd like to share?