|
|
The Ecology of Pokemon
Theories from Doctor Frances Warwick
Want to see some REAL Pokemon? Click HERE!
(Please note: I use the general fact here that Pokemon are based on real animals and act somewhat like them – they have babies, they eat, they sleep, etc. They also can be transformed to pure energy, evolve at whim and have some very specialist skills. Everything I state here is just theories, it is not necessarily the truth, but the truth as it was taught to me by Pokemon Ecologist, Doctor Frances Warwick, and like all theories, it could be completely wrong. Please do not email me, telling me that everything is wrong, but feel free to email me with your theories!)
Where did Pokemon come from originally and why are they the way they are?
There has been much speculation on this, but it is believed that they came from another world. Probably the first Pokemon resembled Ditto. Upon arriving in this world, it found its natural form inappropriate, and so took on the form of the first animal it saw. However, with time, its descendants learnt how to improve on these forms and take the forms of beasts that resembled actual animals, but not closely. After a time, the ability to spontaneously transform was bred out of the gene pool, perhaps due to breeding with actual animals, except in the true Dittos we see today.
So what about the powers?
Pokemon are not limited to normal flesh and blood functions the way humans and animals are. Their molecules are different and this enables them to do special attacks and also be transformed to energy, dependant on their environment. How they actually do this is as yet unknown, but it is certainly not, in any way, magical!
Where are the true animals?
Because of their special powers, Pokemon are better at surviving competition. They are able to run faster, kill more prey, come up with cunning plans and adapt better to the environment than true animals. When Pokemon arrived in the world, the true animals were not able to cope, and many fell prey for food, or were wiped out as the Pokemon took over their homes and were more capable of collecting food and defending themselves against predators. Thus, most true animals are now extinct, or found only in isolated areas, where Pokemon cannot reach. The only exceptions here, are the animals humans keep for food – chickens, pigs etc, which do not have to find their own food. When humans discover what Pokemon are best to eat, these too will die out.
Are Pokemon built only for fighting?
Perhaps on their home world, they were created as a fighting beast, but Pokemon have not developed just to fight. Special skills such as Thunder Shock and Poison Powder are useful to the Pokemon in its wild state. It can fight off competitors (rivals that want its food, home or mates) better, fend off predators and hunt more skillfully by using its skills. Unfortunately, the prey Pokemon also have skills, which means the predator has to develop more skills to hunt it successfully, which leads to the prey developing better skills… this is called in ecological terms an “arms race” and may describe why evolution spontaneously occurs.
Do Pokemon have gender?
Yes, of course they do! Not only the Nidorans have both male and female, however, in most Pokemon type
the different genders do not look very different. This two gender system is only found in Plant and Animal type Pokemon, not the more bizarre types such as Electrode and Coffing.
Can two different species of Pokemon interbreed?
Can a sheep breed with a cow? No, because they are too disimilar and the same is true of Pokemon. You cannot cross breed a Pikachu with a Charmander by natural means. However, two closely related species, such
as a Mew and a Meowth (both cat Pokemon) may be able to interbreed. This is yet to be studied however as Mews are very rare. It is possible for breeders to cross unrelated species, including Nidoran and Ekans, but this would never occur in the wild of course! Another
fact that has been misreported is the fact that many breeders will say you cannot breed Nidoking with Nidoqueen, this appears to be because in captivity, these two types are unwiling to breed together and indeed very hard to breed at all. In the wild they are very rare and
only occasionally come in contact with each other. However, they have been proven to breed in the wild.
(This actually goes against Silver/Gold but I personally believe it is ridiculous for Ekans to be able to breed with Nidoran but not for a Nidoqueen to breed with a Nidoking, so I am pretending that is not a fact. If anyone can come up witha reason why 'King cannot breed with 'Queen, I'd be interested to hear!)
Some Examples of Pokemon Behavioural Ecology
Bulbasaur and the Evolutions
Houndoom and Houndour
Eevee and Eons
Nidoran, Nidorino and Nidorina
Cleff, Clefairy and Clefable
Bulbasaur (and the evolutions) Ecology
Status: common
Habitat: grasslands and forest, occassionally also jungle.
Replaces in Ecosystem:
Diet: Herbivorous and Fructivorous (eats plants and fruits)
Social Structure
Bulbasaur stay mostly to themselves, except during the breeding season, when they gather together and search for mates. Every few years Bulbasaur undergo
an Evolution Ceremony, where Bulbasaur from the surrounding territories will all gather together and some will evolve into Ivysaur. The larger Evolutions share the same habitat and
are usually seen sunning themselves. Venusaur especially requires the suns energy to keep it active and alert, due to its greater size. During the night the 'saur Pokemon are generally
slow and sluggish, and are often seen coming out early in the morning, to soak in the sun's rays.
Predators:
Bulbasaur are highly capable of looking after themselves, and the main predators on them seems to be Persians, Houndoom (who hunt them in packs) and Charmeleons. Luckily the latter do
not occur in the same habitat.
Other threats
The main threat to the 'saurs is deforestation. As the rainforests get chopped down and grassland turned into farmland, the Bubasaur kin are forced into smaller and smaller areas, and because of their size and
diet they need rather a lot of food to subsist on. Not to mention that with their habitats being opened to the world, it is easier for them to be hunted down and forced into PokeBalls.
Houndour/Houndoom
Status: Threatened
Habitat: Woodland
Replaces in Ecosystem: Wolves
Diet: Carnivores - hunt other Pokemon.
Social Structure
Houndoom have a very definite pack structure led by a domninat (alpha) male and female. Often this pair are
Houndour, and they are the only members of the pack that actually breed. The other members help them look after the offspring, hunt and protect the
Pack from danger. Houndoom hunt in packs, setting up ambushes for their prey and then share the kill amongst themselves, the strongest getting to feed first. Usually the alpha pair will
only be in that position for a few years, until they get old or injured and a younger Houndoom will evolve, taking over their position, often killing them in the process.
Predators:
No Pokemon predators, hunted by humans.
Other threats
The main threat to Houndoom is humans and their superstitions. There has been an ongoing war raged between humans and Houndooms. The humans fear them, because they resemble beasts from their dark folklore (ie: hounds of hell) and thus
have hunted the Houndoom to extinction in some parts. In others, they are shot by farmers who believe they are a danger to their Mereep or Mirutanku. Thus the Houndoom is hard to find in the wild, these days, since they only survive in isolated areas.
Eevee Ecology
Status: Eevee - uncommon, Evolved forms - rare in a wild state.
Habitat: Depends on the type. Eevee themselves are generalists, able to exploit a number of habitats, but the habitat of the evolved forms is somewhat more specialised.
Vaporeon - rivers and streams, occasionally also in the ocean, where they inhabit the shallows.
Jolteon - woodland and meadows.
Flareon - mostly commonly to be found in deserts and open areas, occasionally in meadows and hillsides.
Florion - found only in thick rainforest, where it lives almost entirely an arboreal existence.
Celesteon - the rarest of the lot, Celesteon are only found on high mountains and in the arctic tundra.
Umbreon and Espeon - both are generalists and can inhabit any niche. Umbreon are almost exclusively nocturnal, whereas Espeons are diurnal. They often inhabit the same area. The most common of the Eons, although very rarely seen.
Replaces in Ecosystem: small carnivores - mainly Viveridae (civets and genets) and mustelidae (otters and weasels).
Diet: Omnivorous, mainly, except for Florion, who feeds almost exclusively on leaves and berries with the occsaional insect. Other types will eat almost anything.
Social Structure:
Eevee themselves are fairly social, but once they evolve they became more solitary, only seeking out more of their kin for reproduction, and only staying long enough to rear the kits. In some, very rare cases, Eons have been known to mate for life.
It was thought initially that, aside from Umbreon and Espeon, Eevee did not evolve spontaneously, but this has since been proven wrong by discoveries of wild populations. Eevee and the Eons are probably the most diverse range of Pokemon, almost making a Family of their own. They have
evolved to fulfil almost every niche, and use a variety of hunting techniques. The species shown above are known as the Naturarl Eeveelutions - they ones that occur naturally. Other types have been found, but these are due mainly to genetic modification or experimentation and never occur
in a wild state. When the kits are born, they are generally all Eevees, and as they grow up they disperse to find new homes. If pressure upon them is great - ie: if there are a number of Eevee already in the area, the Eevee can spontanteously evolve to make better use of the resources. For example,
in a habitat surrounding a lake, if there are many Eevee already populating the shore and using the resources there, a new Eevee might become a Vaporeon, able to take over the less occupied water. Wild Eons are generally extremely shy and will avoid humans at all costs. It seems unusual though, that such a
well adapted animal is not more common.
All the different Eon types and Eevees are able to breed with one another.
Predators:
Eevee suffer the most predation, especially when young, mainly from airborne predators such as Fearow, and also from larger carnivores, mainly Vulpix, Growlithe, Baguufun, and occasionally Persians as well.
Other Threats
Oddly enough, the biggest threat to Eevee is Trainers. Eevee, due to their diversity, are one of the most sought after Pokemon and since Pokemon rarely bred whilst in the hands of Trainers, they are suffering here. The other threat is breeders that capture the
young Eevees and evolve them in strange and unnatural ways, rendering them infertile. Many of the strange Eons are unable to surive in the wild, for wild Pokemon sense their unnaturalness and hunt them down and kill them.
Some Eons in Detail
Vaporeon - Vaporeon spend most of their life in the water, coming together with land dwelling Eons only to breed. Because most land-bound species cannot enter the watery domain, Vaporeon raise their kits alone, digging a tunnel in the side of the bank and giving birth to their kits there. The normal litter size is three, but as many as eight have been reported. When the kits are big enough to leave home, they are often handed over to their land bound father to care for, although the female continues to bring them fish.
Jolteon and Flareon - For some reason, Jolteon prefer to mate with Flareon and vice versa, the purpose for this is unknown, but may be because the two of them overlap habitats more. Whatever the reason, both Jolteon and Flareon care for their kits together, digging a den not unlike a badge set in the woodland. They also hunt larger prey then other Eon types, and have been known to work cooperatively to bring down Stantler and even Ponyta.
Florion - Florion is the only Eon to show sexual dimorphism, when the male and female look different. Males are green, whereas females are a bright yellow. They use this colouration to attract insects, along with a sweet smelling musk, which make up their main diet, although they also take berries. The male, being better camouflaged looks after the youngsters almost exclusively, relying on the female to bring him food. Florion generally only mate with other Florion.
Celesteon - very little is known about this, the rarest of all Eons. They are reported to live in small groups, and due to their habitat, seek mates amongst other Celesteon. They are almost exclusively carnivourous, dining on prey as large as the Northern Stantler (thicker furred then its better studied counterpart) as well as Seel and Dewgong.
Umbreon and Espeon - due to their opposite life style (nocturnal vs diurnal), these two Eons generally breed amongst their own type or with Vaporeon, Jolteon and Flareon. They are both solitary and live on a diet between small animals (Sandshrew, Nidoran, Rattatta, Pikachu) and insects, although they eat fruit and berries too. Espeon are known to make good pets, being very affectionate and extremely empathic, whereas Umbreon are more solitary and prefer to live alone.
The five most well known types
A pair of Florion
Nidorans, Nidorina and Nidorino
Status: common, Nidorina/rino somewhat rarer, more widely spread.
Habitat: open fields, meadowland, lightly wooded areas.
Replaces in Ecosystem: rabbits.
Diet:herbivores/vegetarian. Nidorans are grazers (they eat grass) whilst Nidorino/rina is a browser (eats leaves and bushes).
Social Structure:
Nidorans live in large groups, sometimes within the same territory as a Nidorino or Nidorina (or a pair). The two different evolution stages
have different diets and thus do not compete for food.
Within the group, there seems to be some sort of dominance hierachy, with the larger, stronger Nidorans (often male) get the first choice of food and sunning spots. Their burrows are also more central
to the warren.
Nidoran warrens:
These warrens are very well constructed, with lots of dead ends and round about tunnels that lead nowhere. This is to confuse any invader to the warren that may be after tasty Nidoran kits. The burrows
are generally situated around a main meeting hall, which is constructed around tree roots so it can be made large without the roof caving in. Sometimes a large entrance will be made
into this so the bigger Nidorino/rina can enter the meeting hall. These Stage 1 evolutions generally prefer to be out in the open air however!
Predators:
The main threat to Nirdorans are Magumarashi, which smoke them out of their burrows and eat their kits, Vulpix, which will catch them outside their burrows if it can, and Ekans/Arbok. The snake Pokemon
is especially fond of crawling into the burrows and spending many days there, eating young Nidoran until they must fight against it.
Other Threats:
The main threat to Nidoran society is fragmentation. Development has led to prime Nidoran habitat being either completely turned into cities, malls or housing, or has
seperated groups of Nidoran from each other. This means that they cannot migrate into other areas, thus decreasing the gene pool (there is less variation in individuals) and this can be very
dangerous if a disease strikes the colony.
Cleffa/Clefairy/Clefable
(Thanks to Dragonmyth for this information)
Status: Endangered
Habitat: Caves
Replaces in Ecosystem: None
Diet: Have been reported eating peaches, but true diet is unconfirmed.
Social Structure
Clefairy are always in pairs that are never farther then a mile apart. They get together for many annual events, such as the evolution season. Usually their baby Cleffa hides in their fur, hence their slight bulk. Clefable are solitary, often in places where the moon is visible.
Predators:
No true predators, but they have been known to not like Zubats.
Other threats
Clefairy are plagued by habitat loss, but it is mostly humans that give them their Endangered rank. Due to their cute little cry, visits to Mount Moon have been tape recorded. Clefairy are often times lured out of their cave by Cleffa sounds in Pewter. They get blinded by the sun and eventually die. Humans have also often taken Clefairy furs and turned them into very warm, popular coats.
|
