Let's Talk About Pokemon - 151 Animals That NEED to be Pokemon Yesterday (Part 10)


Photo by Argus Fin

101. Lemmings

A rodent that's often mythed to have tendencies to throw themselves into danger, though what's actually happening with it is that population booms cause groups of lemmings to become too large to sustain themselves, so some of that group will set out to find a new home. They'll travel across rough terrain and swim across rivers, and inevitably some take a lethal fall or drown, but it's not at all on purpose. It's just an animal version of Oregon Trail.

As a Pokemon: Anything Falink-like could work, but I think you could tone it up even further by making it a Psychic/Ground type, with a “colony” of these things behaving like they have a composite mind.


Photo by Bernard Spragg

102. Basket Fungus

Most of the fungi Pokemon are based on mushrooms and that's it. These fungus get their name from their budding above-ground part of its body, which contains its spores as it rolls about freely to spread them.

As a Pokemon: Even a fungus Pokemon that wears a basket fungus like an accessory would be good. I think the idea of a fungus creature that's spider-shaped normally but then “sticks together” to form the image of a basket fungus would be cool.


103. Horse Head Grasshopper

These grasshoppers take after stick insects, in that they have thin, elongated bodies that mimic sticks and twigs. They also have some of the funniest-shaped faces in the whole insect kingdom.

As a Pokemon: One that is so giant you can ride it would be funny, especially if they made it a region's signature “rideable” Pokemon the same way Kalos did for Gogoat, and Galar for Corviknight.


Photo by "Markrosenrosen"

104. Spiny Orbweaver Spider:

These violence-shaped, nearly Metroid-creature lookin fellas are neat! While they look spiny and dangerous, they're not much more dangerous to people than most other spiders are.

As a Pokemon: These guys are begging to wear spiky animal skulls on their abdomen, or maybe even have their whole dang body shaped like an animal skull!


Photo by Tom Davis

105. Yellow-Crested Weedfish:

Like leafy sea dragons, these fish are all leafy-shaped to mimic the appearance of seaweed!

As a Pokemon: A Water/Grass type that takes this animal to the next extreme by making it thin as a seaweed would be funny, especially if its evolution just gave it even more of itself.


CONTENT WARNING: Trypophobia


















Photo by David Cannatella

106. Surinam Toad:

A notorious frog to say the least, often ending up on “Top 10 grossest/creepiest animals” lists. After an involved mating process, fertilized eggs will stick to the back of a female Surinam Toad, and over time, her skin will physically grow over each egg until they each have an individual cell. Depending on the species, either a tadpole or a fully developed tiny frog will emerge right around the time where the surinam will shed her skin to be ready to mate again.

As a Pokemon: A boat-like surinam toad Pokemon would be cool, especially with it firing missile-shaped babies like missiles out of its back! Or you could pick up on the “creepy” angle, and have it be a Pokemon with its back turned toward the opponent like a Turtonator, while dozens of eyes are poking out of its back.


Photo by Ethan Daniels

107. Tasselled Wobbegong

You know a fun fish must be behind a Dr. Seuss-ass name like that. It's also a shark, believe it or not. It's a classic seafloor dweller that hides camouflaged before striking at passing prey by sucking it in and swallowing it whole. It even uses its tail to trick fish into thinking its cavernous hideouts are a safe place to hang.

As a Pokemon: How about a wobbegong Pokemon that looks timid and harmless normally, to give it the facade of being not very dangerous, but then whips out some “dentures” made of coral that it sticks into its mouth!


Photo by Ellyn B.

108. Katydid

Yes, more orthoptera, because DANGIT we are SO behind on those!!! Again, HOW do we still have no orthoptera Pokemon??? Argh!!!!! Anyway, katydids are a huge variety of insect, most recognizable of which are many different leaf mimics, but there's also super spiky varieties, and some that just look like particularly long-legged grasshoppers.

As a Pokemon: One that stands up with its super long hind legs to look like a tall twig with a leaf on the end of it would be fun. And again, there's tons of species of “katydids”, so sky's the limit here.


Photo by Gilles San Martin

109. Spongeflies

The bugs themselves look unassuming, but what's really neat about them is there cocoon stage of all things.

The larvae weave an outer layer of protective fiber before encasing itself in its silk.

As a Pokemon: While the adult stage of the insect has nothing to do with this, you could still have it present in a Pokemon's final stage! A Bug/Psychic type that looks like a magician or mad scientist that's encased itself in a protective holographic barrier!


Photo by Arabinda Pal

110. Fruit-Piercing Moth

Another lepidoptera with a neat caterpillar stage but a fairly standard adult stage, but this shiny, cosmic-looking caterpillar is just plain neat to look at. As the name implies, the adult stages pierce the skin of fruits to suck out their juices.

As a Pokemon: A starry-themed one of these clutching a starfruit would be simple but cool! It's yet another excuse for a cosmic-themed lepidoptera. Turns out I'm a sucker for those...



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