7 Amazing Animals Weirder Than Pokémon

With more than 1,000 official species of Pokémon, even dedicated fans can’t name them all. But many people can identify at least of couple of these Pocket Monsters, even if they never played the Pokémon video games or watched the cartoons. Almost everyone has heard of Pikachu. But did you know this popular high-voltage hero was modeled after a squirrel? In fact, many Pokémon species are mashups or exaggerated versions of existing animals. 

Not all animal species need embellishment, however. Here are few real-life creatures weird enough to fit in the Pokémon universe just as they are.

Puss Moth Caterpillar (Cerura vinula)

Pokémon type: Bug, Poison

The puss moth caterpillar could pose as Caterpie’s more noxious cousin. The larval form of the puss moth, which is named for its grey and white “fur” and its cat-like appearance, these caterpillars can be found in dense woodland habitats across Europe and parts of Northern Africa. They are herbivorous, and feed mainly on willow and poplar trees.

Typically bright green in color, the caterpillars sport two spiky tails containing pinkish appendages, called flagellae, protruding from their rear ends. When threatened, they wave these whip-like appendages back and forth. If that isn’t enough to deter a would-be attacker, they can also spray a forceful stream of formic acid from a gland just below their heads.

Unfortunately, this caustic shower isn’t always enough to dissuade predators, and the caterpillars often fall victim to hungry birds – something to keep in mind when battling a Pidgeot.

Star-Nosed Mole (Condylura cristata)

Pokémon type: Ground

Like Diglett, the star-nosed mole is a underground dweller. Although it is essentially blind, it more than makes up for its poor vision with its other superpowered senses.

Slightly bigger than a hamster, the star-nosed mole lives in southeastern Canada and the eastern United States. It is semi-aquatic and prefers areas with moist soil, including marshes, forests, and streambanks.

The mole gets its name from its unusual snout, which is tipped with 22 sensory appendages, sometimes called rays or tentacles. Although barely 1 cm in width, their snout is packed with more than 100,000 nerve endings. In comparison, humans have just 17,000 nerve endings in the palm of each hand.

The moles feed by wriggling their tentacled nose through the mud to probe for worms and insects. They have an exceptionally efficient nervous systems that convey information between their nose and brain at astonishing speeds. In fact, they hold the Guinness World Record for the fastest foraging mammal.

It takes as few as 120 milliseconds for a star-nosed mole to identify and consume an item of food. That’s just a fraction of the 650 milliseconds it typically takes for a human to respond to a red light while driving.

With these rapid reflexes, the star-nosed mole is sure to be a quick attacker in Pokémon  battles.

Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum)

Pokémon type: Water, Fairy

Even within a group as strange and diverse as the salamanders, the axolotl is an oddball. It’s like a Pokémon  that never evolves. While most other salamander species progress from a fully aquatic tadpole stage to a terrestrial adult, the axolotl remains a teenager throughout its lifespan.

In scientific terms, the axolotl is a neotenic salamander, meaning it retains many juvenile features, including prominent gills and fins, into adulthood. The characteristic frills of the axolotl are actually gills that allow them to breathe underwater. However, they also have fully formed lungs and occasionally come to the surface to gulp air. Since they stop short of the final stages of metamorphosis, they never develop eyelids, resulting in a cartoonish gaze.

Originally found in just two freshwater lakes in Mexico, they are considered critically endangered due to pollution, habitat degradation, and water diversion. As nocturnal animals, they hide during the day and feed on worms, mollusks, insect larvae, and small fish at night.

Wild axolotls are darker in color than their domesticated brethren sold in pet shops, which are selectively bred to retain their pinkish hue.

Axolotls have an almost supernatural regenerative abilities – a potentially handy feature for Pokémon  battles – and they have been known to regrow limbs, lungs, spines, jaws, and even parts of their brains.

Hercules Beetle (Dynastes Hercules)

Pokémon type: Bug, Fighting

The Hercules beetle is a world-class wrestler worthy of any Pokémon raid. Scientists have compared its combat style to a pair of pliers in which its massive horns are used to squeeze and lift adversaries before flinging them to the ground.

The Hercules beetle is a species of rhinoceros beetle native to the rainforests of Central and South America and the Lesser Antilles. They are the largest species of beetle, reaching a length of up to seven inches.

Named for its incredible strength, the male beetles have a set of massive horns on their head and thorax, which they use to fight one another and win over females. Female beetles lack horns and are darker in color than their male counterparts.

The beetles play an important role in the ecosystem by assisting with nutrient cycling and the breakdown of organic materials. While larvae feast on decaying wood, adult beetles generally feed on rotting fruit.

Hammer-Headed Bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus)

Pokémon type: Flying

Move over Zubat and make room for the new bat on the block. With a larynx that takes up nearly half of its body, the hammer-headed bat would surely employ a sound attack in a Pokémon  battle.

A type of African fruit bat, Hammer-headed bats are sexually dimorphic, with males being nearly twice the size of females. Male bats also have an enlarged muzzle and lips giving them an appearance akin Frankenstein’s monster and contributing to their species name – monstrosus.

The male bats use their large larynx and unique facial structures to make loud honking and croaking vocalizations that attract females. While they normally roost in small groups, males flock together by the hundreds during mating season to entice the ladies with their guttural calls and flapping wings.

Leafy Sea Dragon (Phycodurus eques)

Pokémon type: Water, Dragon

Like the Staryu, the leafy sea dragon possesses legendary camouflage abilities. Adorned with leaf-like appendages and characterized by a swimming style that can best be described as drifting, these slow-moving fish are nearly impossible to distinguish from the floating seaweed that surrounds them.

A close relative of the seahorse and pipefish, the leafy sea dragon inhabits the water off eastern and southern Australia. They feed on tiny, shrimplike crustaceans, which they slurp up through their tube-like mouths – much like sucking boba through a drinking straw.

Like their seahorse relatives, male sea dragons are responsible for incubating eggs. However, instead of a pouch, they have a brood patch on the underside of their tails that contains tiny cup-like structures to hold their bright pink eggs.

Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)

Pokémon type: Water, Poison

No list of weird Pokémon-like animals would be complete without the eponymous star of the Duck, Duck, Platypus! blog. With a fur-covered body, webbed feet, a paddle-shaped tail, and a duck-like muzzle, the platypus’ mismatched features rival even the quirkiest of existing Pocket Monsters. The platypus so puzzled scientists in the late 18^th century that they proclaimed the first specimens to be a fraud.

The platypus is endemic to Eastern Australia, and it is one of five species of egg-laying monotremes.  Studies suggest it evolved more than 112 million years ago, which means the platypus likely existed during the time of dinosaurs.

A semi-aquatic species, the platypus typically inhabits small rivers and streams. Its dense brown fur traps air and keeps it warm while diving and searching for food. Its webbed feet assist with swimming, and its broad tail stores fat, much like a camel’s hump.

While its remarkable snout looks a lot like a duck’s bill, it is actually soft and covered with thousands of receptors that help the platypus locate food by detecting tiny electric currents generated by the muscular contractions of its prey.

The platypus is a bottom feeder. It eats crustaceans, worms, insects, and larvae, which it scoops up with its bill and stores in its cheek pouch until it reaches the surface. Since the platypus lacks traditional teeth, it also scoops up gravel to help mash up its food.

The male platypus is venomous, with sharp hollow spurs on the heels of his rear feet that can be used to deliver swift kicks to other would-be suitors during mating season. Imagine how effective this attack could be in a gym battle!

If you would like to learn more about unusual animals, take a look at this article.