Experts explain how Pokemon would survive in our world
Yveltal (Pokmon X and Y)
This legendary Pokmons wing shape makes him look similar to an open-water bird. The finger-like tips of his wings are reminiscent of a bald eagle in flight. And the long tail is typical of a woodland bird that needs to maneuver quickly among trees. All these aspects combined make it seem as though Yveltal couldnt exist in our world--but Vieth would beg to differ. You dont often see the long tail and the long wings, but when you think of abnormal shapes for flying, its not out of the question, Vieth says, comparing Yveltal to a Resplendent Quetzals body and feather structure.
Again, the sheer size of the Pokmon would make flight tricky, most likely restricting him to roaming our fields and not our skies. It weighs a whole lot, Vieth says. Thats the big thing that strikes me: Most birds that weigh that much do not fly.
Froakie (Pokmon X and Y)
What hops to attention with Froakie--like many Pokmon on this list--is his size: It is way larger than any frog on Earth. The size and weights are pretty unrealistic, Tumulty says of the frog Pokmon. Most frogs dont get more than about six inches in length, and some of them are much, much smaller.
Tumulty says it may be a problem to have a frog that big, as far as eating goes. For example, an American Bullfrog, one of the largest frogs in North America, has a scarily voracious diet. They will eat pretty much anything that they can fit in their mouths, Tumulty says, painting a frightening picture of what a foot-tall Froakie could potentially eat in your backyard.
Frogadier (Pokmon X and Y)
The evolved form of Froakie has two realistic characteristics going for it: its association with bubbles and its clinging ability. Though our world's frogs dont shoot out bubbles to go on the offensive in epic battles, they are of importance when it comes to their eggs. What a lot of species of frogs do is they create bubble nests for when they lay eggs; they create a foam nest that is mostly bubbles. That helps protect the eggs and keep them hydrated. So [Frogadier's] not that far off in relation to how our frogs using bubbles.
Clinging to ceilings is plausible as well. Tree frogs spend most of their time up in trees, have really sticky toe pads, are really good at clinging onto surfaces, and even hang upside-down on ceilings and glass windows, Tumulty says. Since frogs are good at jumping, theyre good at escaping from predators just by jumping really far and quickly out of the way. He adds that a frog of this size could easily evade attackers.
Toxicroak (Pokmon Diamond and Pearl)
Aside from finding Toxicroak to be cool, Tumulty said hed be a tough predator--especially if he were as aggressive as his Pokdex entries imply. That would be like a combination of all the badass features of frogs combined into one, Tumulty says of the Pokmons poisonous claws and spikes.
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Though Poison Dart frogs dont go out seeking battles with each other, fighting for territory is common amongst other frogs. According to Tumulty, Toxicroak would take part in very deadly tussles with other frogs. Theyll produce aggressive sounds to warn an intruding male, and if the male keeps coming, theyll eventually go and fight the male. Theyll wrestle, and the winner will keep the territory, Tumulty says. Additionally, Toxicroak's large vocal sacs would be able to give ample warnings to the competition. Contact with humans would put the frog high on the list of dangerous animals to steer clear of.
Pokmon in real life
The Pokmon world is full of many creatures, and according to these four experts they would adapt to our world, prove troublesome and dangerous, or just flat out perish.
Based on the input and scientific analysis, do you think these Pokmon could adapt to our world sans fanciful moves? What Pokmon would you like to see in the wild?
And if you're looking for more, check out 30 Pokemon facts you didn't know and the top 7 weirdest theories about the Pokemon universe.
Louis Garcia is a former journalist, having contributed to publications that include 12DOVE, Official Xbox Magazine, Game Informer, City Pages, 507 Magazine, and more. While he is a lifelong fan of video games, he's currently following another passion of his – alcohol. Louis is the lead storyteller at Crafted For All and an administrator for the Brewers Association's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.