Welcome back to Curious Archive. This video is the second half of a series exploring the biology and
ecosystems of realistic Pokémon. The Realistic Pokémon art project was created by the talented
RJ Palmer, aka ‘Arvalis’ I have links below where you can follow and support his work.
This second round of redesigns features amazing biological details and an even wider variety
of Pokémon. And please remember the disclaimer from the first video — these realistic lifeforms
are an exciting speculative exercise, but not an attempt to somehow ‘improve’ the stylized designs
of the original games. They’re just fun alternate takes that imagine Pokémon in something closer to
real world anatomy, even if these lifeforms are more fantastical than what’s likely to appear
in nature. So, let’s jump into part two of our nature documentary of another world,
and return to the astonishing domain of realistic Pokémon… Beginning with Gen II starters, we have
Meganium and its pre-evolutions. The designs of these creatures take inspiration from sauropods,
but also from modern tortoises. And while tortoises have evolved to eat grasses,
Palmer imagines the long necks of Meganium help them reach their preferred food of treetop fungi.
And speaking of fungi, the antennae at the end of Meganium’s nostrils are actually a unique
strain of fungi — which Palmer states the titans have a symbiotic relationship with — although
the exact purpose is unknown. In contrast, the flower-like structure on the front of their shell
is not a plant but a brightly colored frill that mimics flower petals. This might seem strange,
but animals camouflaging themselves as plants has been documented numerous times in nature:
like insects whose wings have evolved to resemble leaves.
Up next, we have Typhlosion and its pre-evolutions — reimagined with greater detail and anatomical
plausibility. In its claws and fur pattern, this reimagining resembles a cross between some sort of
badger and a sun bear. Palmer imagines Typhlosion feeds primarily on Combees hives, and the wax
from the hives has a chemical reaction with Typhlosion saliva to create a flammable substance.
Typhlosions then use their tongues to coat their quills in this chemical, and then they light them
on fire using specialized flint-like teeth. The blazing quills are an intimidating display, and
can burn for long periods thanks to Typhlosions’ fire-resistant coat. A really original concept.
And the last starter from the Hoenn region is Feraligatr and its pre-evolutions, rendered
in all their reptilian glory. Not surprisingly, Feraligatr is most analogous to earth alligators
or crocodiles. Palmer imagines this lifeform as a large opportunistic carnivore, lurking in
coastal estuaries and frequently traveling between salt and fresh water habitats. I’d watch my step
near rivers with these giants around. Moving beyond Generation II, we have the incredible
desert-dwelling Flygon. Palmer envisions that this swift aerial lifeform possesses a helium
bladder that helps the large organism achieve flight. Flygons skim the surface of the desert,
looking out from behind a red transparent membrane which protects their eyes from the sands.
And on the ground, near some other interesting desert fauna I’ll let you classify on your own,
we can find a Trapinch and a Vibrava — both reimagined to look like they could more feasibly
be early stages in a Flygon’s life cycle. In this alternative world, millions of years ago,
large prehistoric Pokémon stomped across the land, now known to scientists in the form of fossils.
Taking inspiration from the games, Palmer imagines recent technology has revived these long extinct
species — like the mighty Tyrantrum and the lumbering Bastiodon: pictured here locked in
combat in poses reminiscent of classic dinosaur art. Not surprisingly, Palmer has based his
Tyrantrum off the T-rex, and has reimagined its beard as a scaly soft-tissue pouch that
could flare out to intimidate rivals. It’s easy to imagine these creatures living in the primordial
landscape of the Pokémon world 100 million years ago. It almost makes me want to visit a Pokémon
natural history museum. Another fossil Pokémon you might find at such a museum is that of Aerodactyl.
Now resurrected as living creatures, the Aerodactyl are known by Pokémon paleontologists
to be a vibrant shade of purple, and to possess early proto-feathers on their necks.
Elsewhere in this image, one can spot an Archen and a Cranidos— further fleshing out the world
of prehistoric Pokémon. Deep in the midst of a past ice age, the mighty legendary Pokémon Kyurem
reigned supreme. Here, Palmer has redesigned the stylized armor of the original as more
biological plating. Though Kyurem was a creature of almost insurmountable power,
the legendary beast Raikou — imagined here as a Smilodon like ice-age hunter — would sometimes
take the risk and try to ambush this titan. Though the bite of a Raikou could take out most Pokémon,
Palmer imagines it had less effect on Piloswines: depicted in this image as ice age megafauna with
coats so thick they provide a natural defense from the teeth of whatever else might be stalking the
tundra. In modern polar and mountainous biomes, one might find the elusive Abomasnow — portrayed
as a curious, heavily furred biped that Palmer imagines were unknown to Pokémon scientists until
the turn of the century — when a specimen was at last documented. Sharing the frigid
biosphere with these seldom-glimpsed creatures are the elk-like Pokémon Winter Sawbucks,
and the penguin-like delibird. And another lifeform in this image is the infamous Mr. Mime,
reimagined as a species somewhere between a frog and an axolotl. And honestly? I find this redesign
a bit nicer to look at than the original. Lurking in the cave systems, one can find
Noivern – a species that is a dragon-type in the games, but that Palmer has reconceptualized as a
creature more closely related to bat Pokémon like Swoobats. A single Noivern can claim
miles of cave systems as their territory, scaring off competitors with booming sonic frequencies.
Swoobats are their smaller cousins — and look much closer to a bat here on earth. And if you
look closely, you can see Joltiks clinging to the fur of these species. Palmer imagines these small
arachnid Pokémon can create static charges by nestling into the fur of fluffy Pokémon. Pretty
creative! One massive Pokémon Palmer redesigned is Onix and its evolution Steelix. Instead of being
made of literal rock, the Onix is depicted as a massive serpentine lifeform with rock-like scales.
Likewise, a Steelix isn’t fully metallic — instead, exposure to its natural environment
transforms its scales into shiny, metallic-looking armor. This process almost reminds me of a
Scaly-foot Snail — a type of marine gastropod that incorporates iron sulfide into protective
scales on its body — almost like a natural suit of medieval armor. I could see Steelix perhaps
undergoing a similar process to form its own protective scales. And holding onto dear life at
the end of these creatures’ tails, you can spy a Sableye — reimagined not as a ghost, but as a tiny
primate with strange eyes similar to a Tarsier. Palmer describes this species as attracted to tiny
things, which unfortunately for this Sableye, included the metallic scales of a Steelix.
Under the waves, the aquatic leviathan Gyarados takes on the role of apex predator in almost
any aquatic ecosystem they inhabit. This creature recalls the more biologically feasible design of a
deep-sea Oarfish, which can grow up to 26ft, or 8m in length — smaller than this version of Gyarados,
but still pretty incredible. Palmer imagines the marine biologists of this world for decades
didn’t realize the comparatively tiny Magikarp were early forms of Gyarados, which makes sense.
Nearby, a greater underwater ecosystem flourishes: including Cloyster, a squad of Tentacool, and a
Relicanth — all looking closer to their real-world animal influences. Returning to legendries, we
have the awe-inspiring Pokémon Zapdos, an enormous bird with an incredible electric discharge.
Instead of being an elemental deity, this version of Zapdos has an extreme capacity for electric
retention — seeking out thunderstorms high in the atmosphere and gathering electricity like a
living lightning rod. Another electric Pokémon is Raichu, the evolution of Pikachu that also
looks quite rodent-like. And as you might have already spotted, this image also contains voltorb
reimagined as a pokeball mimicking armadillo, and Magnemites and Magnetons as magnetic crabs with
red and blue colored claws. Truly hilarious designs for some of the most outside-the-box
original Pokémon. Another ancient and seldom seen legendary is Lugia, redesigned as a lifeform with
more streamlined, aquatic features. One of my personal favorites, this guardian of the seas
looks like something from the Plesiosauria order — just even mightier. Near Lugia are some additional
underwater species like Qwilfish and Seadra, all of which have far more anatomical detail than in
their original designs. In the skies, the immense legendary Yveltal — redesigned here as a more
avian super-predator – casts a shadow over most flying types when it comes out of hibernation.
In designing this ancient creature, Palmer took inspiration from the late Jurassic feathered
dinosaur Yi Qi, an animal whose wings are perhaps the closest thing nature has ever produced to a
dragon’s. Swooping just out of reach of Yveltal’s claws are Latios and Latias. With this duo,
Palmer has merged the stylized airplane-like elements of the original designs with the anatomy
of various real-life bird species — creating more plausible, but still agile looking lifeforms.
And in the other corner of this image, you can spot a scalier-looking Salamence, whose wings,
according to Palmer, are formed from membranes extended over an enlarged set of ribs. This might
seem far-fetched, but real-life gliding lizards are capable of gliding flight thanks to a set of
wings that are indeed supported by their elongated ribs, as you can see by this skeleton. And since
we covered Groudon in part one, we have to touch on its oceanic counterpoint Kyogre — which
looks awe-inspiring in realistic detail. Palmer imagines this legendary as a leviathan somewhere
between a whale and the absolute largest of marine reptiles. To catch prey, Kyogre can use a dazzling
bio-luminescent display to lure in smaller species like Tentacruel. Above the feeding Kyogre,
a swarm of Frillish and Jellicent drift by, their anatomy much closer to that of an Earth jellyfish.
And if you look closely, you might have spotted Sharpedo — whose stylized body has been reworked
with a design that takes inspiration from sharks, of course, but also Ocean Sunfish — a strange and
truncated looking organism. This Sharpedo is going up against the nautilus-like Omastar — another
prehistoric species that was recently revived. And as our grand finale, we have the mythical
and legendary Rayquaza, looking truly epic in realistic detail. This mighty serpent is
exhibiting an unknown display of bioluminescence as it soars through the air — a sight that would
be intimidating to behold. Exactly how such a creature is capable of flight is unknown,
and would likely require a variety of specialized flight organs. Believe it or not, there is a type
of snake called a Paradise Tree Snake that can glide by leaping off trees, holding its body flat,
and curving in a way which allows it to briefly coast through the air. Rayquaza, of course,
is taking this to a new level. And there’s an entire aviary of flying types flocking in
Rayquaza’s shadow — including Pidgeot, Braviary, and others — all of whom look much more like birds
here on Earth. And with that, we’ve covered the majority of the Realistic Pokémon project.
If you want to dive even deeper into this world, there are extra designs – including
some additional legendries — on RJ Palmer’s site and in his artbooks,
so check the links below if you’re interested. For now, this is the final part of the series.
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