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Mankey Line
Morphs [Oak Catalog #]
- Mankey [#56] – Porcisimius pugnator morpha praesumptor
- Primeape [#57] – P. pugnator morpha gorilla
Notable Biology
Both morphs have cream colored fur and a pink Tepig-like nose, leading to its nickname of the Pignose Monkey Pokémon. Both morphs have a general round shape.Mankey have long tails that curl up and over the top of their bodies, giving them an average height of 1 foot 8 inches. These tails are prehensile and allow them to grab onto and swing from branches easily, as well as scale cliff faces if in mountainous regions. Their arms and legs are slender, and their hands unencumbered, allowing them to use punches, slaps, or chops in their style. Because of those features, they can learn several different types of fighting. They also have under-developed omni-sacs in their wrists, allowing rudimentary usage of elemental attacks.
Primeape are about 3 foot 3 inches on average, a little under twice the size of a Mankey. Their fur is now thicker, and because of that, it is a common misconception that they have no tails. They do, however they are only a few inches long and only barely help with balance. The only time they are seen are on older specimens, whose fur is receding on the back, allowing the tail to poke out. The balding is more prominent in males, and they have been dubbed Barebacks.
Primeape also have several more noticeable differences from their younger morph. Their arms and legs are stockier and more muscular, allowing stronger attack power. Their feet are bigger, and their hands are covered by gloves that keep them semi-balled into fists near constantly. Because of this, their styles are reduced to punching-only attacks with kicks thrown in. Finally, they have rings or fur that stick out like wrist and ankle bands. Under these bands are more developed omni-sacs, which allow Primeapes, with proper teaching, to perform Fire and Thunder Punches.
There are three submorphs of the Mankey Line. Two of these are common, and one is extremely rare. The first common one shows itself in Mankey and Primeape who are noticeably more energetic. This prevents them from falling asleep easily, and makes them perfect for guard. The next submorph plays on their natural anger. When hit with a particularly hard blow, they will fly into a rage and deal stronger hits than before. The third and rarest submorph works similarly to the previous. When a Mankey or Primeape is hindered in some way, they will throw harder blows at their opponent.
There are abnormal mutations of this line in nature. Mankeys with this mutation are a lime green instead of their normal cream, and the brown on them stays the same. With Primeapes, their fur becomes a tan or beige (this depends on region. As an example, those in Hoenn are darker, others in Kalos are lighter) and the exposed skin on their arms stays green like its previous form’s fur. These mutations are highly valued despite no battle difference.
Habitat
Mankey find themselves comfortable in wooded areas, mountainous paths and on the plains. In wooded areas, they tend to stick to the treetops where they can move faster and reach their food easier. Along mountain paths, they tend to climb up cliffs to find large ledges or a collection of openings for the troop to inhabit, with food hunts taking place on the ground. Plains Mankey are much more of a rarity, and they tend to hide in the taller grasses where an entire group can try to hide. Primeape live in the same troops as Mankey, although some group together into their own Primeape only troops.Troops of the Mankey line are found throughout Kanto (Around Saffron and Viridian, as well as the plains by Rock Tunnel), Johto (the areas around Mt. Mortar), and Sinnoh (around the Fight Area). A population was introduced to the Friend Safari in Kalos with the help of renowned Mankey researcher June Benedict. Other ‘unnatural’ troops are the ones found in Route 15 of Unova after the infamous Team Plasma hack, and in Jagged Pass of Hoenn after Groudon and Kyogre’s Primal Reversions.
Neither morphs of this line are naturally found in Orre.
Diet
Mankey are herbivorous and frugivorous, eating a mixture of leafy greens from bushes and trees, berries, and fruits hanging from the trees they inhabit. If the main tree the troop lives in doesn’t bear fruit, then they are known to send out teams of 2-3 to grab food from trees in their territory (For reasons for grouping, see Social Structure). A favorite of the line is the Payapa Berry if it can be found in their area, as are chestnuts.Primeape eat mostly the same food, and will often do hunting expeditions on their own. However, they become more omnivorous, gaining a bit of a carnivorous streak, making up about 4-8% of their diet. Scientists theorize that this is to give more energy and protein to help with their increased energy expenditure. When they do hunt for meat, they aim for smaller Pokémon, such as the Rattata line, Sandshrew, or occasionally Spearow.
Mankey close to evolution have been noted to get blood from Primeape kills (with permission, of course, to avoid angering the stronger ‘Mon) to acclimate their taste buds to the different tastes. Trainer’s Note
Hazards
The main hazard of these Pokémon is their temper. They often rampage for no reason (Primeapes are known to rampage because someone looked in their general direction) and if they are in their natural troop setting, this will set their entire troop off, Primeape included. If you are going through Mankey territory, make sure to have a Flying-type and a possibly a Psychic-type with you. Trainer’s Note Though it doesn’t get rid of it, domestic breeds of Mankey are slightly more docile. Training them in martial arts as a Mankey or boxing as a Primeape will not only strengthen their skills and yours, but also build a bond that will help curb their temper around you. In the wild, if you see a Mankey, a way to prevent its rampage is to distract it with a berry. It will take it back to its home without much incidence. If you see a Primeape, leave before it sees you.Each morph has their own lesser issues. Mankey is known to steal things from people in both the wild and in captivity. This is a trait that is easy to train out of your Mankey, and even if you don’t, it will mostly go away with their evolution. Some items that they grow attached to may still be stolen by your Primeape. A particularly funny example was a Kanto trainer whose hat was stolen by a Mankey, who then evolved and was caught by the Trainer mid-rampage, and the captured Primeape would still steal the hat, and would rampage if not allowed to.
A hazard with the Primeape morph is that they are known to be extremely tenacious. Once you anger a Primeape, or engage an already rampaging one, they will chase you down. They will not stop until they fall asleep, are knocked out, or catch you and maul you. Thankfully, Primeapes are more likely to be alone, otherwise the death tolls may be higher.
Courting and Childrearing
Male Mankeys generally do no breed in the wild unless they are estranged from a troop, though they do breed in captivity. Females may attempt to mate with one of the Barebacks.The Mankey Line does not have a set breeding period – Like humans, they are capable of breeding year-round. Female Mankey or Primeape are the ones to initiate mating. They go to one of the Barebacks, often after the night meal, and will press close and challenge them to a spar. Regardless of winner, the couple then abscond to another tree or patch of grass and do the deed.
The gestation period lasts a little over 5 months. They give birth to only one child (although twins aren’t unheard of), and the mother quickly bonds with it. The father does not help in raising outside of food gathering for the troop. A mother Mankey usually holds the baby unless needing to climb, where she has it situate on her back. A Primeape has their child primarily ride on their head, or when it’s old enough, cling to its back.
A mother Mankey or Primeape is surprisingly docile in comparison to the rest. However, that doesn’t mean it will not rampage. If you approach the baby without permission, even as its Trainer, it will get away, put the baby in a safe place, then rampage and maul you. It seems its rampages are more pronounced and violent during this time. Researchers agree that it is because they are biting down on their anger to avoid harming their baby.
A Mankey is old enough to live as its own after 2 years, although they can move on their own by 6 months.
Social Structure
Mankeys and Primeapes group together into troops (or tribes, depending on speaker’s location). These troops are often large, almost like towns of Mankey and Primeapes. Each area is territory to one troop – Any troops that come across another troop’s territory will be attacked, although sometimes a single Mankey can be adopted into the troop if alone. The line doesn’t chase other Pokémon out of their territory larger territory range, but will chase them away from the main tree or troop home.The food foraged by the troop is not eaten by the single Mankey, but usually stockpiled for the entire troop to share. They seem to have a rudimentary eating schedule where as many of the non-guard (The guard is a mix of Mankey and Primeape, slanting towards the pre-evo, as they are more common.) gather to eat. The time after each meal is spent socializing and grooming each other. They spend time sparring with each other, and while the line is known for their aggressiveness, these fights manage to leave no lasting injuries.
They don’t have a truly solid leadership structure, but the Mankey respect the Primeapes and the Primeapes respect the eldest Bareback Primeape, who is generally only challenged by his fellow Barebacks. When the eldest dies or is captured, the Primeapes will fight amongst themselves to see who will take the spot. Often times, younger ones will jump into the fray, but they will usually be knocked out by the older Barebacks’ experience. These fights, like the rest, are rarely fatal, and afterwards, the Barebacks seem to become friendly with each other.
Mankey are known to be very sociable creatures. To be separated from their troop is very stressful, and they are known to rampage at this point. This is the main reason that their hunting parties consist of two or more Mankey. If you come across a lone raging Mankey, it is safe to assume they are alone, if they are not a child. Because of this, they come to see their trainer and fellow teammates are part of their troop fast with training.
In Human Society
Mankey and Primeape are most well known for their anger, but that is not all they are known for. Many dojos in Kanto and Johto use the line to help people learn more natural martial arts, as well as teach the Pokémon more human-made martial arts. In Unova, Primeape have been known to help students learn boxing and kickboxing, which it seems the Pokémon use naturally. Mankey and Primeape are also used in some areas for construction, but due to their temper, people would rather use the Machop line. They are, however, good for demolition.There is a well-renowned Mankey line researcher named June Benedict who has been studying various Mankey troops in their natural habitats for several decades. Much of their behavioral and social information comes from her research in Kanto, Johto, and, in later years, Sinnoh. Using this knowledge, she helped the Friend Safari properly set up their area to house Mankey. Her research to show the calmer troop life has also helped lessen the distaste of the Mankey line that was beginning to develop with society.
Mankey and Primeape are not used often in media, although they have popped up. In a reboot of an old platformer from a Kanto gaming company, a masked Mankey would occasionally steal from NPC houses and you would chase him through levels to get the stuff back. He became a playable character in the sequel. In a Sinnoh-based manga with a half-human/half-Infernape race of ‘aliens’, the main character’s race would transform into giant Primeape under the light of a full moon, if they still had the Infernape tail. The author never explained why they don't become Infernape instead.
Written by Sam Leonhart.
