Can't we just say that # of vines/petals is something that varies between individuals?

Does anyone have pictures of Gen 2/3 Venusaurs? Maybe it's a perspective thing.

Bulbapedia has the sprites — those are the most "generation-distinctive" we're going to get except for say game guides, for which I have none available besides Prima's Platinum (and the "Pokéguide for parents", don't ask).

Update: included a bit about five/sixfold symmetry varying, and added a little Bullet Seed note.

Adding to the recent stream of posted Pokemon, Dunsparce rough draft is up.

Dunsparce

Morphs (Oak Catalog #)

• Dunsparce (#206)

Physical Description

Dunsparce is a Normal-type Pokémon. It is 1.5 meters long, and weighs 14 kilograms. It has a flat, yellow body (the bottom half is blue), which is divided into three sections, each of about equal length. The first section is its head. Its head is pebble-shaped, with two large, closed eyes (These eyes resemble those of snakes), each surrounded with a blue ring. These eyes are usually closed, as Dunsparce navigate primarily by smell and hearing (Interestingly, their eyesight is actually quite good; it is simply not useful in their preferred habitat). There are two sharp spikes on its chin, which it uses to root itself in the ground and find holds in treacherous places.

Dunsparce’s thorax has a small patch of blue and white stripes on its back, and is covered by several thick layers of scales. Two pairs of insectoid wings allow it limited flight (Dunsparce can only hover several inches above the ground). A small gland on Dunsparce’s underbelly allows it to leave pheromone trails that other members of its colony (see Social Structure) can follow.

Dunsparce’s abdomen is long and thin, and made up of four separate parts. Each part is connected by a pivot joint, and the sections can spin very quickly. The final section is covered by a hard, chitinous substance, and Dunsparce frequently uses it as a drill. The chitin is incredibly strong, and will regrow over time if damaged. The tail, however, will not. Consequently, Dunsparce guard their tails with great care.

On exceedingly rare occasions, Dunsparce are seen with a genetic mutation that results in the parts of their body that are normally blue becoming a pale pink. These mutations are highly prized by collectors for their rarity.

Notable Biology

Dunsparce are incredibly skittish Pokémon, due to their body producing large quantities of adrenaline in almost any emergency, no matter how small. If spotted by almost anything, they will immediately tunnel underground using their tail (See Habitat).

[[Trainer’s Note: The only reliable way to capture a Dunsparce is to first gain its trust, a long and arduous process. Be warned.]]

Dunsparce’s tail is its life. It relies on its tail for underground locomotion (Dunsparce move backwards underground, and use their tail to drill through the earth), creating a home, and self-defense. If a Dunsparce’s tail’s chitin is damaged, its general response is to hide underground until the chitin has finished repairing. If the tail itself is injured, Dunsparce will cease to move or eat, starving itself to death.

The muscles in Dunsparce's underbelly are incredibly strong, and by flexing them and flapping its wings, it can jump surprising distances. Coupled with its chin spikes, there are very few places that a Dunsparce cannot reach.

Dunsparce's ancestry is a subject of much debate. Currently, there are two prevailing opinion. The first is that Dunsparce is an insectoid Pokemon (the followers of this theory cite the divided body and wings as evidence) which, due to the isolation of the caves where it originated, mutated until it was no longer genetically compatible with Bug Pokemon (this is the reason that Dunsparce is a Normal type and not a Bug type). Dunsparce is actually able to breed with a large spectrum of Pokemon, ranging from Skitty to, somehow, Wailord. The second opinion is that Dunsparce are in fact reptilian Pokemon. This would explain their ability to breed with Pokemon such as Ekans, and has earned them their title of "The Land Snake Pokemon." Other opinions range from the reasonably plausible (Dunsparce is a group of its own, with tangential similarities to both insects and snakes) to the truly bizarre (It is an alien)

Dunsparce exhibit three noted subtypes. The first will, under the effects of adrenaline, strongly exhibit the, “Flight,” side of the hormone. Dunsparce with this subtype will constantly study their surroundings, noting any ways out, and will take them the instant they are necessary. Consequently, this subtype has been dubbed, “Run Away.” The second subtype of Dunsparce will, under the effects of adrenaline, choose to fight, putting their effort into studying their opponent and picking out any weak spots. This careful study of the opponent leads to Dunsparce being able to use its moves to far greater effect then the other subtypes, and it has been dubbed, “Serene Grace,” due to Dunsparce with the subtype spending a long time remaining perfectly still, simply staring at their opponents. The third subtype, which is far rarer than the other two, seems to have several genes in common with Psychic-types, causing it to react to the attacks of Ghost, Dark, and Bug-type Pokémon. However, Dunsparce’s reaction consists of, as is common for it, a release of adrenaline, boosting its speed and reflexes.

Habitat

Dunsparce are rare Pokémon, with only three known colonies (although it is entirely possible that there are more further underground). Dunsparce are native to the Three Isle Port, a part of the Sevii Islands , although they are found in Johto and Unova (They were brought across the ocean by traders, and quickly spread. They are considered an invasive species). Interestingly, in the Port and Johto, Dunsparce are found only in caves (In Johto, Dunsparce are only found inside the Dark Cave, a cave that is famous for being extremely dark). In Unova, however, Dunsparce are found on Route 11, a large meadow, which is entirely devoid of caves. However, Dunsparce from both regions live most of their lives underground in large colonies, coming up only to find food (See Social Structure). As such, Trainers looking for Dunsparce must be patient and quiet.

In addition to their standard habitats, large groups of Dunsparce periodically flock to Route 208, remaining there for a day or two, and then leaving. This behavior in Dunsparce is highly aberrant, as Dunsparce are usually content to remain in a single location their entire life. In addition, Professor Rowen has noted that the Dunsparce swarms are not a single colony, rather many Dunsparce acting on their own (while these may seem like the same thing, a Dunsparce colony tends to exhibit far different behavior than the swarms. For example, colonies spend their lives underground, while the Sinnoh Dunsparce will remain aboveground for their periodic stay. In addition, Dunsparce colonies will attack anyone threatening a Dunsparce, while the Sinnoh Dunsparce will ignore you unless you bother them specifically). As of now, this is the only case of Dunsparce not in a colony. Where the Dunsparce live when not in Sinnoh is, for now, a mystery.

Diet

Dunsparce are largely herbivorous Pokémon, eating leaves, berries, and mosses. Groups of Dunsparce whose job is to find food (See Social Structure) will scrape the plants off rocks and trees, chew them into an unrecognizable, pulpy mass, and return them to the colony to be distributed. If a Dunsparce finds a place with a surplus of food, it will mark the way back with pheromone trails so that it can be found again.

Dunsparce eat very little food, subsiding on the rough equivalent of a few blades of grass a day. However, since Dunsparce gather food for their entire colony, which can be dozens strong, it is not uncommon to see large bare patches of earth where Dunsparce colonies have stripped off all the vegetation.

Cave Dunsparce have learned how to grow plants, to adapt to the lack of plants in a cave. Certain appointed Dunsparce will take the spores of cave mosses, find small veins of water, and plant the mosses, keeping them constantly moist and harvesting them when necessary. The Dunsparce colony in Dark Cave especially have formed moss gardens that cover almost the entire tunnel network, extending out of the tunnels, onto the walls, and even across the ground.

When food is scarce, Dunsparce have been known to resort to eating meat. Most Pokémon have learned to avoid starving Dunsparce, who can be extremely dangerous.

Hazards

Dunsparce with the Run Away subtype are completely harmless, as they will immediately do what their name suggests when confronted. Dunsparce with the Serene Grace subtype, however, are quite dangerous. Dunsparce have a variety of powerful moves at their disposal, and older Dunsparce are even capable of using their drill-tail to produce sonic vibrations that shatter rock (And bones). A group of Dunsparce, if angered, is perfectly capable of bringing down a much larger animal. However, Dunsparce’s true strength in battle comes from its wide selection of non-damaging moves. One move that Dunsparce will often use to deter enemies has been dubbed Yawn. Dunsparce spews out a cloud of chemicals that cause drowsiness, and eventually sleep. Dunsparce can also produce a loud screeching noise that is capable of causing headaches and even blackouts in an unprepared target.

Should you stumble upon a Dunsparce colony, be prepared to either run or fight. Dunsparce colonies will usually have many Serene Grace subtypes guarding it, and all will immediately attack with all available force. When guarding a colony, Dunsparce show no care for their own well-being, and will charge you and your Pokémon head on until it collapses from exhaustion.

Social Structure

Dunsparce form large colonies, of a hundred or more members (The colony in the Three Isle Port has almost five hundred). These colonies are formed in large, mazelike networks of tunnels, which Dunsparce excavate using their tails. Dunsparce in the colony are given a job at birth. These jobs range from digging to finding food, and there are many other jobs as well. Dunsparce seem to be chosen for their jobs based on their subtype. For example, Run Away Dunsparce will generally be found excavating or finding food, while Serene Grace Dunsparce are usually set to guard the colony from intruders (or guard food-finding Dunsparce from predators). Certain Run Away Dunsparce are given the job of quickly digging away if the colony is in severe danger, so as to start over somewhere else. As Dunsparce with the third subtype are incredibly rare, colonies will rarely account for them, generally giving them whatever job is necessary at the time.

Dunsparce colonies are led by the oldest female (called the queen). The queen will assign Dunsparce to their jobs at birth. (See Courtship and Childrearing for information on the queen’s other jobs) Queen Dunsparce are almost never seen, as they usually stay in the tunnels, doing nothing but eating and mating. When a queen dies, the next oldest female in the colony will replace her.

Dunsparce do not build strong bonds with their colony-mates, and will not retaliate if one is attacked or captured. They will only attack if there is a danger to the colony as a whole. Should you find a lone Dunsparce, do not worry about whether or not to capture it. However, should its colony-mates be present, do not attack, as you will quickly find yourself on the receiving end of a powerful assault.

Courtship and Childrearing

Once each year, a Dunsparce colony will go into heat for about a week. During this time, the males of the colony will compete for the right to mate with the queen. When the queen has made her choice, she and the male will enter a small tunnel, where they will mate, and the queen will lay her eggs (Dunsparce lay several dozen eggs at a time). The queen will appoint a Dunsparce to guard the eggs, and return to her home tunnel. The eggs will take several weeks to hatch. Dunsparce are born only a few inches long, but will quickly grow to full size.

The queen does not care for her eggs, and the male will die after mating.

It is currently unknown what the mating rituals of the Dunsparce swarms are. Professor Rowen is currently attempting to study this. Unfortunately, the swarms do not seem to use Sinnoh as a mating ground, which has impeded his studies. He recently wrote to professors living in other regions, asking them to keep an eye out for the Dunsparce swarms and report their behavior to him.

In Human Society

Dunsparce are occasionally used in media, as a shy character who eventually comes out of their shell (often represented by a Butterfree, Beautifly, or Volcarona emerging from the discarded shell of the Dunsparce, despite none of the Pokémon in question being evolutionarily related). In addition, several drilling companies will enlist Dunsparce to help them drill. In addition, some people collect Dunsparce tails, using them in lieu of a drill bit. This practice is largely frowned on, and hunting Dunsparce for their tails is a crime in most areas, except in Sinnoh, where they are considered pests for their tendencies to disturb the native Pokémon.

In Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh, there are rumors of a venomous Dunsparce. This alleged Dunsparce is also the subject of several legends. According to these legends, the Dunsparce is capable of speaking human languages, and swallowing its own tail to roll like a hoop. It supposedly has a taste for alcohol and lying. While most people believe this story to be made up, at least one sighting is reported each year. Several minor scientists have attempted to find and capture this creature, but none have succeeded yet, and the venomous Dunsparce remains a mystery.

Thoughts?

edited 26th May '11 4:27:03 PM by memyselfandI2

Justice Man, you seem to have forgotten about my Litwick article. What I have so far:

Litwick Line

Morphs [Oak Catalog #]

Litwick [607]

Lampent [608]

Chandelure [609]

Litwick (scientific name Umbra lucis) is a short, half-melted candle with yellow eyes. Despite no presence of a wick, its flame burns with a flickering purple light and consumes energy, emotions, and other sensations from living things near it. Although Litwick have mouths, none have ever been observed using it, so it may be purely decorational. Like other ghost Pokemon, Litwick is capable of manipulating its body, and can be found in many different shapes.

Lampent (scientific name Umbra lampas) disguises itself as an old-fashioned lamp to remain unnoticed by its prey. Lampent’s glassy face shields its inner fire from being extinguished, and a small vent in the cover over its head provides it with air. The ghostly arms extending from Lampent’s body allow it to hold itself on objects, leading some communities to employ tame Lampent to act as streetlights.

Chandelure (scientific name Umbra lucerna) is a medium size chandelier-shaped Pokemon with an appearance similar to Lampent. After evolving, Chandelure retains its globe-shaped glass head, but the covering above it is gone, leaving its flame to rise freely into the air. From the bottom of the globe extends two metallic bands, which curve upwards to about the level of Chandelure’s eyes. From each of these grows two candle holders, from which Chandelure releases flames for offense and protection.

Notable Biology

Litwick’s body appears to be made entirely from wax, although nothing can get close enough to examine it properly without being rendered unconscious from energy loss. However, x-ray equipment is able to take images of Litwick’s body, which seem to show that it does have some form of internal organs made out of some waxy substance. Despite being seen to come into contact with solid surfaces, Litwick have occasionally been sighted floating through walls, which suggests that like other Ghost-type Pokemon, Litwick has some control over its molecules, so it is at least partially formed of umbrate.

Habitat

Litwick frequently live in places with swamps and other dangers into which to lure their prey or in graveyards with high amounts of residual life energy. Lampent live in similar areas, but also can be found in cities trailing after potential targets or attempting to lure passers into traffic or other dangers.

Diet

Although it has a mouth, Litwick does not actually eat physical food. Instead, it absorbs energy and emotions from living creatures nearby. In addition, Litwick uses its light to lure people and wild Pokemon to death in order to absorb the energy of the dying soul. As a result, Litwick are frequently found in swampy areas, although they are also occasionally sighted hovering over open manholes in cities.

Like Litwick, Lampent absorbs energy from the living. It also follows those who are about to die, being able to absorb energy from them more easily than healthy individuals. Because of this, Lampent often hang onto buildings pretending to be lamps in order to more easily find prey.

Because Chandelure are rarely sighted in the wild, there have been few opportunities to examine them. Based on the behavior of the occasional ones that have been seen, Chandelure appear to have a diet similar to Litwick and Lampent. However, most Chandelure are capable of draining far more energy. If any living thing becomes immersed one's central flame, almost all of its life force will be transferred to the Chandelure, leaving a barely animate and intelligence lacking body behind. This has lead to many stories of creatures called 'zombies' attacking.

Behavior

Litwick is known for its habit of leading lost people into dangerous and often deadly situations by imitating human lighting in areas that are not safe for humans. It is commonly theorized that this behavior is due to Litwick not being mature enough to drain enough energy for survival from a living host, and thus attempts to cause deaths for it to feed upon. This may also have led to legends of Litwick leading dead souls to the afterlife, although it is more likely that Litwick actually absorbs the dead souls instead.

Upon evolving into Lampent, it appears to gain the ability to sense when death is about to occur. It will often follow a person whose death it senses is near, siphoning off small volumes of energy from the target until their death. If a Lampent is following you for no apparent reason, don’t panic, but remain alert and seek medical assistance. This trickery has led to widespread mistrust of this Pokemon and many superstitions linking it and misfortune. However, in some cultures Trainers who own a Lampent are considered lucky, as they can save trainers that they like from accidents; but it is a bad idea for trainers to mistreat Lampent as they may intentionally lead those they hate into harm.

Courting and Childrearing

Litwick is sexually mature from birth, although it does not use organs to reproduce. Instead, baby Litwick are produced when molten wax from a male Litwick comes into contact with a female Litwick. The wax from the male Litwick melts and mixes with some of the wax on the female, and slowly develops into a small Litwick. The baby then remains attached to the female until it is strong enough to absorb energy, after which it detaches and goes on its own way. This method of reproduction generally occurs only where Litwick are swarming, as swarms tend to appear in areas with high amounts of residual life energy, such as graveyards, where infants have a higher chance of survival.

Lampent does not usually reproduce, as they channel their energy towards growing and finding a Dusk Stone to evolve. On the rare occasions when Lampent do reproduce, they do so in a manner similar to Litwick.

Unlike its previous evolutions, Chandelure reproduces asexually. After it consumes enough energy, the flames on its arms may bifurcate. Each flame forms a new Litwick. The Litwick then remains attached to the Chandelure until it can absorb energy, after which it detaches from its parent and lives separately.

edited 24th May '11 4:09:39 AM by Swampertrox

Weren't you two supposed to colab on the Litwick article? What happened to that?

I like your Litwick Article better than Justice Man's.

Neither article is completely, uh, complete, though. They each to a degree cover areas that the other article does not cover, though.

I think elements from both should be drawn together and then expanded upon from there.

Good mention of the ignus fatuus phenomenon.

Aside from what everyone else has said, the article needs more about Chandelure particularly. There's next to nothing.

So I'm making an illustration for Rayquaza (Which I should probably put on the Dibs page) and I'm kinda wondering if I'm Completely Missing The Point with what I have so far.◊ Mainly it's the fact that Rayquaza isn't the focal point of the image, and it's not facing the viewer.

It looks fine to me.

@ MM&I: ... I can't say that I've ever seen the line as being insectoid in nature, but I must say that I'm impressed with the level of detail that you've managed to cram into it. A little biological facet that might merit consideration though is what sort of accident of nature would cause Dunsparce to be biologically incompatible with all other known insectoid/arthopod 'mons (Dunsparce's sole egg group is the Ground egg group)...

Thanks! ^^ And I'm not sure right now, I'll think about it tomorrow.

Erm, just going to comment on Archen's respiratory system: CROCODILES already have uniflow respiratory systems, and air sacs are present in ALL sauropods and theropods, and some convergent structures in pterosaurs. The respiratory system of Archaeopteryx wouldn't be far off from that of a pigeon, and I don't think there is any reason to think Archen would have respiratory problems. Dinosaurs were far better breathers that mammals.

Oh, on a side note, it hasn't been published yet, but a new study suggests Archaeopteryx is a member of the raptor side of the tree, rather that the one going to modern birds. HOWEVER, due to how definitions work, that means that raptors now are the first outshot of birds. Yay. :P

^ The problem isn't that Archen wouldn't breathe better than mammalian 'mons (if that's what you're getting out of it, then I need some help to figure out how to reparse some sections). The idea is that their respiratory system is inefficient relative to modern analogous structures (e.g. a Pidove's respiratory structure) and that they are biologically accustomed to life in an environment with a more oxygen-rich atmosphere. That was intended to be the cause of their wheezing fits. That said, I might consider axing a few blurbs about the structure of their lungs with that nugget of info regarding saurian respiratory systems...

edited 23rd May '11 9:23:38 PM by TracerBullet

So I'm guessing that there's no more feedback on the Rayquaza sketch I posted?

And it'd end up adapting just like we adapt to high mountain conditions, via increase of red cell numbers. :P

^ They've been revived for less than 40 years in-universe. They're proto-birds, not the Andromeda Strain. Plus, other saurian 'mons in this project exhibit (significantly worse) breathing difficulties, so having Archen exhibit similar behaviors (at least for the moment) doesn't strike me as particularly problematic...

That said, I really do appreciate your input, and will keep it in mind for future revisions.

The sketch looks good, though it's a little hard for me to tell when it's not shaded/coloured or what have you. I'm sure it'll be fine.

The Dunsparce article is good and I agree that more Chandelure is needed in the Litwick articles. Remember that Chandelure does have the highest Special Attack of any non-Legendary. Even if it is a statistical thing, I think that warrants a mention in some form.

The thing is, modern birds can breathe just fine FLYING OVER THE EVEREST. Humans take a week to adapt to high-altitude conditions, where the oxygen concentration is significantly lower than average. Just saying, I may be mixing things up.

Neo Crimson: Not entirely sure about that Justice Man said he would combine them, but didn't.

emyselfandi: I agree. Still working on it. I've added another bit on Chandelure already.

edited 24th May '11 4:12:05 AM by Swampertrox

The reason that other saurian Pokemon have breathing difficulties is because there was more oxygen in their native time periods than today. I could see Archen being somewhat more adapted to a less oxygen-rich environment, but the point still stands.

Please forgive me for interrupting, but the reason Dunsparce is in the Ground egg group? It's based on a Japanese cryptid called the tsuchinoko — despite its appearance, it's a snake, not an insect.