I'M MAKING A THREAD ABOUT POKEMON AND THE COOL ANIMALS THAT INSPIRED THEM AND NOBODY CAN STOP ME (all photos have credit in the alt text!)

Sandslash is based on the pangolin! These insectivorous mammals are covered head to toe in scales made of keratin, the same material as your hair and nails. Many pangolins live in trees, but ground pangolins dig their burrows in the dirt, hence Sandslash's ground typing.

Drowzee is based on the tapir! More specifically, the baku, a spirit that takes a form resembling a tapir & eats nightmares. This is referenced by Drowzee's attack Dream Eater. Tapirs have a long prehensile snout, which they use to strip leaves off of branches AND as a snorkel :)

Turtonator gets its flat, jagged looks from the mata mata turtle! Their rough appearance helps them stay camouflaged in the murky waters of the Amazon river, and their pointy nose lets them breathe air from the surface without revealing their body.

Alomomola is based on the ocean sunfish, AKA "mola mola." These are the largest bony fish (meaning not sharks or rays) in the world! You may have heard some unkind things said about them on the Internet, but don't fall for it. They're actually really cool.

The Trapinch/Vibrava/Flygon line is really neat - they're based on a family of insects called antlions! Many species of antlions, when they are larvae, dig funnel-shaped pits in sand that trap their prey. As adults they resemble dragonflies.

Relicanth is based on the coelacanth! This fish was thought to have gone extinct 60 million years ago, until a specimen was discovered in 1938. They move their fins in alternating pairs, which is unlike other fish but resembles the movement of terrestrial limbs.

Dewgong is (obviously) based on the dugong, but contrary to what the Pokémon's evolutionary line may lead you to believe, dugongs are not closely related to seals. Their closest cousins are manatees and... elephants

Golisopod and Wimpod are based on giant isopods! These are scavengers that scuttle along the ocean floor and munch up whatever they can find. If they look a little familiar, it's because they're cousins of the woodlouse, AKA the roly poly. (thanks @franzanth!)

Kabuto is based on the horseshoe crab! "Crab" is a misnomer; they're arthropods, more closely related to spiders than crabs. They still pretty much look like they did over 400 million years ago, making it a great candidate for a "fossil" Pokemon. (thanks @ZestyZebra10134!)

I just realized alt text doesn't work like I thought it did soooooo I'm gonna have to add photo credit to the replies on each photo instead sorry yall!!!