Dunsparce

[Dark Espeon]

Am I the only person that thinks there is nothing snake-like about Dunsparce? Where did people got that idea from anyways?! O_O The Pokedex may say it's a land snake, but the Pokedex also says many things that aren't true.

I have yet to see a snake that is both short and fat. Anancondas, pythons, etc., for instance, are fat, but there is nothing short about them. Others are small, and quite short, but they're not fat. Lol. It doesn't behave like one. And where is the lovely poison? Yes, not all snakes are poisonous, but the ones that aren't, are constrictors, or fast-biters at least. And with a body like that...*laughs* That thing couldn't constrict a Wurmple if its life depended on it! It can't poison, and it can't constrict, and it certainly won't move fast enough to catch anything and bite it. *laughs histerically* How pathetic! It can't even live on insects! Anything can outrun it/escape from it O_O! Unless it feeds on snails, or on earthworms when it goes underground, which is not very snake-like either...

Either I need glasses, or everybody who thinks Dunsparce is a snake needs 'em. As far as I'm concerned, Dunsparce is a worm with fangs, drill tail and wings that wanted to be a snake but never actually became one. :sweat:

 

[Barb]

Its body definitely doesn't look snakelike; it's too short. However, its tail is reminiscent of a rattlesnake's rattle and fangs are a common characteristic of many snake species. I noticed that the Dunsparce's fangs are placed in the front of the mouth rather than the rear as is seen in venomous Colubrids [family that includes most common snakes, including garter snakes]. The stripes on the back of Dunsparce are similar to the striped coloring found on coral snakes. Its body, however, seems insectoid. The name "Land Snake" is a misnomer.

 

[Dark Espeon]

HHhmm, good points, Barb. I never thought of his tail as a rattle. But, yes, it does look like one ...

I also agree with the fangs. And it does look insectoid: well defined head, and the thorax and abdomen fused together. Also, come to think of it, snakes don't usually have a head, body and tail 100% defined -they're rather merged together-, whereas Dunsparce has them quite defined one from the other...

 

[KoalaDevourer]

I think the wings have something to do with Egypt. But I never delved into the importance of why a Pokemon looks odd, I just accept the fact that GameFreaks is run by a bunch of potheads.

 

[Barb]

But I never delved into the importance of why a Pokemon looks odd, I just accept the fact that GameFreaks is run by a bunch of potheads.


This seems like a perfectly valid theory to me.

 

[Jukain]

From Bulbapedia:

Dunsparce is based on the mythical tsuchinoko snake. Tsuchinoko are 30 cm to 80 cm long, with a large head and poisonous fangs. Its body is thicker than its head and tail. The noises it makes resemble squeaks and chirps and snores. Unlike the snake, which slithers from side to side, a tsuchinoko wiggles ahead in a straight line. Ths tsuchinoko curls its body to leap through the air.

 

[Dark Espeon]

O.O....

So that explains it! Thanks for that info, Sceptile726! =D

 

[Zeta]

I had always thought it was based on those rare gliding snakes that live in jungles and flatten out to soar.

 

[Punk]

If he is a snake then he's a fat one, lol. I never knew they called him a snake.

 

[Barb]

In the Pokédex entry for Dunsparce, it's called the Land Snake Pokémon.

 

[The Dude]

Whatever Dunsparce is, it's positively adorable! It's one of my favorites for some reason. Note that Dunsparce has little wings. Do normal snakes have wings? No.

 

[Yacob]

It doesn't look like a snake to me. But it has fangs and a rattle?

 

[Barb]

It definitely has fangs, and the end of its tail resembles that of a rattlesnake.

 

[BenRG]

Dunsparce thoughts

Two thoughts come to my mind when I look at Dunsparce.

Firstly, I don't think that the tail ends with a rattle. I think that it is a rotary digging bore, which suggests that Dunsparce may dig its lairs backwards. When you think about it, it is logical, as the end with its venomous fangs would be the best to have sticking out of the ground when it is trying to dig a hole.

Secondly, I'm not sure those wings are quite what they seem. In Anne McCaffery's "Dragonriders of Pern" stories, there is a wild snake-like creature called a Tunnel Snake, which is much like Dunsparse in many ways apart from the fact that it has six limbs. Anyway, the Tunnel Snake's middle pair of limbs are little more than hooks that it extends from its side to hold it in place when it is in a tunnel. It also anchors the creature when it reaches out of the tunnel to grab prey.

You can come to some conclusions about Dunsparce's behaviour and nature from this.

Dunsparce is a highly specialised species of snake that has adapted itself for ambush hunting.

This species is rarely seen on the surface as they are quite slow moving over long distances and would be vulnerable to aerial attack from Pidgeotto, Fearow and other medium- to large-sized aerial predators.

When Dunsparce finds an area with soft earth, it uses its specialised drill-bit tail to dig backwards into the ground, creating a lair about two times its body length, extending into the ground at about a 45-degree angle. Dunsparce then uses its armoured ground-coloured head to block the entrance. Dunsparce remains still until its prey (usually Rattata or some other ground-dwelling rodent-like Pokémon) comes along. Bracing itself against the tunnel walls with its wing-like mid-body limbs, Dunsparce leaps out and uses its deep-rooted barbed fangs to seize its prey. It then uses its limbs to assist itself in pulling the prey into its lair where it is subdued and eaten.

Dunsparce's limbs are so strong that it will hold itself underground even if a very large predatory Pokémon is trying to pull it out. The only confirmed way to get a Dunsparce out of its burrow is to dig down vertically from above, destroying the tunnel walls.

 

[Dark Espeon]

Whatever Dunsparce is, it's positively adorable! It's one of my favorites for some reason. Note that Dunsparce has little wings. Do normal snakes have wings? No.

...

Adorable X_X. Somebody actually finds "da thang" adorable ;;

 

[PDL]

for some reason, Dunsparce reminds me of a naked mole rate... so it could lead a lifestyle simlair to one... though it feeds on live prey rather then on roots and tubers...