What Pokémon are based on

[Kthleen]

*steals from Serebii forums and tweaks* <_< >_>

HoundoomTrainer gathered the 1st gen, Wolf Goddess gathered 2nd gen, I'm gathering 3rd (pg. 6 on the Serebii link) and maybe 4th gen.

Help?

1st gen:

Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, Venusaur: Toads with dinosaur-like characteristics. Note: they have sprawled legs, which are not what dinosaurs had. Toads do not hop all the time, they sometimes crawl.
Charmander, Charmeleon, Charizard: Charmander is a salamander, which in mythology is associated with fire, Charmeleon is a hadrosaur/salamander mix, and Charizard is your typical western dragon
Squirtle, Wartortle, Blastoise: Squirtle and Wartortle are river turtles, while Blastoise is a tortoise/tank mix (note the large canons on its back )
Caterpie, Metapod, Butterfree: Caterpie is a spicebush swallowtail butterfly caterpillar (1 2) with its osmeterium (the pink forked thing) permanently extended, while Metapod is a pupa (anyone know what species this is?) and Butterfree may be a black-veined white butterfly
Weedle, Kakuna, Beedrill: Stages of bees, and wasps. Bee larva (this, the originally linked picture, is a bee moth larva, hence the "AphoSoc" at the end of the url is short for Aphomia sociella), bee pupa, and a wasp
Pidgey, Pidgeotto, Pidgeot: Pidgey is a cedar waxwing, while Pidgeotto and Pidgeot are more like hawks or falcons
Rattata, Raticate: Rat and nutria
Spearow, Fearow: Some sort of hawk and crane/condor
Ekans, Arbok: Generic snake and cobra
Pikachu, Raichu: Generic rodent and kangaroo rat?
Sandshrew, Sandslash: Pangolin and porcupine/giant armadillo
Nidoran-F, Nidorina, Nidoqueen: Rabbits
Nidoran-M, Nidorino, Nidoking: Rabbits
Clefairy, Clefable: Fairies?
Vulpix, Ninetales: Kitsune and kyuubi kitsune (nine-tailed kitsune)
Jigglypuff, Wigglytuff: Balloons?
Zubat, Golbat: Generic bats
Oddish, Gloom, Vileplume: Radish, rafflesia
Paras, Parasect: Cicada nymphs
Venonat, Venomoth: ? and a moth
Diglett, Dugtrio: Bop-a-moles XD
Meowth, Persian: Maneki neko and cougar
Psyduck, Golduck: Platypus and kappa
Mankey, Primeape: Generic monkeys/apes
Growlithe, Arcanine: Fuu dog
Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Poliwrath: Tadpoles
Abra, Kadabra, Alakazam: ? (Abra looks slightly like a possom) (stromdusk suggests coyote)
Machop, Machoke, Machamp: American wrestlers/Dilophosaurs
Bellsprout, Weepinbell, Victreebel: Pitcher plants
Tentacool, Tentacruel: Jellyfish
Geodude, Graveler, Golem: Rocks and boulders and stones oh my!
Ponyta, Rapidash: Generic horse and unicorn... ON FIRE!
Slowpoke, Slowbro: Hippos?
Magnemite, Magneton: Magnets
Farfetch'd: Duck with leeks dish; also maybe samurai
Doduo, Dodrio: Kiwis/rheas
Seel, Dewgong: Harp seal and dugong/manatee/monk seal
Grimer, Muk: Sludge
Shellder, Cloyster: Scallop and oyster
Gastly, Haunter, Gengar: Hitodama, ghost, doppelgänger
Onix: Wyrm? (HT thinks earth dragon)
Drowzee, Hypno: Tapir baku and hypnotist
Krabby, Kingler: Generic crab and fiddler crab
Voltorb, Electrode: Pokéball mimics
Exeggcute, Exeggutor: Eggs and coconut tree
Cubone, Marowak: ? (HT thinks possible prarie dogs)
Hitmonlee: kickboxer Sawamura Tadashi
Hitmonchan: boxer Ebihara Hiroyuki
Lickitung: ? (absol attacker suggested that there may be some albino fat-tailed gecko [1 2])
Koffing, Weezing: Air pollution/sea mines
Rhyhorn, Rhydon: Rhinos
Chansey: Good mother/nurses and luck
Tangela: It's a bush. X)
Kangaskhan: Kangaroo or Procoptodon
Horsea, Seadra: Sea horses
Goldeen, Seaking: Ryukin goldfish (red-and-white and calico, respectively)
Staryu, Starmie: Sunstars (1 2)
Mr. Mime: Mime
Scyther: Mantis.
Jynx: Yuki-Onna/?
Electabuzz: Oni
Magmar: Fire breather?
Pinsir: Male stag beetle
Tauros: Bison
Magikarp, Gyarados: Japanese legend of a fish turning into a sea serpent
Lapras: Plesiosaurus/sea turtle
Ditto: Silly putty? and, as Yami_no_Waru puts it, "the same Japanese myth Kirby and Buu (Dragonball) do, about a pink demon that could consume enemies and mimic their abilities"
Eevee, Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon: Fennec foxes with cat/dog characteristics
Porygon: ? (HT said parrot/duck)
Omanyte, Omastar: Ammonites
Kabuto, Kabutops: Kabuto (samurai helm), trilobite/mantis
Aerodactyl: Pteranodon
Snorlax: Gluttony/bear?
Articuno: Quetzal and Arabian anka
Zapdos: Ok some sort of electricity-bird
Moltres: Arabian/Western/Russian phoenix
Dratini, Dragonair, Dragonite: Water dragons (I severly doubt that Barney was an inspiration for Dragonite)
Mewtwo: Cat-human, some think that it's a more developed embryo (see below)
Mew: Kitten, some see a connection with embryos

2nd gen:

Chikorita/Bayleef/Meganium: Sauropods
Cyndaquil/Quilava/Typhlosion: Cyndaquil is an echidna, while Quilava is a weasel and Typhlosion is a European badger.
Totodile/Croconaw/Feraligatr: crocodiles/alligators.
Sentret/Furret: Sentret seems to be a mix of squirrel with rabbit. Furret, as its name implies, is a ferret.
Hoothoot/Noctowl: Owls. Hoothoot looks like a Pygmy owl; Noctowl looks like an Eagle owl.
Ledyba/Ledian: Ladybird Beetles, of course. Ledian seems to have a bit of alien mixed into it.
Spinarak/Ariados: Happy face spider and some other spider
Crobat: Vampire bat
Chinchou/Lanturn: Angler fish
Pichu: Generic mouse?
Cleffa: Fairy?
Igglybuff: Balloon?
Togepi/Togetic: Togepi is an egg, Togetic is a fairy
Natu/Xatu: Based off Native American totem poles. (Xatu resembles the Thunderbird)
Mareep/Flaffy/Ampharos: Sheep/?/?
Bellossom: Some sort of flower
Marill/Azumaril: Marill is a ? (WG said pika), Azumarill is a rabbit
Sudowoodo: Petrified tree
Politoed: Frog
Hopip/Skiploom/Jumpluff: Mountain groundsel (1 2)?
Aipom: Generic monkey with emphasis om the prehensileness of the tail
Sunkern/Sunflora: A seed and a sunflower
Yanma: Red dragonfly
Wooper/Quagsire: Axolotl and giant salamander
Espeon/Umbreon: Espeon is a Nekomata, while Umbreon is a fennec fox
Murkrow: Crow with a witch hat and broom tail
Slowking: Hippopotamus?
Misdreavus: Banshee
Unown: Living hieroglyphics
Wobbuffet: Full-sized punching bag and Sanpei Hayashiya
Girafarig: Giraffe
Pineco: Bagworm/pinecone
Foretress: Bagworm/(either a turret, giant clam, or both)
Dunsparce: Some kind a larva/pupa?
Gligar: Scorpion/gargoyle
Steelix: Wyrm?
Snubbull/Granbull: Bulldogs
Quilfish: Blowfish
Scizor: Mantid
Schuckle: Scale insect
Heracross: Rhinoceros beetle
Sneasel: Kamaitachi
Teddiursa/Ursaring: Teddiursa is a teddy bear/bear cub, Ursaring is a sun bear (1 2)
Slugma/Magcargo: Slugma is a slug, Magcargo is a snail
Swinub/Piloswine: Inobuta boar-pig and some sort of boar
Corsola: A chunk of coral
Remoraid/Octillery: Remoraid is an archer fish/remora (1 2 3); Octillery is an octopus
Delibird: Rockhopper penguin/Santa.
Mantine: Manta ray
Skarmory: Stymphalian birds/Andean condor with a Marabou stork beak
Houndour/Houndoom: Doberman Pinschers/hellhounds (WG said "Cerebus")
Kingdra: Weedy sea dragon
Phanpy/Donphan: Very short elephant and elephant/tire
Porygon2: Toy drinking bird
Stantler: Caribou
Smeargle: Beagle?/artist
Tyrogue/Hitmontop: Are humans that embody different fighting styles (Hitmontop = Capoeira)
Smoochum: Baby Jynx
Elekid: Plug
Magby: ? (I really doubt that it's a hadrosaur like WG suggests)
Miltank: Cow
Blissey: Good mother/nurses and luck
Raikou: Smilodon
Entei: Lion with some Newfoundland/Landseer mixed in.
Suicune: Looks somewhat like a shaved blue and white Afghan hound with a beard (Afghans sometimes have one) and enlongated purpled ears
Larvitar/Pupitar/Tyranitar: ? (WG: Dragons or dinosaurs of some sort?)
Lugia: Greek kingfisher god Halcyon? (there's a bird that looks like Lugia on the cover of Across the Nightingale Floor)
Ho-oh: Ho-Oh, the Japanese phoenix
Celebi: A forest fairy?

3rd gen:

Treecko/Grovyle/Sceptile: Leaf-tailed geckos (Pokémon of the Day Chick thinks that Sceptile's tail looks like part of a juniper bush. I do, too. X) )
Torchic/Combusken/Blaziken: Chick and cockfighting chickens (Blaziken has some basis in the bantam rooster, and absol attacker suggested garuda)
Mudkip/Marshtomp/Swampert: Mudskippers/blue axolotls
Poochyena/Mightyena: Brown hyenas (Cub)
Zigzagoon: Raccoon dog
Linoone: Zorilla
Wurmple, Silcoon/Cascoon: Horned caterpillar and luna moth pupae in the early stages
Beautifly: Old world swallowtail butterfly
Dustox: Female luna moth with some female gypsy moth mixed in
Lotad: Lilypad/chibi kappa; may be a pun on "duckweed" (look at this anyway!)
Lombre: Lilypad/sombrero/stereotypical Mexican/kappa
Ludicolo: Dancing sombrero pineapple Mariachi kappa-type thing
Seedot: Acorn
Nuzleaf/Shiftry: Konoha tengu
Taillow: Welcome swallow
Swellow: Barn swallow
Wingull: Gull, likely ring-billed
Pelipper: Pelican
Ralts/Kirlia/Gardevoir: A tomboy, a ballerina, and a fairy tale princess/adult graceful woman dancer
Surskit: Pondskater/harvestman
Masquerain: Has some lanternfly and eye mimicry in it
Shroomish: Mushroom
Breloom: Othnelia/kangaroo?/mushroom
Slakoth/Vigoroth: Sloths
Slaking: Ground sloth/gorilla
Nincada: Cicada nymph (the Pokémon Zoology page points out that Paras more correctly represents one)
Ninjask: Adult cicada/yellow jacket
Shedinja: A shed cicada exoskeleton
Whismur: Jar/rabbit? Family is based on sound getting progressively louder
Loudred: Boombox (it has woofers for ears).... absol attacker thinks that there's some Taz in it
Exploud: Pipe organ.... absol attacker thinks that there is also some howler monkey
Makuhita/Hariyama: Sumo wrestlers
Azurill: Unevolved Marill->mouse? (They were just working backwards.)
Nosepass: Moai/compass
Skitty and Delcatty: Cats
Sableye: Troll
Mawile: Bear trap
Aron/Lairon: ?
Aggron: Diceratops
Meditite/Medicham: Yogis
Electrike: ? (stromdusk suggested Parson Jack Russell terrier)
Manectric: German shepherd? (and quilava plush suggested maned wolf, but I have a stronger feeling toward the G.S.)
Plusle: Rodent/lagomorph+positive charge
Minun: Rodent/lagomorph+negative charge
Volbeat/Illumise: Firefly
Roselia: Rose bush
Gulpin/Swalot: Stomachs
Carvanha: Red-bellied piranha
Sharpedo: Great white shark/ocean sunfish
Wailmer: Blue whale/ball
Wailord: Blue whale/basilosaurus
Numel: Dromedary (Arabian) camel/volcano (the two major types of camel)
Camerupt: Bactrian camel/volcano
Torkoal: Galapagos giant tortoise/coal
Spoink/Grumpig: Pigs (maybe somebody saw this website! XD), perhaps the biblical "neither cast ye your pearls before swine" (Matthew 7:6) was snuck in there as well
Spinda: A drunk, tiny, pinkish and tan panda?/teddy bear brought to life?
Trapinch: Antlion larva
Vibrava: Adult antlion/faerie dragon
Flygon: Green lacewing/faerie dragon
Cacnea: Barrel cactus
Cacturne: Saguaro cactus/scarecrow
Swablu: White-winged fairy-wren 1 2/cotton
Altaria: Golden fleece-guarding dragon?/white-winged fairy-wren/cotton/cloud
Zangoose: A mongoose/cat. The rivalry with Seviper is based on how mongooses can sometimes eat snakes. (Remember The Ghost of Maiden's Peak?)
Seviper: Viper
Lunatone: Moon
Solrock: Sun
Barboach: Loach/(mudfish [info]/mud-minnow)
Whiscash: Catfish (specifically the wels cat 1 2)
Corphish/Crawdaunt: Crayfish
Baltoy: Shakou/spinning top
Claydol: Shakou
Lileep/Cradily: Coral polyps 1 2/crinoids (sea lilies)
Anorith/Armaldo: Anomalocaris
Feebas: An odd bass? It looks a lot like this red-bellied piranha to me....
Milotic: Sea serpent/siren with greatly enlongated gills (if you want to Google image search a siren, search "sirenidae")
Castform: Cloud, weather conditions
Kecleon: Chameleon
Shuppet: A haunted tissue ghost
Banette: A haunted doll
Duskull: Grim reaper sans scythe/Hitotsume-Kozou/Dokuro
Dusclops: Mummy-wrapped cyclops-ghoul
Tropius: Apatosaurus/banana tree
Chimecho: One of those wind chimes that look like an upside-down cup with a tassel/paper hanging out of it (something like this, but different)
Absol: Barghest
Wynaut: Small punching bag
Snorunt: A person wearing a straw blanket thing (pic from Zeta)
Glalie: Getter Robo head/hail
Spheal: Spotted seal with ears/ball (sea lions have external ear projections and real seals don't)
Sealeo: Harbor seal
Walrein: Walrus
Clamperl: Giant clam
Huntail: Gulper Eel 1 2
Gorebyss: Oarfish/pipefish
Relicanth: Coelacanth
Luvdisc: Discus fish
Bagon: Baby western dragon
Shelgon: Dragon cocoon?
Salamence: Adult western dragon
Beldum/Metang/Metagross: Sci-fi invader robots?
Regirock/Regice/Registeel: Jewish golems
Latias/Latios: Jet planes?
Kyogre/Groudon: An orca and an upright Desmatosuchus cast in roles similar to the Biblical Leviathan and Behemoth, respectively
Rayquaza: Eastern dragon (that looks somewhat like a lindworm)
Jirachi: Tanabata festival/genie (Jirachi has three green tanzaku on it)
Deoxys: Humanoid alien/mutated virus->DNA.... My brother thinks it looks like an orbital frame from Zone of the Enders.

4th gen:

Gonbe: Totoro?
Bonsly: Bonsai/petrified tree
Manene: Clown
Manyuura: Kamaitachi
Rukario: Jackal

 

[Kthleen]

sources

Sources, in no real order besides generation:

1:
Cicada nymph
Spicebush swallowtail butterfly caterpillar 1 2
Osmeterium
Duck with leeks
Galapagos giant tortoise
Albino fat-tailed gecko
Sunstars 1 2
Rhea
Cedar waxwing
Baku
Wasp
Sea mine
Rafflesia
Metapod = pupa
Possom
Toads
Salamander (among other stuff)
Hadrosaur
Western dragon ( > Gallery > Dragon Page 1)
Black-veined white butterfly
River turtle
Bee moth and larva
Bison
Bee pupa
Bee larva
Hawk
Falcon
Ryukin goldfish (red-and-white and calico)

2:
Kamaitachi
Vampire bat
Capoeira
Sauropods
Angler fish
Pygmy owl
Archer fish
Remora 1 2 3
Manta ray
Inobuta boar-pig
Across the Nightingale Floor
Sun bear 1 2
Happy face spider
European badger
Marabou stork beak
Eagle owl
Toy drinking bird
Stymphalian birds
Bagworms
Weedy sea dragon
Crocodile
Thunderbird
Mountain groundsel 1 2
Alligator
Ladybird beetle
Red dragonfly
Rockhopper penguin

3:
Pokémon Zoology (Leaf-tailed gecko, anomalocaris, coelacanth)
Old world swallowtail
Bantam rooster
Feebas = red-bellied piranha?
AnnaJ's realistic Lotad
Mystic Hog The Psychic Pig
Serebii - The Ghost of Maiden's Peak, page 11
Pokémon of the Day Chick on Sceptile
Tissue ghost
Indian gifts portal - chime
What is Snorunt?
Discus fish
Real-life Groudon - the Desmatosuchus
Siren (if you want to Google image search a siren, search "sirenidae")
Various orbital frames from Zone of the Enders
Barghest
Othnelia
Ground sloth
Shakou (second down)
Coral polyps 1 2
Crinoids
Barn swallows
Welcome swallow
Tengu
Gulper eel 1 2
Tanabata festival
Zorilla
Brown hyena
Brown hyena cub
Mudskipper
Axolotl
Moai
Pondskater
Harvestman
Mori no Ikimono - raccoon dog
Ocean sunfish
Piranha
Camels
Gypsy moth
Luna moth info (including pupae)
Cicada
Ring-billed gull
White-winged fairy-wren 1 2
Maned wolf
Automimicry- Phosphora lanternaria lanternfly
Pipefish
Oarfish
Chibi kappa
Woofers
Taz
Wels cat 1 2
Parson Jack Russell terrier
Mudfish
Mudfish info
Mud-minnow
Diceratops
Apatosaurus
Kamaitachi
Getter Robo
Green lacewing
Adult antlion

4:
Bonsai[/url]

 

[The Big Al]

Blaziken is based spefically on the bantam rooster. (Bantams's leg feathers cover their feet like Blaziken.)

Bantam Rooster

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

I would argue Persian being based on the Siamese cat, it appears to be more of a cougar in body.

 

[Kthleen]

Thank you, TBA and BjG.

Should I keep "siamese cat" and just add "cougar", or should I only have "cougar"? Because of what I'm doing (or not doing

), I want to have it as accurate as possible.

 

[V Faction]

Mind adding "colocynth" to Ludicolo's description? It's a plant that bears a round, green-and-yellow fruit. I got it from another similar list and it sounds about right for Ludicolo, especially since it's also in its name.

Meditite and Medicham are definitely based on practicers of yoga, which disciplines both body and mind (explaining the Psychic/Fighting combo).

 

[redchesus]

-Remoraid: It's a remora, considering its name and how it attaches itself to Mantine. It probably has archer fish influences since we've seen many pics and info of it shooting things down... (the designers seem to like combining two different concepts into one, i.e. elephant + tires = Donphan)

-Flygon: I think where the Dragon element comes in on Flygon are the faerie dragons with the insect wings

-Drowzee: it's a tapir, yes, but more specifically it's a Baku (dream eater demon) which is sometimes depicted as a tapir

-Electabuzz: have been said to be an Oni, because it's hideous and it has tiger skin, something the oni has been known to wear (I think this is a stretch)

-Jynx: Yuki-Onna, yes, but, again, I highly doubt the makers were had a black woman/prostitute as the other influence (just think about it, it's a ridiculous connotation for a kid's game), like many others have said, the dark skin tone, blonde hair, bright lips signify the Japanese ganguro fashion trend
(my theory on why her skin was black in the first place was to make coloring her with the Gameboy duotone easier)

-Lotad: when it first came out, I remember the direct translation of its classification to be "duckweed" not "water weed" so its duck bill is probably a play on words

-Also, to retouch on my Farfetch'd thing in the other thread, there's apparently some Japanese folklore about a wild duck which offers itself to lost woodsmen, and it carries a leek with it for them to cook it with
(hopefully I'll locate where I read that, but here are some pics you get with you search "kamonegi" that's definitely not related to Farfetch'd itself, most of them are restaurants or probably duck product ads)
1 2 3 4

-Lucario: Anubis = jackal, you're right on that

-Meditite: V Faction is right about the yoga thing, its Japanese name is Asanan, "asana" is a yoga position

I'll keep looking through your list, it's very comprehensive

 

[V Faction]

Isn't Remoraid a REMORA?? Considering it's in the name and it attaches itself to Mantine

I agree with that, but I also agree with the archer fish (whose name I couldn't remember sometime ago). Remoraid IS a spitter; it has a lot of attacks that I could qualify as projectile. Octillery has even more, learning all the beam attacks.

 

[seatrooper]

I think Onix is supposed to be a rock-snake. And Steelix is a... steel-snake

 

[Habunake]

Venonat...is a Gnat.Kinda surprised you had a question mark for it.

Oh, and I think Porygon 2 is based on those toy ducks that duck up and down into water.

 

[bell02+]

I though Nidoran were based off of Rabbits, hince the reason why they were the first genderd pokemon.

Also I think Tyrannitar has been accepted as being based off of godzilla. At least I thought that's what most people think.

 

[redchesus]

Venonat...is a Gnat.Kinda surprised you had a question mark for it.

Real gnats don't look like Venonat at all

 

[V Faction]

I think Onix is supposed to be a rock-snake. And Steelix is a... steel-snake

Actually, I'd say they were more like Lindworms, rather than snakes. If you think about it, it makes more sense, seeing as they can now get Dragonbreath.

 

[Metagross_]

I wonder if people would eat a Shellder... ;

 

[Kthleen]

I think I'll go with "cougar" only.....

Questions I need a consensus on: 1. Should I add "/colocynth" to Ludicolo? 2. What in the world is Jynx? 3. Is Rukario really based on Anubis? 4. Is Tyranitar based on Godzilla?

V Faction:
Every picture but two I can find of this "colocynth" is pure yellow (the first is mainly medium bluish green with very thin, spotty, off-white stripes and last is light medium orange). I'm going to need a consensus on this one.
I'll add "Yogis" for those two.
Every lindworm I've seen and heard of has 2 legs only (2 legs+2 wings=wyvern; in heraldry the lindworm and the wyvern are considered the same, I think), so I think it may be some kind of wurm/wyrm (no legs). However, I keep finding that they live around water, which isn't Onix/Steelix-like.

redchesus:
I... kind of... already have those two.... I'll add "/tire" for Donphan, though.
Faerie dragon, eh? Ok.
Ok. Thank you. (Guess that explains Bakumon....)
I'll add that. (I didn't know they wore tiger skins....)
I've always heard that the ganguro fashion started/became famous too late for Jynx to be based on it. (The games came out in '95, ganguro started/got going in '96 with Namie Amuro and perhaps Naomi Campbell, according to this and this). Jynx's Pokédex entries mention how she seductively wiggles her hips. Hell, I'll just put a question mark....
Maybe, but it doesn't look like duckweed. I'll add that it may be a pun, though.
I'll add that (and I await the day you get a link to the folklore).
Are we sure that it is indeed based on Anubis?

Habunake:
redchesus has a point. The only fuzzy gnats that I can find are (fake) flies for fishing.
Hmm.... Perhaps. Looks kind of like one, but I'm not.... Ok. I'll add "toy drinking bird".

bell02 alpha:
Aah, I need to pay more attention.

*fixes*
I'm going to need a consensus here, too.

Metagross:
They eat Farfetch'd, so why not? That'll teach 'em not to stick their tongue-like feet out at us! *shakes fist*

 

[Thomas-san]

I thought that Ninetales was based off of a character from Inuyasha xD

 

[V Faction]

I think I'll go with "cougar" only.....

Questions I need a consensus on: 1. Should I add "/colocynth" to Ludicolo? 2. What in the world is Jynx? 3. Is Rukario really based on Anubis? 4. Is Tyranitar based on Godzilla?

V Faction:
Every picture but two I can find of this "colocynth" is pure yellow (the first is mainly medium bluish green with very thin, spotty, off-white stripes and last is light medium orange). I'm going to need a consensus on this one.
I'll add "Yogis" for those two.
Every lindworm I've seen and heard of has 2 legs only (2 legs+2 wings=wyvern; in heraldry the lindworm and the wyvern are considered the same, I think), so I think it may be some kind of wurm/wyrm (no legs). However, I keep finding that they live around water, which isn't Onix/Steelix-like.

Well, colocynth was from another source. Even I was unsure if it was plausible after Googling the pictures. The only thing that seems to stick is the 'colo' connection in the names.

The Wikipedia article does say they can be legless, but I'll go with a simple 'wyrm' if that's all that can be given. I remember a discussion I had a very long time ago, and the distinct spelling of wyrm is something I recall. I'd be inclined to go with that more, ignoring the whole water characteristic.

I'm with chesus on Rukario and Anubis. That's what most people related Rukario to before he was released to the public. The humanshape of Rukario is the reason why I'm leaning more towards Anubis than straight-up jackal. I will also agree with the Godzilla connection for Tyranitar. That's, again, what people basically agreed on in past dicussions of the same topic.

And here's some food for thought:

I once stumbled upon what I believed to be an animal connection with Metagross. It was a spider with the same sound in its name (the 'ross' sound). Sadly, I haven't been able to refind this bit of info and can't completely confirm its validity.

If we're adding instruments relations to the Whismur family, might as well place Whistle/Jug under Whismur. The little hole in the head suggests a wind apparatus performed by small blowing of wind.

 

[Kthleen]

I thought that Ninetales was based off of a character from Inuyasha xD

No, they just come from the same source. Like with Kyuubimon. (I've never watched Inuyasha, so I don't know who you're talking about.)

If we're adding instruments relations to the Whismur family, might as well place Whistle/Jug under Whismur. The little hole in the head suggests a wind apparatus performed by small blowing of wind.

That's what I thought, too. (Except... Icouldn'tthinkoftherightwordandkeptsayingjar....) I'm going to put "Jar/".

 

[redchesus]

About the Farfetch'd thing, I'm starting to think I'm delusional because I can't find any traces of this "folklore" I've heard

What I actually found was that "kamo" means duck and "negi" means spring onion so it literally means "Onion Duck," which apparently is a dish in Japan (Kamo Negi Udon I think it was? They probably make it with ramen too), which is why I got those pictures when I typed in kamonegi...

It seems that Farfetch'd is sort of a joke by the designers, and not an actual folklore *sigh* I've gone insane then, you can make that correction now

it's just a duck with a leek/green onion

There's this link too
"A few weeks back, I was clued in to the expression kamo negi, which for those whose Japanese is as bad as mine, means literally "duck" and "onion." It originally referred to finding a duck amid a patch of leeks, a meal just waiting to be prepared."

 

[Zhen Lin]

Speaking of Farfetch'd, the 4koma depiction is that of a Samurai, methinks.