Shellos Report

Shellos (the Sea Slug Pokémon) is a relatively uncommon Water-type Pokémon found around bodies of saltwater in the Sinnoh, Alola, Galar, Hisui and Paldea regions as well as the Hoenn region on rare occasions. Although limited in terms of power and combat potential, Shellos are highly unique creatures that may represent one of the few possible occurrences of allopatric speciation or at the very least may be evolving towards that point. That might not be enough to make them worth battling with in many cases, but at least these creatures have some mechanism to rely on for defense...even if it doesn't have much effect on creatures today!

Shellos and Gastrodon, who are distant relatives to the members of the Shellder family, are mainly studied in the Sinnoh region because they come in two different varieties: a pink variety that is found only on the western half of the Sinnoh region and a blue variety that is found only on the eastern half of the Sinnoh region, each with morphological difference besides color. While this might denote separate species to some, both varieties learn the exact same attacks and techniques, they possess the same types and Abilities, and they have the same stats; genetically, they are essentially the same species. It is strongly believed that these different varieties were once one variety long ago, but were separated long enough for serious morphological changes to naturally arise between members via allopatric speciation; the most likely geographic disturbance responsible for this transformation is Mt. Coronet, but this present its own set of problems. Mt. Coronet was created during the Early Miocene, and given the amount of time that has passed since then, it would be more than expected that species divergence would have occurred by now; instead, these creatures are still in the developmental phase of allopatric speciation, as both varieties of Shellos and Gastrodon are capable of mating without any problem (with the mother’s form being the selected one when determining the form of the offspring). It is possible, however, that these creatures have been able to maintain their basic types and attributes because the environments on either side of Mt. Coronet are not that drastically different from one another on the mainland and the food resources do not differ much at all. At the moment, however, the seemingly slow development of speciation among Shellos and Gastrodon is a mystery, though it is hoped that further studies on the process of allopatric speciation may be able to explain their relationship in time. Their introduction to the Alola region complicates matters somewhat further, though, as the color and appearance that they take on their seems to be affected by the specific habitat and water temperature near the seashore they live in and especially what they eat, with more vibrant colors being associated with more thriving food resources (though in terms of form, only East Sea Shellos and Gastrodon seem to be present in large numbers within the region) and warm and cold waters resulting in the West and East forms, respectively. Research is still being conducted at the moment as to whether or not this is a deciding factor in the division that separates Shellos and Gastrodon forms in the Sinnoh region, and experiments are underway to see how a change in food and/or environment may affect their color and form and whether there are any possible body colors for the creatures other than those already observed.

Shellos themselves are relatively simple and friendly creatures that live fairly basic lives; like marine slugs, Shellos strictly live near sources of water in order to keep their bodies hydrated (as they easily dry out in harsh conditions on land, though they can function outside of the water for short periods of time) and feed on low-lying plants and plankton for food. Besides their attacks, Shellos sadly have little to defend themselves with, but if they are squeezed too hardly or otherwise sense that they are in danger, they release a strange, sticky purple fluid from their bodies under the associated stress. While this odd fluid is caustic to human skin and to some Pokémon and can be troublesome to wash off, it is neither an acid nor a base and is of such an unusual organic construction that its exact properties and purpose are still a bit of a mystery; at the very least, though, it can be thought to be some sort of greasy sweat. While its exact purpose is unclear, if anything else, this fluid could be seen as a deterrent to predators, though it might have been more effective in the past; today, Shellos are blessed in that they (along with Gastrodon) have no common predators in the wild (except for the occasional starving carnivore) because they possess a rather displeasing taste, in turn explaining why they have had no need to develop a better defense against attack. This is further amplified by the fact that they can quickly regrow any body part that receives critical damage, and scientists are fervently studying the materials from which their cells are made to better understand their regenerative abilities for medical applications.

Although somewhat simple creatures, Shellos are nonetheless interesting organisms that may yet shed some light on greater mysteries that go beyond themselves. They may be highly limited in the variety of moves they can learn as a whole, but for trainers willing to give them a try, they can nonetheless be loyal fighters to the end. Of course, keeping them around past evolution will still be a poor move; granted, they might end up becoming even more vulnerable to Grass-type attacks, but for these soft critters, immunity to electrical attacks will be far more important in practice!

Professor Wormwood