Animals That Aren't Pokemon Yet (Sword and Shield Edition)

[Pokemon Fan]

This I thought could be fun, making a list of animals that aren't pokemon yet and seeing over the months which ones end up being a part of the 8th generation.

I'll leave out prehistoric animals, as pokemon has barely scratched the surface in regards to them, and also avoid listing specific species unless there is nothing else remotely similar (i.e. most entries will be a general animal type that may consist of several or even many species). A "/" denotes two groups of animals that look similar enough that one pokemon could feasibly represent them all.

An underline is for an animal that was on the list and ended up premiering in Sword and Shield.

Mammals:

• Echidna (Cyndaquil may be one, but is called a mouse, and also resembles a tenrec)
  
• Possum/Opossum
• Tasmanian Devil
  
• Wombat
• Elephant shrew
• Aardvark
• Manatee
• Armadillo
• Kangaroo rat/jerboa
• Porcupine (togedemaru seems more like a spiny mouse, albeit without a tail)
• Capybara
• Mole rat
• Colugo
• Bushbaby
• Tarsier
• Flying Fox
• Solenodon
• Desman
• Shrew
• Wolverine
• Fossa
• Binturong
• Moose
• Giraffe (girafarig is more a okapi than anything else)
• Dolphin/porpoise/small toothed whale

Birds:

• Cassowary (Dodrio embodies most large flightless birds except for this one)
  
• Turkey
• Peafowl
• Albatross
• Loon
• Flamingo
• Heron/stork
• Frigatebird
• Secretary Bird
• Crane
• Bustard
• Jacana
• Skimmer
• Puffin
• Hummingbird
• Swift
• Kingfisher
• Hornbill

Reptiles

• Snapping turtle (Drednaw)
• Anaconda (Sandaconda probably doesn't count, since in Japanese its name simply means "sand snake" and nothing about its design really points to an anaconda inspiration)
  
• Flying snake
• Coral snake
• Sea snake
  
• Flying lizard (Inteleon's skin flaps may be inspired by them)
  
• Iguana
• Monkey-tailed skink
• Monitor lizard

Amphibians (a bit difficult to list, as pokemon have actually covered the major groups but most of them use designs that don't point to any particular type of frogs, toads or salamanders)

• Caecilian
• Amphiuma
• Flying frog

Fish:

• Thresher shark
• Whale shark
• Sawfish (sort of present in the spines Mega Sharpedo can produce)
• Stingray
• Lungfish
• Gar
• Sturgeon
• Arapaima
• Moray eel
• Bichir
• Pike
• Salmon
• Viperfish
• Needlefish
• Oarfish (Milotic might have a bit of this admittedly)
• Flyingfish
• Barracuda
• Stonefish
• Clownfish
• Swordfish/marlin (Tapu fini sort of has the snout of one on its shell)
• Cowfish

Miscellaneous Invertebrates

• Sponge
• Sea anemone
• Flatworm
• Bristleworm (a bobbit worm would be impressive)
• Earthworm (onix is specifically a snake)
• Velvet worm
• Tardigrade (water bear)
• Brittle star
• Sea urchin
• Horseshoe crab

Insects:

• Springtail
• Silverfish
• Stick insect
• Earwig
• Termite
• Cockroach (unless Pheromosa is one)
• Giant water bug
• Treehopper/leafhopper
• Backswimmer
• Assasin bug
• Stink bug
• Tiger beetle
• Diving beetle/whirligig beetle
  
• Flea

Crustaceans:

• Copepod (unless Pheromosa is one)
• Mantis shrimp
• Spider crab
• Pillbug

Arachnids:

• Solpugid
• Vinegaroon
• Whip-spider
• Harvestman
• Bolas spider
• Net-casting spider

Molluscs:

• Nautilus
• Cuttlefish

Of course this list excludes a lot, but I tried to only include animals with notably distinct bodies that could also make good pokemon designs. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the 8th gen pokemon end up based on a creature more specific and/obscure than those listed here (like how Turtonator got based on the matamata turtle).

Feel free to point out errors, my mind glazed over a few times while writing this. Feel free to add to it as well.

 

[maskofsanity1998]

of the pokemon you've listed i think several could be cool
water/grass manatee (sea cow)
there have been rumors about capybaras bc of (masuda's?) twitter - water / normal like bidoof maybe?
mole rat would be cute i think? ground + something?
hummingbird would be amazing

not listed that i want:
bettafish - water/fighting (might be a bad idea actually, since it could influence kids to fight bettas...)
goldfish - water/ anything
bearded dragon - dragon/?
crested gecko
other animals popular in pet trade maybe?

really nice list!

 

[Pokemon Fan]

goldfish - water/ anything

Wouldn't you say Goldeen and Seaking have that covered? ^_^

 

[Wingulltrainer]

How about a fire bellied toad?

 

[maskofsanity1998]

Wouldn't you say Goldeen and Seaking have that covered? ^_^

jeez i really forgot about them huh? maybe they can go for a more classic "comet" shape or a koi instead of a fancy goldfish like those

 

[ChavaWM]

A lot of these are in my wishlist that I posted a few days ago.
I would like to see a pelican spider or a crab spider. Such cool intricate arachnids.
I'm also very surprised we haven't gotten a flying fish

 

[janejane6178]

C
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

 

[shoz999]

A Pikachu. We've had all sorts of Pokemon that have become animals but we've never had a Pikachu animal before.

 

[Nodame]

Pink Fairy Armadillo.

 

[TheWanderingMist]

Nautilus is already covered by Omanyte and Omastar

 

[PokeMon2.0]

A peacock and flamingo would be nice.
Maybe a Fire/Flying flamingo living in magma pools.
A Psychic/Flying peacock/peahen branch evolution.
I’d love to see a Water/Flying loon. It would have to start out as a cute little baby loon chick.
Secretary Bird would be Fighting/Flying for sure, might even have a quill pen it carries like a secretary in England.
Turkey could be Ground/Flying.
Would love to see a Bug/Grass leafhopper that evolves into a thorn bug, would be nice for a change.
For a swordfish I could see Fighting/Water.
I’m also in for a backswimmer that’s Water/Bug or Bug/Poison because of its bite.

 

[Acer11]

This I thought could be fun, making a list of animals that aren't pokemon yet and seeing over the months which ones end up being a part of the 8th generation.

I'll leave out prehistoric animals, as pokemon has barely scratched the surface in regards to them, and also avoid listing specific species unless there is nothing else remotely similar (i.e. most entries will be a general animal type that may consist of several or even many species). A "/" denotes two groups of animals that look similar enough that one pokemon could feasibly represent them all.

Mammals:

• Echidna (Cyndaquil may be one, but is called a mouse, and also resembles a tenrec)
  
• Possum/Opossum
• Tasmanian Devil
  
• Wombat
• Elephant shrew
• Aardvark
• Manatee
• Armadillo
• Kangaroo rat/jerboa
• Porcupine (togedemaru seems more like a spiny mouse, albeit without a tail)
• Capybara
• Mole rat
• Colugo
• Bushbaby
• Tarsier
• Flying Fox
• Solenodon
• Desman
• Shrew
• Wolverine
• Fossa
• Binturong
• Moose
• Giraffe (giraffarig is more a okapi than anything else)
• Dolphin/porpoise/small toothed whale

Birds:

• Cassowary (Dodrio embodies most large flightless birds except for this one)
  
• Turkey
• Peafowl
• Albatross
• Loon
• Flamingo
• Heron/stork
• Frigatebird
• Secretary Bird
• Crane
• Bustard
• Jacana
• Skimmer
• Puffin
• Hummingbird
• Swift
• Kingfisher
• Hornbill

Reptiles

• Snapping turtle
• Anaconda
• Flying snake
• Coral snake
• Sea snake
  
• Flying lizard
• Iguana
• Monkey-tailed skink
• Monitor lizard

Amphibians (a bit difficult to list, as pokemon have actually covered the major groups but most of them use designs that don't point to any particular group of frogs, toads or salamanders)

• Caecilian
• Amphiuma
• Flying frog

Fish:

• Thresher shark
• Whale shark
• Sawfish (sort of present in the spines Mega Sharpedo can produce)
• Stingray
• Lungfish
• Gar
• Sturgeon
• Arapaima
• Moray eel
• Bichir
• Pike
• Salmon
• Viperfish
• Needlefish
• Barracuda
• Oarfish (Milotic might have a bit of this admittedly)
• Flyingfish
• Barracuda
• Stonefish
• Clownfish
• Swordfish/marlin (Tapu fini sort of has the snout of one on its shell)
• Cowfish

Miscellaneous Invertebrates

• Sponge
• Sea anemone
• Flatworm
• Bristleworm (a bobbit worm would be impressive)
• Earthworm (onix is specifically a snake)
• Velvet worm
• Tardigrade (water bear)
• Brittle star
• Sea urchin

Insects:

• Springtail
• Silverfish
• Stick insect
• Earwig
• Termite
• Cockroach (unless Pheromosa is one)
• Giant water bug
• Treehopper/leafhopper
• Backswimmer
• Assasin bug
• Stink bug
• Tiger beetle
• Diving beetle
• Flea

Crustaceans:

• Copepod (unless Pheromosa is one)
• Mantis shrimp
• Spider crab
• Pillbug
• Horseshoe crab

Arachnids:

• Solpugid
• Vinegaroon
• Whip-spider
• Harvestman

Molluscs:

• Nautilus
• Cuttlefish

Of course this list excludes a lot, but I tried to only include animals with notably distinct bodies that could also make good pokemon designs. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the 8th gen pokemon end up based on a creature more specific and/obscure than those listed here (like how Turtonator got based on the matamata turtle).

Feel free to point out errors, my mind glazed over a few times while writing this. Feel free to add to it as well.

Doesn't Sandshrew resemble an Armadillo?

 

[Pokemon Fan]

Nautilus is already covered by Omanyte and Omastar

True they're similar, though those are technically ammonites.

Doesn't Sandshrew resemble an Armadillo?

It could count, but to me the design always seemed to be more based on a pangolin (especially considering Sandslash's design).

 

[oarfish]

Oarfish. Give me an oarfish Pokémon. Although I disagree with the OP that Milotic somewhat resembles one.
Also, yes to a cassowary Pokémon. I would really like that.

 

[Kangaflora]

I can see the Flamingo Pokémon being a two-evolution Pokémon and I can see it being a Water/Flying type too as they are mostly in shallow water-covered areas

 

[PokeMon2.0]

Definitely think a flamingo would likely be Water/Flying most likely.
Looking at the list, a binturong would be a Normal/Fighting type I’m guessing?
Would love to see a Water/Flying jacana. There’s a species native to UK (I think?).
Could see this as a Water/Flying type.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_coot

 

[Missingno.Fan]

I would love to see a peacock, turkey, hummingbird, flamingo, dolphin, narwhal, manatee, cheetah, and opossum.

 

[Wulava]

The stork could be Galar's regional bird. The nest on the roof in the trailer reminded me of one.

Also, you forgot Quail.

 

[Rainbowdashtheawesome]

You said barracuda twice. Also, while Crabrawler is mainly a coconut crab it also could be seen as part mantis shrimp.

I would love to see a hummingbird, flamingo, and dolphin. I get the feeling we won't get a whole lot of new aquatic species, since the region seems to have relatively few water areas.

 

[Arthropoda]

Just going to talk about crustaceans cause thats my thing IRL. (We already have: wharf roach->giant isopod, coconut crab-> yeti crab, pistol shrimp, barnacle, hermit crab, signal crayfish, and something that appears to be a mix of king crab and fiddler crab.)

Crustaceans:
First of all, Horseshoe crabs aren't crustaceans. They are Chelicerates like Arachnids.

--assorted Crustaceans

Phronima-a type of deep sea amphipod that hollows out salps and supposedly inspired the movie "Alien"

Skeleton Shrimp- another amphipod that are just super cool looking. Seriously, look them up and tell me that wouldn't be a cool Ghost/Bug

Acanthogammaridae- just a really interesting group of amphipods

Remipedes- think centipede with flippers for legs that live in marine caves and are venomous.

Brine shrimp- AKA sea monkeys. Rather cute and frilly when you look at them up close

Tadpole Shrimp-AKA Triops. They just look neat.

Giant Ostracods- they look like orbs with giant eyes inside them.

Cymothoa exigua- the tongue eating louse. They eat the tongues out of fish and then pretend to be their tongue.



--Decapods(true crabs,false crabs, lobsters, true shrimp) are my favorite group and I could go on forever about them but just going to say:

Halloween Crabs and Vampire Crabs- just some really fun looking semi terrestrial crabs. The two aren't closely related, they just look neat and have spooky names.

Mole crabs- a type of false crab that burrow around in the area where the waves meet the beach. Look like torpedos.

Spiny Lobster- they don't have a big pinchers but instead have huge hardened antennae that they point at things to keep them at bay, or rasp together to create loud nouses.

American Lobster- people dont realize that these are the heaviest arthropods alive on Earth. They never stop growing and they can reach a point where things tend to stop preying on them and the laws of physics become their arch enemy. Also due to having quite a few one in several million color morphs (blue, red, yellow, white) having a gimmick of multiple shiny colors would be sort of neat if a little infuriating for shiny hunters.