Entry 001 – Bulbasaur

Common Name of Creature: Bulbasaur

Pronunciation: "bulb-uh-sawr"

Latin Name of the Species: Herbareptilis lilium

Origin of the Species Name: Bulbasaur was first coined by Dean O. Flojell in 1872 when he described a Bulbasaur as a dinosaur with a bulb on its back. Before that time, Bulbasaur was known as Plantoad, due to its frog like appearance. The name Bulbasaur was requently fought over but as more and more people began to accept the new name. Plantoad was erased from the science books.

Morphology: Bulbasaurs are dark green in color with darker little spots on them. It is a quadruped reptile, not a frog as opposed to earlier sciences. Bulbasaur has some mammalian characteristics such as tiny cat-like ears on the top of its head and warm body temperature. It's bulb on its back is actually born with the creature at birth. Young Bulbasaurs have bright yellow bulbs that become a dark blue-green color as it reaches an adolescent age. They have three short toe claws that are used more for digging up roots and plants than attacking. But if threatened, it will often kick before it bites. The mouth of a Bulbasaur does not carry too many teeth. It has two short fang that protrude from its mouth. It was once said that Bulbasaurs and their kin did in fact have tails. Today, they have no such appendage. The eye color of a Bulbasaur is very dark red.

Origin of the Creature: Bulbasaur is thought to be a living fossil. It has many featured characteristics of those extinct pokemon from the past. Though many scientists do not agree with that statement. There is continuous debate about whether Bulbasaur's evolution can be traced to an amphibian line or a reptilian line. It's mammalian characteristics suggest neither evolutionary line and perhaps a third suggestion will be theorized in the future. We shall know nothing until missing links can be produced. Bulbasaur is an endangered species today. It was domesticated and hunted. In the past, doctors would rely on Bulbasaur secretions to cure humans and other pokemon. Overhunting have made these creatures a rare sight in the wild. Most think they do not appear in the wild at all. But perhaps they are just so well hidden now that it is not easy to find them. Bulbasaur poaching is forbidden and prosecuted with a $50,000 fine. Yet, just like Slowpoke Tails, Bulbasaur bulbs are still sold on the black market.

Biology: Bulbasaurs are actually quite small creatures. With a height of a little of two feet and a weight a little over fifteen pounds, it is easy to miss a Bulbasaur. Especially when it is laying and hiding in bushes and tall grass. The mysterious bulb on a Bulbasaur's back is actually truly remarkable. If a Bulbasaur cannot find food for several days; as long as it has plenty of sunlight, it can make its own food and survive for up to 15 days without eating. The bulb, if it doesn't evolve into an Ivysaur, will continue to grow along with the creature. Bulbasaurs never stop growing. Some sightings suggest that Bulbasaurs can get as large as 40 feet in length and 15 feet in height. Dwarfing even its larger cousin, Venusaur. This bulb's properties are still being studied. No one has even seen a Bulbasaur in bad health and it is still unclear how low they live.

First Discovered: Bulbasaur records go back to man's earlier days. Cave drawings depict Bulbasaurs on them in abundance. Bulbasaurs are one of the oldest known pokemon.

Lifespan: As stated above, Bulbasaur have unnaturally long lives. Perhaps it's because of their strictly vegetarian diet or perhaps it's just another mystery of the bulb. The longest recorded Bulbasaur lifespan was a domesticated one name Lilypad. Lilypad was 284 when she mysterious disappeared into the Viridian Forest.

Habitat: Due to the fact that no documented sightings of Bulbasaur in the wild have been reported, we have to go on conjecture. Bulbasaurs definitely tend to like forests. Though there have been reports of Bulbasaurs in swamps and strangely one encounter in snowy mountain areas. But this could have been misidentification of a Froakie. The report did come from the Kalos region and although Bulbasaurs have been reported in that area…you would find a Froakie more often than a Bulbasaur.

Behavior: Domesticated and captured Bulbasaurs are quite polite and friendly. There are annual Bulbasaur beauty pageants where the creatures line up after only being told once and are very well behaved. They are a common sight in houses in the Kanto region. Wild Bulbasaurs are very shy of humans and, if seen, immediately flee for fear of being captured. If it cannot flee, it will become very hostile and will attack.

Reproduction: Bulbasaurs do lay eggs. Nests have often been found near rivers and in the forests. The males with the bigger bulbs attract females much faster. However, smaller bulbed males try to secreat an odor that may persuade the female. It is then that males will battle for the female. These battles can last for one minute or many days. The battle is over when one male manages to tear the bulb off the other male; killing it. Many Bulbasaur corpses have been found with bulbs removed and it is often unclear whether these are by poachers or by rivaling males. Newborns are blind for three days and the parents guard the young within those days. However, once the newborn opens its eyes, it is removed from the nest. This is a parental mystery of the Bulbasaurs. The newborn Bulbasaur then must fend for itself. It will try and find its other brothers and sisters. Bulbasaurs often have a clutch of 15-20 eggs. But it is very rare to see all the eggs hatch.

History: In ancient times, Bulbasaurs were used to decide when people would do various things. Before the creation of Castform, Bulbasaurs would often be weather men. They alerted farmers and people of huge oncoming storms. They did this by digging themselves into a hole and "planting" themselves for the rain. If a Bulbasaur stopped eating, farmers knew that a drought was on its way. Now a days, Bulbasaurs are rarely used to predict weather. Instead, Castform does the job and gives much more accurate results.

Danger Factor: There are only a handful of Bulbasaur attacks. Most are bite marks and scratches, nothing truly serious. Bulbasaurs are quite friendly. They only attack humans when cornered. Do not corner a Bulbasaur.