This week's entry of The Alola Pokedex was commissioned by Windskull for their high placement in a contest on Thousand Roads.
Downloading from The Alola Pokédex Online Appendix . . .
Bidoof (Bibarel)
Overview
Gumshoos and raticate pose an obvious danger to their ecosystems by directly eating small animals and pokemon. Much of the DNR's budget goes to controlling their populations. Bidoof have long been viewed as a lesser problem both in terms of raw numbers and environmental damage.
In order to facilitate a trade in bibarel pelts, testicles, castor sacs, and other body parts, a rancher introduced twelve bidoof to his property in 1981. Once the venture proved unprofitable he let the pokemon go. Those few founders have managed to establish a population of thousands on all islands. Unlike raticate and gumshoos, bibarel actively change the physical environment around them. They are prone to eating through entire forests and building relatively calm ponds in their place. In turn these ponds became excellent breeding grounds for magikarp and feebas. As such gyarados and milotic have hampered efforts to remove the rodents.
Following a diplomatic summit with the milotic of Brooklet Hill the DNR obtained permission to let citizens capture bidoof and bibarel in exchange for the protection of existing dams and an end to formal government removal programs. Trainers may now capture these cute, fearless normal-types for their own use.
Physiology
Bidoof are classified as pure normal-types. Bibarel are listed as dual normal- and water-types due to their much more aquatic lifestyle, adaptations, and elemental affinities.
Bidoof are small quadrupeds that typically stand low off the ground. Their fur is short but incredibly thick. The thickness combines with oils in the fur to make it nearly waterproof. Large incisors that continuously grow are the most notable feature on their faces. Unlike bibarel, bidoof do not have prominent tails and must swim primarily with their short, stubby limbs. As such they seldom swim at all unless a bibarel is guiding them along.
The main difference between bibarel and their pre-evolution is the latter's broad, flat tails that propel them through the water at surprisingly high speeds. Bibarel have been recorded swimming underwater for over twenty minutes at a time and for distances of over two kilometers. Bibarel still have generally short fur but gain several prominent brown and cream colored tufts of fur on their head to make them look bigger than they are.
Both bidoof and bibarel have fairly unique microfloral ecosystems in their guts to help digest their extremely high-fiber diet of wood, leaves, and roots.
Bidoof have long been hunted both for their pelts and their testicles and castoreum, the latter found in both males and females. Castoreum has been used as medicine by several cultures in the northern hemisphere. Recently it has gained some popularity as a natural flavoring and as a component in some perfumes. Bidoof were once hunted to the brink of extinction for these products, with surviving populations in Sinnoh and Florida subsequently revitalizing global numbers and even establishing invasive populations in Alola and the Falkland Islands.
As descendants of Floridian bidoof, the bibarel in Alola seldom hibernate and keep smaller fat reserves than their substantially chubbier Sinnohan counterparts.
Bibarel can reach lengths of 1.7 meters (tail included) and weigh up to twenty kilograms. In the wild they can live up to eight years. Captive lifespans vary considerably.
Behavior
Bibarel famously engineer the landscape around them. They use their teeth to bite through trees or long grasses and then their mouth or hands to move the material into the water. Under the surface several large and straight logs are placed in the riverbed. From there more logs are added in and attached to the main posts with mud as needed. Other plant material can also be used to block up flow. Once the dam is formed, bibarel set about making a lodge. For the most part these consist of a central pile of layered logs and mud with leaves and other soft materials placed on top above the water's surface. Then an outer shell of logs is assembled around it. Once the mud hardens on the shell (and freezes in cooler environments) the dam is practically impenetrable and can only be accessed from underwater entrances. The dam itself is split into one chamber for drying off after exiting the water and another for other activities.
Bidoof and bibarel are famously near-fearless despite being somewhat small to mid-size herbivores. This stems in part from their teeth which can severely injure all but the most durable of opponents. It also stems from the informal protection bidoof and bibarel receive from both pond-dwelling water-types and grazers who appreciate having forests cleared. Biboof's diet also makes them mildly toxic to many carnivores and low in nutritional value. As such they have little to fear and are well aware of this. In practice only pack-hunting carnivores with a type advantage (manectric), very large birds (braviary), and young or starving dragons prey on the rodents.
Adolescents in both Alola and the Falklands have been documented swimming between islands several kilometers apart in search of new rivers to claim.
Bibarel live in colonies of two mated adults and roughly two litters of children. Older bidoof assist in maintenance and food collection duties as well as in the rearing of the younger litter. Around their second birthday bidoof leave their dams to find mates and either occupy an unused dam or build one of their own. In the event that both parents die the oldest siblings will stay with the youngest until all are two years of age. One of the older bidoof will stay in the dam and attempt to attract a mate while the rest scatter to build more ponds.
Husbandry
Bidoof initially seem reasonably easy to care for. Their diet in captivity consists mostly of root vegetables with fruit or other vegetation comprising another 20-35%. While they need something to gnaw on, this is not an uncommon need. Furthermore bidoof are very easily housebroken as their own homes have segments for different tasks and it would be considered rude to defecate or urinate inside of the lodge. Occasional play, grooming, and cuddle sessions satisfy their social needs and are usually enjoyable for the trainer as well.
What makes bidoof and bibarel difficult to care for is their compulsive drive to chew on everything. Fences and furniture will almost certainly wind up with bite marks. Even metal and plastic objects aren't necessarily safe. Bidoof also don't take reprimands well and are prone to either keep doing the same thing at the same rate or increasing either the frequency or severity of unwanted gnawing out of spite. Bibarel that learn how to operate faucets often flood their homes on purpose. Stationary bibarel trainers tend to keep their pets outside with a pool or pond, enough material to make a lodge, and an electrified metal fence surrounding the property. Traveling trainers should consult guidebooks to learn which tree species are endangered. Generally speaking there are no fines for the destruction of invasive species such as bamboo.
While bidoof have some tolerance for pokeballs they prefer to be outside for at least eight hours a day.
In Sinnoh bibarel are well known work pokemon capable of leveling trees and moving logs, ferrying people, and generally performing low dexterity manual labor. If bibarel's building instincts can be properly channeled they will be quite willing to assist their trainer.
Illness
Bidoof were once thought to be the main source of giardias, a disease that causes diarrhea and lactose intolerance in humans. It is now understood that bidoof are uncommon carriers and pose little health risk to humans. The misconception still makes several regions reluctant to participate in bidoof reintroduction programs.
Evolution
Shortly after leaving home around their second birthday bidoof begin to evolve. The process is gradual and takes place over the course of several weeks, during which time bidoof begin to eat far more food than normal and do little else. Once the growth process is complete the new bibarel will swim away to find a mate.
Captivity replicates the experience of leaving family behind and can sometimes automatically trigger evolution. Evolving bidoof should be battled with sparingly and provided plenty of nutritious food.
Battle
Bibarel are not common on competitive battling circuits. They are relatively slow and neither powerful nor bulky enough to make them a viable choice over normal-types such as tauros and snorlax or water-types such as crawdaunt or swampert.
Still, on the island challenge bibarel can be fairly good in the early trials and remain viable through most of the islands. Bibarel are unusually good at stat boosting. The best way to use them is to set up with curse and use Rest and Sleep Talk as needed while firing off occasional offensive attacks. Unfortunately, curse bibarel is extremely slow and can struggle to land hits. If possible it should try to set up against a very bulky pokemon that can be outpaced even after boosting. Biting attacks are bibarel's strongest and take advantage of their tree-cutting teeth.
Bidoof play very similarly to rattata. Bite attacks are favored and taking hits is strongly not recommended. While bidoof are a tad bulkier than rattata they are also notably slower. As with bibarel they function best as a stall-breaker. Don't bother setting up; bidoof don't have the bulk to pull off a slow sweep. Anything that needs a swords dance to bring down is too powerful to fight with a bidoof.
Acquisition
Bidoof can be found in many watersheds in Alola. Route 4 and the Brooklet Hill area in particular have an abundance of bidoof. The interior of Melemele and the northern portions of Ula'Ula also have several. Bidoof are best ambushed while they gather wood in the early morning. Set up camp around a bibarel pond and wait, ideally in a tree stand, for one to pass by. Then engage in a quick proving battle and capture.
Bonding with a bidoof is much, much easier if it is allowed to say goodbye to its family before heading off. Most will return to their trainer and depart after an hour or so. Some will not. If the bidoof does not return by the end of the day or a bibarel comes out to attack assume that the pokemon does not wish to follow. While it is not illegal to withdraw it anyway and complete the capture it will be difficult to secure the pokemon's cooperation.
Bidoof can be obtained with a Class I license. Bibarel can be purchased or adopted with a Class II. Capture of wild bibarel is prohibited per the Brooklet Hill Interspecies Compact of 2019.
Breeding
Bibarel are generally monogamous. While cheating has been observed, most will mate with their partner exclusively. Widowed and widower bibarel have a brief mourning period and then seek out a new mate.
In the wild bibarel that wish to mate will follow each other around for a few weeks or months before agreeing to build a dam and lodge together. Until mating occurs either party can still leave if they wish. Afterwards abandonment is exceedingly rare.
Bibarel mate in late winter have a seven week pregnancy. Females give birth to two to three kits. Both parents and any older siblings still living in the lodge assist in raising the babies. Kits do not leave the lodge at all until they are about three months old. They do not leave the lodge unsupervised until the eight to nine month mark.
In captivity bibarel mating is complicated by the difficulty of determining an individual's sex. Doing so requires x-rays or surgery as all gonads are on the inside of the body.
If a male and female bibarel are introduced and accept each other they may become physically affectionate and start building or expanding their lodge. Mated pairs tend to spend relatively little time with their trainer during pregnancy and the first few months of childrearing. In general mated bibarel pull back from their trainer, even if they were very affectionate in the past. So long as they live with other social pokemon and a caring trainer mating is not necessary for a bibarel's mental stability. Trainers who wish to keep their cuddly companion's current personality should refrain from breeding it.
In general unrelated bibarel that are not mates will act aggressively towards one another. Training unrelated bibarel is not recommended without large plots of land.
Subspecies
There are two proper subspecies of bidoof. The Eurasian bidoof used to inhabit a range stretching east to west from Iberia to Japan and north to south from Scandanavia to Mesopotamia. Overhunting and annoyance from farmers and city planners led to the Eurasian bidoof's elimination from everywhere but Sinnoh, where they were long revered as helpful semidomesticated pokemon. In recent decades there have been movements to reintroduce the Eurasian bidoof to its old habitats due to their role as a keystone species.
Similar overhunting occurred in North America after the start of full-fledged European conquest. In the end bibarel were limited to Florida, then viewed as uninhabitable swampland. Being native to a warm penninsula, the Floridian bidoof has been slow to adapt to cold climates. The southern and southeastern United States now sport large populations that are slowly creeping north.
There are rumors of a Soviet breeding program to create stronger versions of easily bred pokemon. Some reports of dubious credibility suggest that a golden "perfect" bidoof may have been created with strength to rival legendaries and a disposition best described as omnicidal. While there is no hard proof of the subspecies' existence, several abandoned laboratories have been discovered with large bidoof-like teeth marks on the walls.