Disclaimer: What? Pokemon belongs to Nintendo? Oh darn.
Common Name: Electrike, Rakurai (juvenile), Manectric, Livolt (adult)
Scientific Name: Canis concitatus
Description: Manectric are large canid pokemon, measuring 69 inches from nose to tail and 33 inches at the shoulder. They are generally slight of build, with slender faces and long legs. They have three toes on each paw, large, pricked-up ears, and a stiff tail that becomes 'kinked' or bent upward with age. Manectric's eyes are red.
Manectric are notable for the dramatic change in fur color and pattern they undergo as they mature. Young Manectric, termed Electrike, are primarily a dull, light green in color, with yellow markings on the bridge of the muzzle, along the edges of the ears, in a stripe running down the back, and on the tip of the tail. They have large tufts of stiff fur extending from their thighs and the tops of their heads, which as Electrike are the same color green as the body. As Electrike mature into Manectric, they undergo a molt, losing their juvenile fur in patches, revealing the light blue adult fur. In Manectric, the fur tufts on the thighs and head turn yellow, as does the Manectric's whole head, except for the blue face mask and muzzle. Manectric's front feet have yellow tufts as well.
Range: Manectric are endemic to coastal areas of Hoenn. They were once much more widespread than they are today.
Habitat: Manectric are plains-dwellers, often making their homes in coastal prairies and savannahs. This is not coincidental, since Manectric, an electrogenic pokemon species, are believed to be partly responsible for the very presence of the coastal plains, as their electricity can start wildfires that clear away woody vegetation.
Call: Manectric have varied calls, including whines, barks, and growls.
Diet: Manectric are hunters of small pokemon, feeding mostly off of Zigzagoon, but also Plusle and Minun, on occasion. Wingull are also occasionally eaten. They hunt by running down their fast-moving prey, leaping into the air and coming down on them with an electrically-charged pounce. They usually hunt alone, but pairs may also hunt together.
Life Cycle: Manectric live in mated pairs, the male and female both defending their territory from other Manectric. Females usually lay 2-4 eggs in a den lined with furs and grass, and the blind, deaf Electrike hatch after about two months. Young Electrike are very playful once their eyes open, and become very active as they mature.
It takes about 6 months for Electrike to become independent, and two more years before they gain their adult colors and size.
Manectric can live about 15 years.
Relationship with Humans: Manectric are not as common as they used to be. Widespread conversion of their prairie habitat to agriculture is responsible for most of this, but the battle industry also as much to answer for. Manectric are not yet considered threatened, but they are in decline over most of their range.
Naturalist's Notes: Manectric are well-known for being electrogenic, with their electricity-producing organs situated under the skin of the neck. When threatened, they will growl and create a prodigious display of sparks to warn away their attacker.
Manectric inhabit the same ecological niche as Mightyena, but rarely enounter them, as Mightyena are nocturnal. Still, they have been known to dig up Mightyena dens and kill the Poochyena within, as Mightyena will also do to Electrike.