Disclaimer: What? Pokemon belongs to Nintendo? Oh darn.
Common Name: Aipom, Eipam
Scientific Name: Macroura tergimanus
Description: Aipom are medium-sized primates, standing 30 inches tall when on two legs. They have bristly purple fur, often becoming long and shaggy on their head. Females tend to have longer, thicker fur in general. Aipom's fur does not cover its face, feet, or underbelly, exposing smooth, pale beige skin. Their ears are very large, and their eyes are dark blue in color.
Aipom have two-toed feet and small hands tipped with needlelike claws, but their most distinctive feature is undoubtedly their tail, which is as long as their body. Aipom's prehensile tail displays a highly specialized variation of multicaudality. Their tails split into three 'fingers' at the tip, and at their junction there is a large, fatty pad, analogous to the palm of a human hand. Each 'finger' is hairless and tipped with its own pad. The 'fingers' are controlled independently, and are highly sensitive to touch. The central 'finger' is largest. Aipom are capable of flexing this false hand to grab branches and objects out of reach of their arms.
Range: Aipom are found throughout Johto.
Habitat: Aipom make their homes in old growth forests, often nesting in the largest trees they can find.
Call: Aipom communicate with gargling, warbling chirps. If threatened, they let out piecing warning calls.
Diet: Aipom are primarily herbivores, with large, flat teeth. They eat a variety of fruits, nuts, seeds, and leaves. Occasionally, they eat insects and small nonpokemon, for the extra protein. They spend much of their day traveling from tree to tree, searching for food.
Life Cycle: Aipom are social pokemon, living in large troops, made up mostly of females, a few young males, and a dominant male. Young males leave their troop when they reach maturity and join a different troop. This male-trading system prevents incest.
The dominant Aipom mates with all females in his troop, and the females lay one egg in a woven leaf nest. It hatches fairly quickly, as Aipom troops need to move constantly. Aipom mothers are highly devoted, and spend much of their time feeding and grooming their baby.
When a new dominant male or group of males takes over a troop, they often kill any nursing infants, in order to mate with the females more quickly.
Aipom live a surprisingly long time, up to 53 years.
Relationship with Humans: Aipom are not generally pursued by trainers, due to their small size and fragility. They are sometimes sold as pets, but their curious natures and prehensile tails often lead them to destructive habits such as tearing apart furniture, opening drawers, and throwing things.
Although their habitat is in decline, Aipom are still common wherever large trees can be found.
Naturalist's Notes: Aipom are extremely agile, acrobatic climbers. They treat their tails as a fifth limb, using it to anchor themselves while climbing, as a balancing aid, and as the primary means of manipulating objects. Aipom can support their entire body weight with their tails. On the ground, Aipom normally travel on all fours, but can stand and even walk on two legs. In both postures, the tail is carried over the back.
Aipom are generally nocturnal, with a keen sense of hearing and excellent night vision. However, they can be active during the day as well.
Aipom commonly fall prey to Noctowl and Crobat, nocturnal predators that snatch these smaller pokemon from the canopy.