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Common Name: Raichu
Scientific Name: Aduncacaudus macromus
Description: Raichu are very large rodents, measuring 7 feet long (over half of which is tail), and standing 31 inches tall on two legs. Raichu have proportionally long hind legs that allow them to leap rapidly over open terrain, and their long tails are stiff and whiplike, enhancing their balance at high speeds. Unlike their Pikachu relatives, only the tips of their tails are kinked, but like them the feature is enhanced by tufts of fur. Female Raichu have smaller tufts, which makes their tails seem slimmer and shorter. Raichu have dark eyes and distinctive ears, triangular with a long tuft of fur on their trailing edge.
Raichu's fur color is goldenrod yellow, with a pale underside and dark brown markings, including brown paws, a brown tail with a bright yellow tip, brown stripes on the back, and brown ears with bright yellow interiors. Raichu also have pale yellow, hairless patches of skin on their cheeks, which conceal their electrogenic organs.
Range: Raichu are native to eastern Kanto, but their range is fragmented.
Habitat: Raichu live in open country, such as plains and savannahs.
Call: Raichu's call is a low, squawking buzz. They also grunt.
Diet: Raichu are mostly herbivores, feeding on grasses, herbs, seeds, and roots. They may very occasionally eat insects.
Life Cycle: Raichu breed in early spring, when females scent mark the edges of their territories to draw in males. She lays 3-4 eggs in a burrow lined with her own fur. The eggs hatch in a month, and the young are fully active at birth, soon following their mother as she forages. They become independent when about half grown.
Raichu are solitary, each individual maintaining a complex of burrows, entrances, and emergency exits.
Raichu can live up to 13 years.
Relationship with Humans: Due to a combination of development and arena demand, wild Raichu are currently considered endangered, and capturing them is prohibited. The Cerulean Cape, one of the last places Raichu could be legally caught, has recently experienced a population crash, and capturing is now outlawed there.
Naturalist's Notes: Raichu are quite speedy, capable of hitting 40 mph on a straight track. They need to be, as swift predators such as Arcanine and Charmeleon are or used to be quite populous in their habitat.
Raichu are dangerously electrogenic pokemon, capable of killing a human being with a shock. When feeling aggressive, they perk their ears straight up, and keeping alert for this sign can save a naturalist's life. Still, Raichu prefer to run than fight.
It is easy to know when Raichu inhabit an area, due to the presence of 'runways,' areas between burrows or near food sources that have been so heavily trafficked by Raichu that the grass has worn away, creating clearly visible paths. The ease of finding them this way may have led to their current rarity.