Dewgong (Seel)
Stellari tropicorum tropicorum
Overview
Dewgong is one of the few ice-types in Alola, and one of even fewer that does not primarily live in the area around Mt. Lanakila. They are still less desirable than other ice-types on the island challenges. To start with, the Alolan dewgong is critically endangered. Some orphans unable to return to the wild are distributed to conservation facilities on a case-by-case basis. No wild take is allowed. Even if a trainer does obtain one, seel come with most of the challenges inherent in raising aquatic species. In truth, dewgong are much better home companions or aquarium animals than they are battling pokémon for a traveling trainer. Water- and ice-type specialists, as well as coordinators who want a rarer alternative to primarina, may still find reason to seek out a seel to raise.
Physiology
Seel are classified as pure water-types due to their limited cryokinesis. Dewgong are classified as water- and ice-types. They are primarily aquatic and have moderately potent crokinesis to chill themselves and the waters around them. Unusually for Alolan species, both stages quickly grow uncomfortable in warm weather and must either seek out cooler climes or chill the air themselves. There are those who maintain that dewgong's lack of a fully aquatic lifestyle or unusually aqueous body precludes a water-typing. This is a minority view and has been rejected by the United States Department of Agriculture and every league that has considered the issue.
Seel are born hairless with black skin. A coat of fur, dark grey on top and light brown on the bottom, grows in as they age. The skin itself gradually lightens with age. A seel's body is smooth and hydrodynamic. Powerful front flippers and somewhat smaller back flippers are used to navigate in the water. On land the flippers can be used for scooting and sliding. Alolan seel possess tusks and a small horn for defense.
Dewgong look much the same as a very large seel. There are a few key differences. The back limbs fuse and end in a large, frilly fluke. The front flippers also grow frillier and proportionally larger. Frills may seem impractical, but they can spread out to create more surface area for losing heat. It is also likely that a predator will nip a useless part of the fin rather than muscle or bone, giving dewgong a chance to counterattack or escape. Dewgong shed their tusks upon evolution. The horn remains.
Dewgong possess very sensitive hearing underwater. It is less potent on land. The opposite is true for smell: dewgong cannot smell underwater, but they have a nose comparable in strength to a canine's when beached. The species' vision is weak and mostly limited to black-and-white images, although recent studies have provided evidence for some blue-green vision. Dewgong and seel also possess very sensitive whiskers that can help them navigate in the water.
Dewgong can grow to be seven feet long and weigh over four hundred pounds. They can live up to thirty years in captivity, although ten to twenty years is more common in the wild.
Behavior
Seel have difficulty cooling themselves off in Alola. Dewgong are much better at cooling the air around them than seel are, making it important for thermoregulation for children to keep close to mother. During deeper dives, the mother will leave her offspring with another female or in the cool waters around Kala'e Bay and Mt. Lanakila. As they grow older, seel will begin to hunt on their own in cool, shallow waters. Cave systems that connect to the ocean are also common hunting and hiding grounds for seel.
Dewgong prefer to hunt in the open ocean. Six hundred feet below the surface, water temperature begins to rapidly decline. In these cold waters dewgong can satisfy their temperature needs and hunt for fish. Dewgong only sleep with one brain hemisphere at a time. The other is used to control diving and breathing. During the day dewgong spend almost all their time asleep. They will surface, take a deep breath, and dive back down to spend up to thirty minutes at rest beneath the thermocline. Then they will surface again, breathe, and dive back down. This is all done while asleep. At night dewgong typically hunt or haul themselves onto a secluded beach to spread their fins and enter into a deeper, bihemispheral sleep.
Outside of the rare deep sleep or pup care, dewgong only beach themselves to molt. Once a year, usually in September, every dewgong in Alola comes to land to molt. All hair is shed and regrown over the course of two weeks. Most mating also occurs during this period. Outside of molting season and mothers with pups dewgong are solitary pokémon.
Fully grown dewgong have few predators. Dragons and large birds fear ice attacks. Most aquatic predators are too small to actually penetrate their thick blubber and score a kill. Only gyarados and sharpedo regularly prey on dewgong. The horn mostly deters direct attacks on the head. Dewgong's real defense is the threat of abruptly freezing the water around them and inducing cold shock in cold-blooded predators.
In recent years dewgong populations have declined not due to an abundance of predators, but due to shortages of habitats and prey. Increased tourism in Kala'e Bay has discouraged dewgong from visiting to hunt or raise pups. Development and fishing in the minor outlying islands has dramatically reduced the population of Alolan dewgong there. The Tapu Islands contain introduced rodent, feline, and canine pokémon that often harass or kill seel. Strict conservation laws have led to a slight resurgence in recent years, but there remains a real possibility that the Alolan dewgong will be extinct in the wild within fifty years.
Husbandry
Dewgong are obligate carnivores. They are fed raw fish in captivity. Fresh fish is best, but frozen fish can also work after being thawed. A mixture of at least three different type of fish and one or two aquatic invertebrates is required to ensure a nutritionally balanced diet. Dewgong have a poor sense of taste, however, some individuals still develop preferences for different types of fish. Basculin, wishiwashi, remoraid, and barboach are all good choices for dewgong. Non-pokémon fish can also be used, although they tend to be less dense in calories and nutrients. Squid are the best invertebrates for dewgong and seel. Young seel can eat up to 10% of their bodyweight; older seel and dewgong typically only need 4% unless pregnant or nursing. Neither stage regularly drinks salt or freshwater.
Both stages are very food motivated. Giving fish as a reward for obeying commands is the most effective way to train the species. Outside of hand-fed fish, good rewards include fish frozen into a block, bloodsicles, or dog toys with bits of fish or squid in them. Kelp, rope, and sprinklers are also popular enrichment items with captive dewgong and seel.
Seel and dewgong fare poorly, physically and mentally, when kept without access to water. A cool saltwater pool should be provided when outside of their pokéball. The pool bottom should have dark coloration to regulate temperature and prevent glare. Land should be accessible from a ramp beginning beneath the water level, especially for seel. Freshwater can be tolerated in the short term but causes deleterious health effects such as blindness in the long run. Pools should ideally be at least fifteen deep. Open ocean access is an acceptable substitute, but supervision should be maintained to prevent gyarados or sharpedo attacks. Fenced off coves cannot stop a gyarados, but they do a good job of keeping dewgong happy and deterring sharpedo.
One problem that coordinators regularly have with dewgong is that their bladder is very small. As such they are impossible to truly housebreak. As a saltwater species, dewgong urine tends to be highly concentrated. It carries an unpleasant odor. If dewgong are taken somewhere out of their ball, it must be somewhere where the trainer is prepared to clean up a mess.
Seel will often want to cuddle their mother or surrogate mother. Dewgong are not physically affectionate. Trainers should never touch the sensitive whiskers. Better petting methods involve scratching the area around the base of the horn or running a hand through their fur from front to back. Seel, and even many dewgong, enjoy having their nose poked while playing. Putting a hand near a less playful dewgong's mouth is not recommended.
Canines and felines make poor teammates due to potential health problems. Smaller fish and aquatic or amphibious pokémon can also be mistaken for prey. Dewgong seldom become fond of their teammates, including conspecifics. Keeping two or more males with a single female can also be dangerous (see Breeding). Primarina can make suitable partners in an enclosure so long as both pokémon have their own spaces to retreat to. If both are kept together it may be best to have two separate pools connected by a land area. This ensures that primarina can retreat to warm water and dewgong to cold temperatures.
Primarina themselves look down upon dewgong due to the latter's lesser intelligence and mobility, but sometimes enjoy their fellow pinniped's company in the same way a human can appreciate a bumbling pet.
Illness
Dewgong's main health problems in the wild and captivity stem from exposure to other pokémon or animals. Specifically, cats and dogs. Toxoplasmosis, a pathogen carried in cat urine, can cause swelling of the heart or lungs. Untreated, these conditions can easily be fatal. They sometimes will be anyway even with the best treatment available. Dewgong are also susceptible to canine heartworms. Thankfully, most veterinarians are well-trained on handling that parasite. The best treatment for both is prevention. Keeping a dewgong on the same team as cats or dogs is not recommended, and when done both pokémon must constantly be monitored for potentially communicable disease.
As ice-types, dewgong are also susceptible to hyperthermia. The presence of fans in the habitat, regular access to cool or cold water, ice-based enrichment items, hail-setting teammates (sans ninetales), and air-conditioned spaces can all help. Just having the option to spread their fins out and rest with a nice breeze running over them is often enough treatment.
Seel are also vulnerable to hypothermia. Symptoms include sluggishness, loss of appetite, unusual amounts of vocalizations while on land (seel are usually only talkative in the water), and aggression can all be possible symptoms. If hypothermia is suspected the water temperature should be raised and the seel should be monitored on land for some time. If a climate-controlled simulation ball is being used, the suspected hypothermic pokémon should not be withdrawn into it until symptoms subside or a veterinarian has ruled out hypothermia.
Both stages enjoy scooting and sliding around on land. Rough surfaces can lead to lost hair and even torn skin. Care should be taken when selecting the locations where dewgong are released and the materials used in building a more permanent enclosure for them.
Evolution
Seel typically evolve around their fourth birthday when their tusks fall out and their back flippers start to fuse. With enough food and battle, seel can evolve as early as their second birthday. As soon as the flipper fusion is finished the mother will start ignoring her child. If the new dewgong insists on sticking around, aggressive posturing and even violence can occur.
Battle
Dewgong are in an unfortunate position between walrein and primarina. Walrein are larger, stronger, and have more powerful tusks. Primarina are faster in both land and water, have useful combat arias, and are generally intelligent enough to think on their feet. The titan dewgong of the southern hemisphere do see some use in local circuits where walrein are banned, but otherwise dewgong are simply not used in competitive battling.
On the island challenge dewgong can be used as a utility-laden tank. Opponent's weaker attacks seldom pierce the blubber. In the meantime, dewgong can fire off whirlpool and perish song to trap and defeat enemies. Dewgong can also combine water and rest to heal off all but the most severe of puncture and slash wounds. Very powerful attacks can still knock out dewgong in one hit. Low land mobility severely limits the pokémon's ability to dodge even heavily telegraphed charge attacks.
Seel are more offensive and can harm opponents with tusk or horn strikes. Unfortunately, seel are rather slow on land and can struggle to close the distance with opponents to land a strike.
Both stages are also sensitive to electrical currents, even to a greater extent than most water types. Electrical fences cannot be used in dewgong enclosures and all electrical equipment in the filtration and cooling systems must be well insulated. Actual electric attacks will break concentration at a minimum and either score a knock out or shatter the will to fight with enough power.
Lapras is generally a better choice on the island challenge, as they are more intelligent, possess a wider movepool, and can still tank plenty of hits with their shell. It is also easier to obtain one and they remain good pets and partners that can look after themselves in coastal areas.
Acquisition
Male dewgong are most often found on the minor outlying islands. Females are often sighted in Kala'e Bay and Route 15. Wild capture is prohibited.
Orphaned dewgong seldom survive for long. Several agencies in Alola and on the mainland care for orphans until they are old enough to go on display at a zoo or aquarium or be given to a traveling trainer. This reduces the incentive for poaching. Adopting a seel requires a Class IV license, a course on seel care, and the approval of the facility's director. The number of pups available in a given year varies depending upon local fish numbers and the El Niño / La Niña cycle.
Breeding
Dewgong mate in the water. If all goes well, the female will surface after a five-month pregnancy to give birth to one to two pups. The pups are only nursed for four to six days before being weened. During this time the mother stays on land with her pup. The pup will stay with the mother until it involves.
Unfortunately, dewgong mating often goes wrong. More males are born than females, so during mating season females are often mobbed by multiple males wanting to mate. The female often dies of either drowning or repeated lacerations if mobbed. This leads to the gender ratio growing even worse and more female dewgong being mobbed the next year. Captive breeding programs can relieve some of the stress and are increasingly being turned to for the species' survival.
Orphaned pups are usually hand-raised by humans. Baby seel do not have an instinctive ability to eat whole fish and must be taught, either by their mother or a human. Rewarding interest in live fish with toys, embraces, or more milk can help reinforce this behavior.
Captive breeding is best handled by specialists who have devoted their lives to dewgong care. Trainers with a dewgong can contact the Hau'oli Aquarium to discuss using the pokémon in a breeding program.
Relatives
The Alolan dewgong is the last relict of almost a dozen subspecies that once inhabited the archipelagos of the tropical Pacific. Most subspecies live in much colder climes.
The most numerous subspecies lives in the Arctic Ocean. Other populations live on the coast of Asia as far south as Japan and Manchuria in Asia and Cascadia and Unova in North America. The arctic species (S. stellari) has much thicker fur and longer horns. The fur is useful for staying warm in very cold environments while the horn can be used to dig a hole through an ice floe and find a place to rest.
A population (S. selkie) used to live in much of Europe, but they were hunted to extinction due to their blubber and local folklore. Galarian mythology held that dewgong were simply wetsuits for a type of fey. They would come to shore, seduce men, and then haul them into the water to drown. One of the last Galarian kings to reject the church of life was found dead off the coast from his summer home. The court used this as pretext to declare war on the old gods and their servants, killing every dewgong around the island in the process. Superstitious sailors brought the legend to other country's ports and the killings continued around the continent.
The other northern species is the freshwater or lake dewgong (S. nepissepag). The smallest species, lake dewgong seldom grow more than five in length. They live in the Great Lakes of North America and hunt for fish in the deep, cool waters. They haul out on the beaches and small islands of the lakes to rest. Pollution in the area has led to the death of many formerly common prey species and widespread illness among dewgong. The remaining wild populations are mostly found on and around protected island parks with large no fishing zones around them. More lake dewgong can be found in captivity than in the wild.
The Antarctic dewgong (S. meridonionalis) is much sleaker and longer than its Alolan counterpart. These dewgong primarily hunt seabirds around Antarctica, sometimes even by charging out of the water onto land and snatching one up near the shore. High speeds and maneuverability help them outpace their prey in the water; sharp teeth help hold and kill it. Unlike the other species, Antarctic dewgong have no tusks and only a small knob of a horn. There are very few predators that would attack and Antarctic dewgong and a horn would not help against any of them. Ice floes are not as all-encompassing in the sub-Antarctic waters as they are in the polar ones, making the horn less necessary.
Titan dewgong are by far the largest species (S. atlas). Males can be up to twenty feet in length and weigh several tons. Titan dewgong hunt much like Alolan dewgong do, by diving deep underwater and snatching up fish and squid there. Titan dewgong are even better divers, capable of diving over 3000 feet and holding their breath for over an hour at a time. While they hunt alone, titan dewgong beach in harems of one or two powerful males and all of the females in the area. The other males are forced to live at the outskirts and rely on stealth and distractions to mate without the dominant male noticing and lashing out with incredible strength and long tusks.
Curiously, the Alolan dewgong is the most potent cryokinetic of the living species. They must cool their own environments on and near the surface, unlike the other subpecies that ordinarily live in cold waters. This is similar to the abilities the Alolan ninetales have adopted to survive as ice-types in a tropical climate.