Spinda
Fauxvulpis album
Overview
Spinda are usually seen as small, perpetually dizzy pokémon that somehow manage to survive in a world of monsters. This impression was formed because humans only see spinda when the pokémon is encountering a large, unfamiliar biped that has encroached into the pokémon's territory. Early scientists only saw the pokémon's attempt to scare them away, not how they actually live their lives when there are no people around. Wild spinda spend most of their time in the treetops, where they are quite fast and agile.
Collectors have come to prize spinda for their unique spot patterns. Some have a collection of ten or more spinda. This is quite difficult for the average person as spinda do not like other spinda. Almost every new adult will require their own living space. They also do not breed well in captivity, making the purchase of new spinda the only viable way for an amateur to grow their collection.
Traveling trainers may not see much use for spinda. The pokémon is easily scared, slow to bond, and has dietary requirements that are difficult to meet on the trail. Trainers with a love for spinda, a pack pokémon for carrying bamboo, and money for lots of TMs may still get some use out of it.
Physiology
Spinda are currently classified as pure normal-types, but recent research has led to a strong push towards a pure psychic-typing or a dual normal- and psychic-typing. The United States Department of Agriculture is currently reviewing the matter, but as an invasive not found on the mainland it is a low priority. Nepal and India have adopted a pure psychic-typing within the last decade and China is expected to make a similar change within the next few years.
Contrary to popular belief, spinda are usually quadrupedal. They use their sharp claws to climb trees. Spinda have tails about sixteen inches long. All subspecies have large ears. Their eyes are just below the center of a black spiral pattern that disorients attackers and makes it difficult to immediately pinpoint their small, dark eyes. The coat is cream colored with light red or orange spots spaced randomly across their body. The spot pattern is unique to every spinda.
Spinda primarily eat bamboo in the wild. However, spinda are recently descended from carnivores and have not had time to evolve stomachs that can efficiently digest woody plants. They must eat lots of food just to take in enough energy to survive. One adaptation that does help them is a bony growth in their paw that can function as a pseudothumb. This helps them grasp bamboo stalks and better hang on while doing tricky climbing maneuvers.
When threatened, spinda rear up onto their hind paws, raise their front paws, and move around to threaten their perceived enemy. Spinda have weak vision and a very broad definition of 'threat' that can encompass tree roots and rocks. They have very poor balance and low speed when moving this way. It was traditionally believed that spinda's 'dance' could inflict confusion on enemies. Spinda actually use their minor telepathy to disorient enemies even without dancing. This is particularly useful in arboreal chases as even slight confusion can drive their pursuer to a painful or lethal fall.
Spinda grow up to five feet in length, tail included, and can weigh up to ten pounds. They can live for twenty-five years in captivity. Their wild lifespan is unknown.
Behavior
Spinda primarily live in areas with high elevation, dense tree cover, and lots of bamboo. This lets them jump from tree to tree without going to ground. Dense foliage helps them hide from birds. Telepathy-induced confusion usually lets them deal with arboreal predators, but the presence of dark-type species of persian and raticate serves to limit their numbers in Alola.
They are primarily solitary, only interacting with other spinda when mating or raising young children. More than half of their day is spent asleep. The rest is mostly spent eating. They can grow thick fur and wrap their tails around themselves to stay warm in cool climates or shed all but a thin coat of fur and spread their ears out to stay cool when it is too hot.
Spinda use pores on the bottom of their paws to mark their territories. If a rival gets too close to their feeding grounds, spinda will first engage in hissing and paw swipes to deter their rival. Then they will descend from the treetops and perform their war dances at each other in an effort to assert dominance. If this does not lead to a winner, they will once again climb into the trees and try to unbalance the other until they fall or yield.
Husbandry
Replicating spinda's diet is very difficult in captivity. Roughly seventy percent of their food by weight must be fresh bamboo. Spinda prefer to eat their bamboo when it is attached to a tree or other vertical surface. This is a cumbersome requirement for stationary trainers and nearly impossible to meet on the trail. Only trainers with a large budget and pack pokémon should attempt to raise a spinda while traveling.
Another quarter of the pokémon's diet can be met by leaf-eater biscuits. Be advised that spinda will gorge themselves on these biscuits. Trainers should make sure that roughly three times more bamboo is eaten than biscuits. If the spinda is eating too many biscuits, the amount given should be reduced until the diet balances again. The remainder of the diet can be met with nuts, fruit, vegetables, or mushrooms. Spinda love small eggs, but these should only be provided as a rare treat.
Spinda do not like living with conspecifics. They can tolerate other spinda only if both have separate feeding areas, nest boxes, and a sight barrier between their preferred sleeping spots. Large predators unnerve spinda and proximity can lead to behavioral changes and eventual illness. Even smaller dogs are not recommended companions as they can expose spinda to canine distemper (see Illness). Flea-prone pokémon are also bad companions for health reasons (see Illness).
Spinda can usually tolerate other herbivores, especially ones that can be escaped from by climbing up the nearest tree. There are some reports of spinda playing with herbivorous or pescatarian birds in their party or enclosure. Parrots and cranes seem to be particularly good companions for reasons that are not well understood. Finally, komala and spinda have similar enclosure requirements. Several breeders have raised the two together. Older komala do not appreciate the relatively high energy of the spinda, but younger komala can peacefully share an enclosure.
Any spinda enclosure should have an elaborate climbing structure that allows the pokémon to move from one end of the enclosure to the other without touching the ground. Food and nest box locations can be changed from time to time to provide enrichment. Scratching posts, food frozen in ice, rubber balls, and wind chimes all make for good enrichment. Just make sure that toys cannot be easily swallowed.
Many trainers find out the hard way that spinda are excellent escape artists. Habitats should ideally be entirely enclosed by mesh strong enough that the pokémon cannot escape. For larger habitats this may not be practical. Spinda are excellent climbers and strong swimmers, but they are not good at vertical jumps. Walls that are at least six feet tall and made of a smooth material are usually enough to keep spinda in. Make sure that there are no trees or other objects spinda can climb and then jump from to escape. Electric wires are more likely to hurt spinda than they are to deter them.
The ideal spinda enclosure has places to retreat to away from Alola's heat. Spinda begin to suffer from heat-related illness at 85 degrees Fahrenheit. At sea level this means that lots of shade, cool misters, and access to a climate-controlled area will be necessary.
Illness
Spinda are extremely vulnerable to canine distemper. They cannot receive a vaccine with a live strand. Even vaccinated spinda must be kept away from the feces of unknown wild pokémon. It is not recommended to keep spinda on the same team as a species that can carry the disease.
They are also quite vulnerable to parasites. A veterinarian should examine a stool sample twice a year to check for worms. Fleas are also a common nuisance, which is particularly bad because common flea baths might kill spinda outright. Treatment is delicate and something best handled by a specialist.
Spinda do not molt in Alola as they always keep their summer coat. Hair loss should always be seen as a cause for concern.
Evolution
Not applicable.
Battling
No serious trainer has ever used a spinda in battle. A handful of coordinators have made use of one for their surprisingly wide movepool and natural cuteness. Any contest ruleset with actual battles puts spinda at a natural disadvantage.
Simply put, spinda are fast, strong, and tricky enough to outcompete most young pokémon. One can even be used as a solid battler through the first island. Then they will start to severely fall off. Spinda are actually quite good in arboreal combat, but leagues tend to have limited climbing structures. Their best bet is confusing the enemy long enough to land a few sharp claw strikes before going down.
Spinda are also very averse to fights. Battling with one too frequently can cause stress-related illnesses. Trainers should not attempt to use spinda in any sort of high-level fight.
Acquisition
A small population of spinda lives in the highlands of Melemele. The most accessible place spinda live is the forest around the caldera of Ten Carat Hill. More live in the island's rugged interior, but this area is designated a No Catch Zone where the population of invasive species is directly managed by the DNR.
Spinda spend almost all of their time in the trees and are quick to flee from anything that approaches. Capturing one can be a long, drawn-out process. Some trainers have reported success using a persian to 'hunt' the spinda in the trees, especially during the day when most are asleep or drowsy.
It is easiest to simply adopt spinda from a breeder or collector. Several can be found scattered across the major cities and trading hubs of Akala, Ula'Ula, and Melemele.
Spinda can be obtained with a Class III license.
Breeding
Spinda mate in January or February. Females will begin displaying interest by rolling around on the ground. If a male is introduced, they will mate. She will then enter into a dark, enclosed space to make her nest. Provided nest boxes, especially those built into a wall and connected to other climate-controlled boxes and other indoor spaces, are best for this. The female will begin to line her nest with soft materials as birth grows nearer. She will deliver one to two cubs in June or July. She will then spend at least one month in her box, relying on fat reserves, food stores, and deliveries from her mate to survive.
Baby spinda have a very high mortality rate. Breeders are lucky if one cub survives out of every four that are born. Some have found success by using hatches in the side of the nest box to access the spinda, rather than withdrawing her or sticking their hands through the main entrance. Large indoor complexes of climate-controlled nest boxes also seem to get better results.
Some females will reject their cubs. Hand-rearing may be necessary. Newborn spinda cannot use a bottle as they are likely to choke on the milk. Instead, the food must be injected directly into their stomachs. This changes after seven days and they can be shifted over to a feline formula after seven days.
Relatives
There are three recognized species of spinda. All three are owned by collectors in Alola, although only one has an established wild population. This is the highland spinda native to Tibet, Nepal, and portions of northern India.
The lowland spinda (F. rufus) has only a short-stubby tail and is about one-third larger. They can still climb when necessary, but they spend most of their time on the ground. Paradoxically, this is because there are fewer arboreal predators in the lowlands. Highland spinda rely on the threat of a confusion-plagued chase through the treetops to deter the common persian in the area. The predators in the lowlands can be escaped by simply climbing higher. They do not need to outrun or outmaneuver anything once they have safely reached higher elevations. Lowland spinda also have a much higher tolerance for warmer climates, making them the easiest to raise in Alola. This subspecies can be found in the remaining forests of eastern and central China. Their telepathy is also weaker as it is less of a deterrent to predators.
The Hoennese spinda (F. caudabrevis) are descended from the lowland spinda. As such they do not have the long tails of the highland species. They have since evolved to better survive in the volcanic mountains of Hoenn. This includes specialized fur and toepads that let them dig or bury into fields of ash. Their lungs are designed to filter out the small, toxic particulates of ash fields. They use weak telekinesis to keep these burrows from collapsing while they rest under the surface in a place too hot, toxic, and loose for most predators to bother traversing. At night these spinda venture to nearby bamboo forests to eat. Sometimes they relax in the hot springs of the area.