A puzzling Magneton fossil found on the outer edge of Paldea's Great Crater showed signs of extreme weathering, beyond any ever seen in a living individual. Micrometeors in space do not produce this effect, for it has never been observed in newly fallen Magnemites, and current scientific models attribute the strange impressions in these rocks to the effect of 10,000 years of wind and sand. Grooves have developed around the Sandy Shocks fossil's eyes, and spikes of sand have accreted to all six tips of its magnets.
The fact that such a long-lived pokemon was nonetheless mortal has fascinated scientists, who sought to explain the cause of its death. An early hypothesis held that Sandy Shocks died of something akin to choking, the magnetized sand eventually blocking it from receiving some nutrient that even this poorly understood pokemon, which originated in the vacuum of space, required to survive.
Far more intriguing is the theory that it was killed by internal damage from the reversal of magnetic poles – a phenomenon which must surely have slain many Magnemites over countless generations. Given their long lifespans, metal bodies, and lack of predators, it has even been speculated that pole reversal is the leading cause of death among the Magnemite family; trainers can take comfort in the fact that this process takes many thousands of years, and will likely not occur in their lifetimes.
It remains an open question whether Sandy Shocks represents a variant extinct in this solar system, or is the inevitable result of elderly Magneton in desert and crater environments. Scientists have made an open call for any similar living specimens; if any trainers have them, they are not talking, for they fear that scientific research will undermine the element of surprise and make them easier to fight.