pokecologist

[pokecologist]

My Larvesta learned how to open the supply box in the field work tent today. Unrelated, several poffins intended as Wooper lures are now missing, and she is no longer allowed to be in the tent unsupervised.

y'all have wild lives. the most interesting thing that happened to me today is a new-ish trainer coming into the center with their pignite and excitingly telling me that he just evolved after a battle with the gym leader in town.

[pokecologist]

So. As my first post I'd like to make a poll to settle an argument I've been having.

I need to know

[pokecologist]

Hello there! I came across your blog and I must say: surely after studying Pokémon for so long you must have some good stories! Have you had any disastrous run ins with wild Pokémon? What have you observed in your years of studying? What’s your favorite Pokémon? What’s your favorite Pokémon that you’ve encountered? Do you have any advice for those starting out as Pokémon trainers? What’s your favorite region you’ve been to? Where would you like to go? Thanks for you time, and I hope you’re having a great day!

Missingsplash,

Thank you for your interest! I would certainly say I've accumulated some tales (though my grad students might say I just like to hear myself talk).

The worst encounter I've had with a wild Pokémon happened within Sinnoh's Great Marsh. I was working with some Paldean researchers at the time to compare Wooper populations, since my other work meant I was spending plenty of time with them already, and I was camping out to observe nighttime behaviors. Unfortunately, I set my tent rather close to one of the many sinkholes the Marsh is known for. When I got up around midnight, I fell right into one and got thoroughly stuck. This would have been fine, had I not disturbed some nearby Arbok that were not pleased with my presence. This was in the fall, so they were quite broody and territorial this time of year, and had it not been for my Phanpy, Loxodon, I likely would have been food for their young! It was quite frightening to be trapped and unable to pull myself out, and I've never been entirely sure whether they had actually paralyzed me, or if it was just the fear.

As for what I've observed... well, I might be better off sending some of my papers! But, in summary, my focus has always been on the conservation and restoration of safe, natural habitats for Pokémon. Places like Safari Zones and the Great Marsh, as well as areas less accessible to the public like Mount Silver or much of the Unovan desert, provide invaluable refuges for native species. Of course, many Pokémon have adapted well to urbanization and human presence, but preserving and studying their behaviors when less impacted by humanity is still quite important. There's a lot we can learn from them, both to better our care of our partners and to protect our planet.

Though my starter is a Snivy, I've always had a fondness for Bug types, and the lifecycle of the Volcarona line is simply fascinating. They spend most of their lives as Larvesta, burrowing under the ground to remain warm and develop their network of tunnels, and their evolution often corresponds to intense heat - wildfires or heatwaves. Volcarona have long been a symbol of power and natural balance in Unova as a result; though fire may destroy, it brings new life in its wake, so long as it is kept in check. My own Larvesta, Attacus, has been travelling with me for nearly 15 years now, and he's quite the sweetheart.

My preferred species to work with, however, is most likely the Zigzagoon line. They're very clever little creatures, and they tend to become trap-happy once they realize they can get free peanut butter and a place to stay, but they always have such distinct personalities. Galarian Zigzagoon in particular are simply hilarious - I encountered one on vacation that tried to run off with my entire bag, and he nearly pulled it off!

For advice, I would simply say to follow what you love, cliche though that may be. Don't feel the need to complete the Gym challenge - I never did - and take time to enjoy the world around you. Becoming a Trainer grants you so much freedom, which is often overwhelming, but narrowing down your goals to prioritize what you enjoy will make it much less daunting.

I will admit, as much as I enjoy visiting other regions, there's something special about returning home to Unova. As a Driftveil native, it's comforting to be back within the mountains I grew up with.

Once all the hubbub with Area Zero dies down, I certainly wouldn't say no to doing some research there. The photographs and such that my Paldean colleagues have sent my way make it look like a veritable wellspring of information - such a unique and well-preserved environment is a rare thing these days.

Sincerely,

Prof. Jewel

[pokecologist]

At the risk of feeding into the stereotype of Unovans, I have been considering this question a lot lately, and I am wondering what others think:

Which is more important to you?

Feel free to share your thoughts as well.

[pokecologist]

rb this if youre a trainer or you post about your pokémon or etc

[pokecologist]

What wonderful news! I had the fortune to do some work on Mt Pyre several years ago, and I'm glad that the Hoenn government is finally taking steps to protect the species there. The Vulpix colonies you mention are quite unique and most certainly worth preserving.

Absolutely incredible news coming in from Hoenn this morning. The Hoenn President has this morning announced Mt. Pyre an official protected area!! This is only the second such move from Hoenn after their coral defence act a few years ago to protect Pokémon in deep sea areas.

Mt. Pyre has had a long history of poaching due to the large amount of Vulpix near the peak of the mountain. The tails are collected and sold off in new age spaces as talismans or other jewellery. Among the more than 700 Vulpix that live up there is even a shiny Vulpix that will now get to live out it’s days free from anyone who might do it harm.

The act means that there will now be environmental guards posted around mt pyre at all hours as well as a strict no catching policy for trainers making their way through the area to pay respects to departed pokemon.

The Pokémon Justice Initiative would like to thank all of our activists and volunteers for some of their instrumental grassroots efforts to raise this issue to government in the first place. We can’t take full responsibility of the change, but it feels good to know we’ve done our part.

[pokecologist]

Reblog if you’re a part of Rotomblr and want some asks!

If you reblog, send an ask to the person you reblogged from so everyone gets some interaction!

If you can’t think of anything to ask, just ask for a random story about their Pokémon!

[pokecologist]

Greetings!

Hello,

My name is Jewel (short for Julian) Acer. I'm a Unovan ecologist currently working in Johto to study the unique ecosystems of the Cianwood Safari Zone as part of a research project surveying similar places across the regions.

I've never really had a blog before (or much social media at all), but I figured it might be interesting to see what sort of ecology questions I could help people answer. I have about 30 years of field experience across Unova, Johto, Kanto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh; my primary focus is on those regions, but my work and studies have taken me just about everywhere in the main regions, so I'll do my best with any other queries I might encounter.

I'm very interested to see what Rotomblr has to ask me, and I've heard there's quite a thriving scientific community on here - I would love to swap stories!

Sincerely,

Prof. Jewel