Inspiration for Sandshrew and Sandslash: The Pangolin
I used to always think that Sandshrew and Sandslash were inspired by the armadillo, and boy was I wrong!
The totally cute and apparent inspiration for the two Pokémon is the pangolin.
So cute!
Biologist, Pokénerd, and On the Origin of Species editorial writer, George Hutcheon wrote a ridiculously geeky and awesome article on the similarities and the background of the pangolin for Bulbapedia’s Bulbanews.
It’s a pretty fascinating read, as I didn’t even know pangolins existed!