The Origins of 9 Snail Pokemon & the Real Snails and Slugs Behind Them

Snails and slugs are slow and leave a trail of slime. One of these Pokemon is made of lava, and another threw away its shell to go faster.

See all 9 snail Pokemon in one list.

Here are the origins of the 9 snail Pokemon:

All 9 Snail Pokemon

#219

Magcargo

Magcargo, the Lava Pokemon, is based on a snail with a body of lava and a shell of rock, likely the species Victaphanta atramentaria or Platymma tweediei. It may also be based on the Cherufe, mythical evil creatures of rock and magma that live in the magma pools deep inside Chilean volcanoes. In those legends, the Cherufe are the main source of earthquakes in Chile.

Its body temperature is approximately 18,000 degrees Fahrenheit, water is vaporized on contact, and rain turns to steam around it and cloaks the area in a thick fog. We are not going to check that figure against the sun, because we are scared of the answer. Its Flame Body ability gives it a 30% chance of burning a Pokemon that touches it. An ability is a passive effect that works on its own in battle.

#316

Gulpin

Gulpin, the Stomach Pokemon, may be based on a stomach, given its round shape and the digestive gases it produces. It may also be based on a giant poison gland or a gallbladder, or even a trash bag. Its general shape resembles a slug, and it shares something with snakes known to swallow their prey whole. Other possible sources include the predatory slime mold Physarum polycephalum and the film The Blob.

Most of its body is made up of its stomach, its heart and brain are very small in comparison, and its stomach contains special enzymes that dissolve anything. (Mostly stomach and a small brain, and we have had weekends like that.) Its Liquid Ooze ability hurts opponents that use draining moves on it, for as much as they would have healed. It stands 0.4 m tall and weighs 10.3 kg.

#317

Swalot

Swalot, the Poison Bag Pokemon, may be based on organs or glands such as a stomach or a single giant poison gland. Its general shape resembles a slug, and it may also draw on the Nuppeppo, a yokai in Japanese folklore depicted as a blob with vestigial appendages. The predatory tunicate is another possible source.

Swalot has no teeth, so it swallows what it eats whole, and an automobile tire could easily fit inside its mouth. A mouth that fits a car tire means we will be keeping our distance at picnics. Its Sticky Hold ability stops other Pokemon from taking its held item. It stands 1.7 m tall and weighs 80 kg.

#422

Shellos

Shellos, the Sea Slug Pokemon, is based on a sea slug and resembles various species of nudibranch. Its ability to secrete purple fluid may come from sea hares, most of which secrete a purplish ink for self-defense. In Scarlet and Violet, West Sea Shellos are on the increase and East Sea Shellos are on the decrease, which may refer to changes in real sea slug populations due to climate change.

Shellos are found in abundance on seashores bordering warm waters, they are unexpectedly friendly and will crawl toward any person they see, and you should take care not to get coated in mucus. Friendly and coming straight for you, slime first, is also how we greet guests. It stands 0.3 m tall and weighs 6.3 kg.

#423

Gastrodon

Gastrodon, also the Sea Slug Pokemon, is based on a sea slug and may also be based on a sea hare. The tentacles on its head are shaped like cattle horns, which may be a visual pun on umiushi, the Japanese word for sea slug, made from umi (sea) and ushi (cow). It has appeared in two artworks celebrating the 2021 Year of the Ox in the Chinese Zodiac, which supports the link.

It eats beach sand for nourishment, and a fierce battle will ensue if one Gastrodon meets another of a different color. (A grudge over paint is beyond us, since we would sulk instead.) Its Storm Drain ability pulls single-target Water moves toward it, absorbs them and raises its Special Attack one stage.

#616

Shelmet

Shelmet, the Snail Pokemon, is based on a snail, possibly a scaly-foot snail, whose shell has an outer layer made of iron compounds, combined with a close helmet. Together with its family's rivalry with the Karrablast line, that may refer to Medieval satirical drawings of snails, which show them as giant monsters that knights fought against. Its bond with Karrablast may also be a reference to coevolution, where the evolution of one species is shaped by changes in another.

It has a strange physiology that responds to electricity, and it evolves for some reason when it is together with Karrablast. Evolution by vague proximity is where we gave up explaining. Its Shell Armor ability protects it against critical hits, the rare hits that deal extra damage.

#617

Accelgor

Accelgor, the Shell Out Pokemon, seems to be based on an auto racer or a ninja, combined with a slug, snail or giant tube worm. Its cloth-like membrane may come from the hand and leg wraps commonly worn by ninja in media.

Discarding its shell made it nimble, and it wraps its body in bands of membrane to keep itself from dehydrating. It quit the shell and got fast, while we quit nothing and stayed slow. Its hidden ability, Unburden, doubles its Speed once it uses or loses its held item (a hidden ability is a rarer ability a species can have).

#704

Goomy

Goomy, the Soft Tissue Pokemon, seems to be based on soft-bodied gastropods such as slugs and nudibranchs. Its Dragon type and the dragon design of its later evolution may be a reference to the blue dragon sea slug. It may also be based on the idea of living slime in popular culture, and it bears some resemblance to the prehistoric Wiwaxia.

Goomy hides away in the shade of trees where it is nice and humid, and it becomes lethargic as soon as the slime coating its body dries out. (Needing shade and moisture or shutting down is what we call a houseplant.) It stands 0.3 m tall and weighs 2.8 kg.

#705

Sliggoo

Sliggoo is based on soft-bodied gastropods such as slugs and semi-slugs. Its snail look, Dragon type and long body may also come from Lou Carcolh, a mythical serpent and mollusk from French folklore. Hisuian Sliggoo, the form found in the Hisui region, is likely based on a snail, and its metallic shell may come from the scaly-foot gastropod, a deep-sea snail whose shell is made of iron sulfide compounds.

It is a creature given to melancholy, and its metallic shell is thought to have formed when the mucus on its skin reacted with the iron in Hisui's water. That melancholy may refer to mercury, once used to treat melancholy in ancient Greece and Medieval Europe. We will stick with the couch over being treated for sadness with poison.

Two Pokemon on this list take their armor from one real animal. Shelmet may be based on the scaly-foot snail, whose shell has an outer layer of iron compounds, and Hisuian Sliggoo's metallic shell may come from the same deep-sea snail, whose shell consists of iron sulfide.

Snail Pokemon FAQ

How many snail Pokemon are there?

There are 9 snail Pokemon. Shellos, Gastrodon and Shelmet have a snail or slug word in their category, and the other six were designed from slugs, snails and other soft-bodied creatures.

What is the strongest snail Pokemon?

Accelgor, with a base stat total of 495. Gastrodon comes next at 475.

What is the fastest snail Pokemon?

Accelgor, with a Speed of 145. It is the Shell Out Pokemon, and discarding its shell made it nimble.

Is Gulpin a slug?

No. Gulpin is the Stomach Pokemon and is mostly based on a stomach, though its general shape resembles a slug.

Is Magcargo a snail?

Yes. Magcargo is based on a snail with a body of lava and a shell of rock.