The Origins of 7 Squirrel Pokemon & the Real Animals Behind Them

Squirrel Pokemon come with a few close relatives. Meerkats and prairie dogs stand guard next to the real squirrels, and two of the squirrels restage the fight between the grey and red squirrels of Britain.

See all 7 squirrel Pokemon in one list.

Here's every squirrel Pokemon:

All 7 Squirrel Pokemon

#161

Sentret

Sentret, the Scout Pokemon, behaves and is marked more like a meerkat than the ferret its name suggests. It shares traits with flying squirrels, the Japanese giant flying squirrel in particular, and with sugar gliders. Its striped tail may come from a ring-tailed ground squirrel or a raccoon. It also has traits of the bake-danuki, a big-bellied spirit from Japanese folklore tied to the raccoon dog.

When Sentret sleeps, another stands guard and wakes the others at the first sign of danger, and a Sentret separated from its pack becomes too afraid to sleep at all, a problem we also have without a white noise machine.

Its hidden ability, Frisk, shows the opponent's held item when it enters battle.

#417

Pachirisu

Pachirisu, the EleSquirrel Pokemon, may be based on a squirrel, possibly the red squirrel. That species is common on Hokkaido, the Japanese island the Sinnoh region is based on, and found nowhere else in Japan, where the Japanese squirrel takes its place. The spikes on its tail may show static electricity's effect on hair, and its yellow cheeks store electricity the way rodents store food in theirs.

The electric rodent idea may also come from the habit of making a Pikachu variant in each generation, and it is a species related to the Pikachu line. Pachirisu is calm but still dangerous if you touch its electrified tail or cheeks. (We will admire a calm squirrel with a live tail from here.)

It stands 0.4 m tall.

#504

Patrat

Patrat, the Scout Pokemon, is based on a prairie dog, chipmunk or meerkat. Its habit of always looking out for danger seems to come from scouts on reconnaissance.

Patrat are extremely cautious and one of them will always be on the lookout, but it won't notice a foe coming from behind, though we would still hire it over our doorbell camera.

Its hidden ability, Analytic, powers up its moves to 1.3× when it moves last in a turn (an ability is a passive effect that works on its own in battle). Its Keen Eye ability stops opponents from lowering its accuracy, which fits a Pokemon built around watching.

#505

Watchog

Watchog, the Lookout Pokemon, has a name that suggests a groundhog, though like Patrat it also resembles a chipmunk, meerkat or prairie dog. Its design may also come from a road worker. Its body looks like a protective suit and its yellow stripes form a safety vest. Its liking for moves that break up the normal flow of battle could point to traffic guards, who can override the rules of the road.

When Watchog see an enemy, their tails stand high and they spit the seeds of berries stored in their cheek pouches, a move we would like allowed at picnics.

It stands 1.1 m tall. Its Illuminate ability doubles the rate of wild Pokemon encounters.

#587

Emolga

Emolga, the Sky Squirrel Pokemon, is based on a flying squirrel, and its gliding membrane is designed to look like a cape. It may be based on the Japanese dwarf flying squirrel in particular, and also on gliding marsupials such as the sugar glider and the feathertail glider. Like Pachirisu, it keeps electricity in its cheeks where rodents keep food.

It loves sweet berries so much that it sometimes stuffs its cheeks so full it can't fly properly. (We know the feeling of having too many snacks to take off after lunch.)

Its Static ability has a 30% chance to paralyze a Pokemon that touches it. Its hidden ability, Motor Drive, absorbs Electric moves and raises its Speed one stage.

#819

Skwovet

Skwovet, the Cheeky Pokemon, is based on the Eastern gray squirrel, an invasive species in Great Britain. Its Shiny colors may point to the Eurasian red squirrel, which is endangered in the United Kingdom, Italy and Ireland. The rare Shiny form wears the colors of the endangered native squirrel.

It eats berries nonstop, a habit that has made it more resilient than it looks, and we have a similar plan, and it shows up on farms looking for more.

It stands 0.3 m tall and weighs 2.5 kg. Its Cheek Pouch ability restores HP when it eats a Berry, on top of the Berry's own effect.

#820

Greedent

Greedent, the Greedy Pokemon, may be based on the Eurasian red squirrel, the species that is endangered in Great Britain. It is less clever than Skwovet, which may refer to grey squirrels being more intelligent than red squirrels in real life. It stores food in its tail and then forgets about it, like real squirrels that hoard food and lose track of their caches. We keep snacks in our coat pockets and find them months later.

Greedent is common across Galar, and its strong teeth can chew through the toughest berry shells.

Its hidden ability, Gluttony, makes it eat a held Berry once its HP falls below half.

Five of the Seven Squirrel Pokemon Are Built Around Their Cheeks

Five of the seven are built around stuffed cheeks or hidden food. Watchog spits berry seeds it stores in its cheek pouches. Pachirisu and Emolga keep electricity in their cheeks the way rodents keep food. Skwovet and Greedent both have Cheek Pouch, an ability that heals them when they eat a Berry, and Greedent forgets where it stored its food like a real squirrel losing its caches.

Squirrel Pokemon FAQ

How many squirrel Pokemon are there?

There are 7 squirrel Pokemon. Pachirisu and Emolga have squirrel in their category, and the rest come from flying squirrels, chipmunks, prairie dogs and meerkats.

What is the strongest squirrel Pokemon?

Greedent, with a base stat total of 460. Emolga comes next at 428.

Is Pachirisu a squirrel?

Yes. Pachirisu is the EleSquirrel Pokemon and may be based on the red squirrel found on Hokkaido.

Is Emolga a flying squirrel?

Yes. Emolga is based on a flying squirrel, possibly the Japanese dwarf flying squirrel, with its gliding membrane drawn as a cape.

Why is Skwovet grey and Greedent red?

Skwovet is based on the Eastern gray squirrel, which is invasive in Great Britain, and Greedent on the Eurasian red squirrel, which is endangered there.