The Pokémon craze is nothing new, but it’s revival has certainly stirred a passion for Pokémon in people who have never considered venturing forth to catch them all until now. Traveling about town in search of the rarest and most sought after Pokémon has become common place, but what do we really know about the creatures we’re so obsessed over?

Never fear, because real life scientists Julie (a physics major) and Halie (a biologist) of the Scientific Pokédex are here to teach us all about the science behind our favorite Pokémon.

Pikachu

Grade school science classes taught us enough about capacitors to at least understand that they store electric charges, but for most of us, applying that logic to an alternate reality wasn’t included in the syllabus. The team on the Scientific Pokédex blog takes us into the biology of the world’s most beloved Pokémon, Pikachu. “Citing the Pokédex, Pikachu charges up while it’s sleeping, presumably through Static Electricity,” the blog states. “Even lightning itself is a form of Static Discharge. This also explains why Pikachu’s Ability is called ‘Static’.”

Haunter

Haunter is definitely a Pokémon you’d want to avoid direct contact with, as a simple lick of it’s tongue can cause the victim to violently convulse to the point of death. But, if it likes you enough, a Haunter may actually give you a free pass. “Most venomous animals can control the amount of toxin they inject into their victim. Since they can only produce/hold so much poison at once time, they often won’t use all of it at once,” Scientific Pokédex tells us. “So, it’s possible that Haunter sometimes licks using non-lethal concentrations of poison in it’s saliva, which is why it’s victims don’t always die.”

Charmander

Charmander is loved by so many fans for their sweet disposition and similarities to modern day pets, on top of being a fire-type with great potential in battle. The fact that trainers can check the health of their Charmander by keeping an eye on the flame of it’s tail is not unlike someone noticing the effects of a family pet’s illness.  As stated in the blog, “With the right reaction, Charmander’s tail won’t depend on outside sources like rain or suffocation, but only on his internal health. When you’re sick or have allergies, you might find it hard to breathe, like Charmander finds it hard to maintain his tail. When he’s happy and healthy, his tail burns brightly.”

Thanks to the Scientific Pokédex, we can wonder no longer whether a particular Pokémon’s abilities make any sense, or how similar a Pokémon may be to their real world counterpart. If you can’t find the Pokémon you’re most interested in learning about on the blog, be sure to check back and request a study when Julie and Halie are accepting questions.

Have you browsed the blog and discovered something you never knew about your favorite Pokémon? Let’s talk science in the comments below, or find me on Twitter @bekahbabble!

Featured Image Credit: Pokémon/Nintendo

Image Credits: Nintendo/Scientific Pokédex/ Tumblr