Interesting hypothesis, but "duck-billed" dinosaurs weren't even duck-billed. Many studies have found that the snout actually was covered in keratin that made it look more like a shovel than the duck-like bill we see in the fossil itself. Honestly I think they are more similar to the Platypus than any dinosaur (avian or non-avian), and I'd slap Ludicolo in there too. The fake duck people family.
That's actually hilarious how biased I've been to Golduck being a duck just because it has "duck" in its name, when in reality it shows a lot of traits not from a duck XD
I've hypothesised for a while that the more humanoid birds (Golduck, Hawlucha, Quaquaval etc.) could be their own branch of avian separate from the rest of the tree
Maybe Farfetch'd is one, too? Since it's able to manipulate its leek so well with its upper limbs, it's possible that what looks like wings at first glance are actually hands.
I have been under the assumption that Golduck is probably more related to a Platypus than a Duck but this hypothesis is more interesting and also it’s a really cool way that it could be related to Magmar. I always had a feeling that Magmar’s Duck-like features were more coincidence but I never knew what it could’ve been more similar to. Excellent video!
Glad you enjoyed it! Platypus definitely makes a little more sense than a traditional bird for these two but maybe in the future we can get the missing link platypus Pokémon and really figure it all out!
Its funny how I've never reflected on how non duck like Golduck is, I guess because I grew up with it, it felt natural. During the video I was like "huh yeah that's right, real ducks dont have long featherless tails or arms" 😂 As for Magmar, it's always felt very strange and like no real animal to me. So thanks for making the video :)
I kind of went through the same process after really looking at Golduck. Like Psyduck is moderately duck-like but then Golduck immediately goes off the rails. Child me probably thought "well its got 'duck' in the name, obviously this HAS to be a duck" lol
1:34 The thing with Chi-Yu is that it's not an actual fish, it's basically a jewel pokemon that makes a fish-like Magma Golem. On top of that, it's supposed to be one of a kind, meaning it wouldn't be common in the volcanic ecosystem.
Probably true. But it's possible that those kinds of stories are folk tales that act as an origin story for that Pokémon. Similar things exist for many real life animals!
@@geekecology It's not just folktake tho, The area it’s sealed in is full of obsidian spires and lava flows, and its weight in the Pokédex is only the beads "eyes". The Treasures of Ruin Quartet are meant to be mythical beings rather than the real living beings most Non-Legendary Pokémon are
@@seandewar47 Around here, we tone down the mysticism and divinity for sake of a more interesting discussion. Maybe we could call Chi-Yu the result of an unethical breeding-program or a culmination of various magic-weapons.
@@geekecology I have a question. According to pokedex Drowzee and Munna are believed to share ancestory, but they are in different egg groups and can't breed. So, are they more likely result of a convergent evolution instead?
@@geekecology the thing is, a "normal" animal would've died after being trapped in a sealed chamber after hundreds of years. Other legendaries, like Moltres or Heatran are more likely to be animals with exagerated tal tales, than the Tresures of Ruin or the Regis for example.
Now I'm wondering if there's a whole world of Pokémon mollusks that live in magma. I want there to be. I would really love to see a molten rocktopus someday.
Personally I think Magmar and Golduck might be highly derived birds that evolved back their arms and tails, but if they are non-avian dinosaurs, they’d probably be deinocheirids
I love your videos! I have a passing interest in biology, especially when it comes to fictional animals, so your videos scratch a nice itch. It's fun to think about how creatures that rely on a sense of fantasy could actually work
Your about section talked about Video Game creatures looked through real biology/ecology though you've only done pokemon. You do whatever content you want but if you wanna look at other video game creatures realistically besides Pokemon, you should do the Subnautica or Half Life series.
