Who's That Pokemon? - #495 Tsutarja.

OK, you all TOTALLY saw this coming. Tsutarja and its serpentine company are my favorites in the new Generation. Snakes are my favorite animals in the world and, to my pleasure, Tsutarja's final form is as close to a naga as Pokemon will feasibly get.


Pokemon: Jaroda "japanese" by ~mark331 on deviantART

I wish I could truly fall in love with this one; it is easily my favorite line of the new generation, but its stats, while GREAT for a snake churned out by Nintendo, disappointed me in the end. They cannot make a single good snake. (Dragonair might count as an imugi, but I would not bet money on it.)

Even though it has the coloration of the North American Grass Snake, Tsutarja resembles a vine snake more than anything else. To be fair, even people in the exotic pet trade can get the two mixed up.


Oxybelis fulgidus. Note the schnoz.

As I said in my old (and crappy) Ahaetulla entry, there are several types of snake called 'vine snakes.' The genera labeled as such include Ahaetulla and Oxybelis. They are Old and New World vine snakes respectively and are native to the rain forest areas of their corresponding continents.


Ahaetulla nasuta - a nose so noticeable that science acknowledges it.

As with green tree pythons and emerald tree boas, there are some common features between New and Old World vine snakes. Both have very slender bodies, mild venom and pointed snouts. Luckily for you, only Ahaetulla has the eyes of Satan (which I totally want contacts of).


Gotta catch 'em- ARCEUS WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!

Most people have cited the Oxybelis vine snakes native to South America as the basis for Tsutarja's pointy snout. Really, both are equally likely, but it's probably the lack of 'eyes of death' that really make people suggest Oxybelis fulgidus as Tsutarja's real-life counterpart. Plus, the coloration comes fairly close:



I also swear that there's some Ahaetulla in Tsutarja's system, especially towards the end of the line. I can't believe that I've developed a favorite vine snake thanks to this little guy! (It's Ahaetulla prasina, BTW.) If this doesn't clinch it, I don't know what does.

BRB, I have real snakes to tend to.