Entry 013 - Weedle

Common Name of Creature: Weedle

Pronunciation: "Wee-dull"

Latin Name of the Species: Vespa campe

Origin of the Species Name: Weedle is not to be taken lightly. This creature, much like Caterpie, is the larvae stage of its final form, Beedrill, and early researchers were not mistaken by that. Its scientific name literally translates into twisting wasp. The fact that they recognized it as a wasp was not a mistake. Though Beedrill is called the poison bee pokemon, it actually resembles more of a wasp. And all wasps start in a larvae stage and Weedle is the first stage and the larvae.

Morphology: Weedle is a small larva Pokémon with a beige, yellow, or rust-colored segmented body. Combined with its red, purple, or fuchsia nose and feet, Weedle's bright coloration wards off its enemies. Weedle has a conical, two-inch venomous stinger on its head and a barbed one on its tail, but its other body parts are spherical. Between the two common larvae pokemon in Kanto, Weedle is definitely the most worm like of the two. Weedle is also known to be covered in tiny hairs all over its body.

Origin of the Creature: Weedle's origins are lost in the history of time. Weedle's have been known the world over for several thousand years however it does not trace its history back like Caterpie. But during Caterpie's time, other insects like mosquitoes did flourish and other insects like flies and bees did arise. Ants also existed in Caterpie's time and it is theorized that wasps evolved from ants. Therefore it is most likely that Durant, a pokemon known to have been around for at least 300 million years, is perhaps the closet relative to Weedle's evolutionary family.

Biology: This creature is not the cutest of bunch, but some would like to argue that point. Speaking of points, Weedle has two points; one located on its head and another located on its tail. It was always a mystery as to which end it used more and it can now be concluded that the head is the main stinger. Weedle usually only attacks when threatened and therefore uses its head if it feels like its head is threatened. Actually, the stinger located on its tail does not inject venom. It would still hurt if stung but it is a mock to tell predators to stay back. Weedles eat about its weight in leaves a day. This isn't as bad as Caterpie but still isn't good for farmers and most of them will use Heatmors to kill off Weedles and other pests. Since a Weedle eats a lot of leaves, it has the ability to smell its favorite leaves, which are maple leaves, and distinguish between the freshest leaves and the leaves it likes the most due to its large nose. Weedle will often curl up under the leaves as maple leaves have a catnip effect on it. When disturbed, Weedle will attack with everything it's got. Weedle's venom is one of the deadliest of the pokemon. It is said that its venom can kill within 2 hours without treatment. Many trainers lose some of their pokemon due to lack of treatment of Weedle stings. The second deadliest poison sting is Tentacool and the third is the Nidoran family.

First Discovered: Weedle owes it modern day venom discovery to Joseph Edleson who was a bit of a clutz and discovered this particular pokemon's power strictly by accident. For the longest time, Weedles were thought to be useless and easily killed. Which, if you possessed a fire or flying type pokemon, would prove to be somewhat true Most of the scientific community back then simply believed that only Beedrill was the only line in its evolution that would be possibly deadly. It wasn't until Edleson observed the strange hairy worm coming out from the ground and stinging him that people even knew about Weedle. Nowadays, they are known as the pest of the forest as these little worms will devour leaves and sometimes entire trees to create their nests. Eldeson is also the first person to be killed by a Weedle.

Lifespan: Given that Weedle is a larvae designed to evolve, most Weedles don't stay as they are for more than a month or two. Most trainiers will confess that their Weedles usually evolve within the first few hours of capture. However, if a Weedle is denied its natural evolution, it will perish within a year.

Habitat: Weedles are found almost everywhere that trees are found. They are particularly common in backyards and forests in the Kanto region. But reports say that they are found in Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and even as far as Kalos. This is partially due to the shipping industries. Many who ship commodities such as fruits and vegetables will often find at least a dozen Weedles in their supply. Over time, the little worms have been spread far and wide. Such forests like Viridian Forest and Petelburg Woods will offer large nests of the worms and extreme caution is advised.

Behavior: Weedles are often described as very laid back and loners, simply munching all day on a leaf until such time as they evolve. This has been proven false. Weedles are a very productive species and very territorial. Weedles will often work together to bring down predators. They have even been shown helping Kakunas and Beedrills. But the most peculiar thing about Weedle goes back to its sense of smell. Its eyesight is not nearly as good as its future evolutions so it relies on its nose to not only identify foods but to also identify each other. Weedles can tell each other apart even when there are a multitude of Weedles. No other bug pokemon possesses this recognition ability.

Reproduction: Weedles, since they are larvae, do not reproduce.

History: Weedles were once described as hairy worms because of how they felt. They are even called the hairy worm pokemon. Yet, this pokemon possess not a single hair or fiber. Instead, it has the slightest amount of string shot covering it at all times. Not nearly as much as Caterpie but enough that it does resemble a hair like substance. Also, its string-like webbing is more yellow than white, which matches with Weedle's overall color. Historians will recount that Weedles were often seen as "the hairy worm" because of how "fluffy" they would appear.

Danger Factor: Weedles are extremely venomous as their stings can cause severe injuries and even death if left untreated. The common antidote sold in PokeMarts all over the world is usually enough to treat these stings. The sting is described like an intense fire from either stinger but the one on the head is considered the worst. Use extreme caution when encountering and handling this pokemon. If one happens to crawl on you, try using a leaf or stick to remove the Weedle calmly. If it feels threatened, it will attack by raising its back tail over its head and wait for a chance to strike.