Pokémon Paleobiology: the Biology of Prehistory

The Rampardos line is a very special case among the so-called fossil Pokémon in that it doesn't seem to display a secondary typing unlike all the other revived Pokémon. It is widely agreed that the primary Rock typing of all revived specimens is actually a side effect of fossilization whereby the genetic information of the Pokémon slowly adapts to the mineral properties of the surrounding sediment over the course of millions of years. Rampardos, however, might have already been rather rock-like during its lifetime, preventing a significant typing change during fossilization and thus resulting in its unique monotyping.

Rampardos's claim to fame is its massively thickened skull roof, forming a prominent dome that is used in typical Rock-type fashion as a blunt weapon. The destructive force behind Rampardos's head smashes is widely known and feared and must have been an effective deterrent to potential predators of its time. Rampardos's head is supported by heavily constructed vertebrae and strong neck muscles, which absorb most of the impact forces unleashed during such attacks. However, studies on live specimens have revealed that Rampardos isn't able to form a completely straight line with its backbone, preventing it from recklessly smashing in at full force without risking injury to itself. Furthermore, the small impact surface provided by the rounded skull dome wouldn't have granted Rampardos the necessary stability to engage in direct head-on-head combat against rivals, as is commonly portrayed in popular culture—the skulls would have instead slipped off each other, resulting in glancing blows which would have put great strain on the Pokémon's neck. Therefore, Rampardos was much more likely to target wider contact surfaces such as the flanks of its enemies with its headbutts. We can conclude from this that the rounded and strikingly colored dome wasn't dedicated solely to combat but was also used for display purposes alongside the prominent hornlets and the enlarged canines in the lower jaw, all of which are noticeably less distinct features in the juvenile form Cranidos.

Against popular belief, the species was primarily herbivorous, as evidenced by the rows of small teeth covered by developed cheeks, allowing for at least rudimentary chewing. Rampardos's long and broad trunk also provides enough space for an enlarged digestive tract used to ferment and break down plant matter. However, Rampardos would occasionally supplement their diet with the early Grass- and Bug-types for an additional protein intake. A particularly well preserved Rampardos fossil find from the Oreburgh Mine in 2006 included the remains of a primitive Treecko in Rampardos's stomach region, which gave rise to Rampardos's long-held image as a fierce carnivore—even in a certain scientific context such as Rampardos's first Pokedex entry.

A contemporary and close relative of the offensive powerhouse Rampardos, Bastiodon yet took on a completely different strategy in the prehistoric struggle for survival: total defense. With a huge head frill made of massive bone and a sturdy armored hide, the Pokémon became a near-impenetrable fortress in front of its enemies. The armor consisted of smooth ossified scales which were further reinforced with a biomineral very similar to that found in modern Steel-types, and was especially strong around the head and frill, though it also extended towards the Pokémon’s back and limbs, leaving only the belly and neck vulnerable.

Healed claw and tooth markings on the frills and horns of many fossils prove that Bastiodon was very capable of holding its own against and warding off the many fierce predators of its time, including flocks of Archeops and even adolescent Tyrantrum. A particularly spectacular find is the so-called "Fighting Dinosaurs" fossil from the early seventies, which provides a prehistoric snapshot of a Bastiodon and Archeops locked into combat. Apparently desperate for food, Archeops engaged the adolescent Bastiodon in an attempt to reach the Pokémon's vulnerable neck and underside with its deadly claws, while the Bastiodon managed to bite and break the aggressor's right arm. It is thought that a sudden sand flow buried the Pokémon mid-battle, preserving both parties in a sensational prehistoric action scene.

As can be expected from their close phylogenetic relationship, Rampardos and Bastiodon do share multiple underlying features despite their drastically opposite appearances. Where Rampardos shows some signs of a primitive chewing capacity, Bastiodon actually possesses highly sophisticated adaptations to chewing, with large dental batteries in the back of its mouth acting like scissors to shred plant matter. This allowed Bastiodon to break down the sparse fibrous vegetation of its arid habitat extremely efficiently, including the new and uprising grass, which certainly was an important contributor to the species's success. Another interesting aspect displayed by both lines is the significant form change they underwent while growing up, something that has proven to be quite confusing when interpreting and classifying the fossil records of the species. Observations on revived specimens confirmed that the juvenile form, Shieldon, started out with a smooth rounded "head shield" that gradually became more squarish and rugged as it matured, while the horns and tusks grew larger and more defined, though they did not serve any offensive or defensive purpose at any point in the maturing process.

The over 1 m (3.3 feet) tall frills of the adult Bastiodon were adorned with several smaller hornlets and covered in colored markings and were certainly a magnificent sight to behold. Besides acting as an intimidation tool against potential predators, the shield's appearance is also thought to have played a vital part in intraspecies communication and recognition. This social function has sparked lots of contemporary discussion due to recent discoveries of concentration deposits holding hundreds of Bastiodon fossils, supporting the notion that Bastiodon formed giant herds comparable to those of modern wildebeests and zebras. According to some estimations, those megaherds encompassed thousands of individuals and performed extensive seasonal migrations, complex defensive formations, and elaborate mating rituals. How exactly these prehistoric Pokémon were able to engage in such multilayered social behavior despite their seemingly small and primitive brains is still one of the great questions of paleontology that remain to be answered.

Tyrant lizard, ruler of the prehistoric word, and arguably the most popular and iconic Dinosaur Pokémon of all time: Tyrantrum has always instilled a certain fascination in both laymen and professional paleontologists alike, not only due to its sheer size and power, but also as one of the most advanced and specialized of ancient reptilian Pokémon to ever walk the earth. The successful revival of this magnificent beast in early 2013 by Kalosian scientists has been an international sensation and is widely held as one of the greatest milestones of modern paleontology.

What sets Tyrantrum apart from previous carnivores is numerous unique adaptations which allowed it to rise to the very top of the food chain of its time. Tyrantrum's most revolutionary trait has to be its extreme bite force, which is considered the strongest of all known terrestrial animals in the past and present and is estimated to exceed that of modern Feraligatr (the record holder among contemporary Pokémon) by three to four times. Unlike other predatory dinosaurs, which relied mostly on slashing wounds to slowly bring down larger prey through blood loss, Tyrantrum's bone-crushing bite to the neck would kill the prey in an instant, allowing it to hunt far faster and more efficiently than its competition and take on herbivores that no other predator could, such as the heavily armored Bastiodon and even the enormous Aurorus, whenever available. The source of Tyrantrum's immense bite force lies in the particular design of its skull, which is distinctively broad and boxy and possesses especially large fenestral openings in order to accommodate the enormous jaw muscles. A special joint in the lower jaw helped distribute the incurring forces more evenly and prevented the Pokémon from breaking its own jaws with its powerful bites. Furthermore, the serrated blade-like fangs usually seen in carnivorous species are replaced with huge conical teeth specifically designed to withstand enormous pressure, allowing them to survive at least a few bites at full force before inevitably breaking and being replaced by new teeth. The notion that Tyrantrum indeed hunted for its food is supported by the alignment of its eyes towards the front, granting it a certain extent of stereo vision useful for pursuing moving prey. With its uncharacteristically long legs and a surprisingly light build in proportion to its body size, Tyrantrum was certainly capable of outrunning all but the fastest prey of its time.

There are, however, indicators that the king of the Dinosaur Pokémon may have preferred more of a scavenging lifestyle over the tedious task of having to hunt itself. For instance, Tyrantrum's long legs are also notable for having a longer calf than thigh, a very unusual configuration among ancient carnivorous species, which is generally associated with high endurance rather than sprinting capacity, and something that would definitely come in handy when searching for leftovers. Another indicator can be found in Tyrantrum's brain, which is remarkably large for a Pokémon of its size but dedicated mostly towards the olfactory bulb, the region responsible for a Pokémon's sense of smell. There is still lots of discussion to be had among paleontologists regarding Tyrantrum's exact feeding habits, but in the end most will agree that it would have acted as both a fearsome predator and highly efficient scavenger to some extent, filling a unique niche at the top of the food chain that no other Pokémon could ever hope to challenge.