The first true Pokémon craze in the '90s missed me by a couple of years. I was just old enough to think the card game was silly and roll my eyes at my little sister begging mum and dad for the Gameboy games.
But not too old to think the Pocket Monsters were adorable, watch the TV anime, and memorize the PokéRap — because I was still a gigantic nerd.
I may have (mostly) forgotten the names of all 150 original Pokémon, but I still think they are adorable and secretly wish they really existed.
I don't know about you, but that looks a heck of a lot like a Pikachu to me!
I'll give you three guesses for where in the world these can be found, but you probably only need one.
If you said Japan, then I can understand the assumption, but while the actual inspiration is thought to be a mix of squirrel and a Northern pika, the Pikachu twin is an Australian brushtail possum.
Golden possums have a genetic mutation that causes lower levels of melanin. Melanin gives the possums their dark fur, so the lower amount results in a golden-blond color.
Nocturnal animals rely on their dark coloring to hide from predators, so if they don't have that natural camouflage, they struggle to survive. The few in captivity are mostly rescues and live in sanctuaries.
It's a shame they don't really have lightning powers to protect themselves.
h/t: The Age
