Shellos (Japanese: カラナクシ Karanakushi) is a Water-type Pokémon introduced in Generation IV.
It evolves into Gastrodon starting at level 30.
Shellos has two different forms: West Sea Shellos, which is pink and white in appearance, and East Sea Shellos, which is blue and green. They are found on the respective sides of Sinnoh's mountain range.
Biology
Shellos is a sea slug-like Pokémon whose appearance changes depending on which part of the sea it is found in. Both forms have amorphous, slug-like bodies, black oval-shaped eyes with yellow outlines, minuscule, dot-shaped noses, and wide yellow lips. Like real-world sea slugs, they have mantles covering the top halves of their bodies. These mantles are outlined in yellow, similar to their eyes. Unlike real sea slugs, however, they have bulbous heads and four small feet rather than one large foot.
The West Sea form's underside is white, and its mantle is pink, with several small spike-like protrusions on its back. On its head is a ring of pink, fleshy knobs resembling the gills of a nudibranch. West Sea Shellos' appearance is theorized to have been influenced by warm ocean waters.
The East Sea form, meanwhile, sports a green underside and a turquoise mantle. Two yellow-lined, flap-like protrusions, resembling cerata, are present along its back. On its head are two white-tipped tentacles resembling rhinophores that extend away from its face. East Sea Shellos's appearance is theorized to have been influenced by cold ocean waters.
Shellos lives along seashores; its color becomes more vibrant the better quality of the waters it lives in. It is also believed that Shellos's diet, which consists of plankton, also influences its form, though this has yet to be proven. The physical differences between both forms appear largely cosmetic; no significant changes in capabilities have been observed. While it can travel onto land, it can only stay on the shore for a limited time before its skin dries out. When Shellos' squishy body is pressed or squeezed, or when Shellos senses imminent danger, a mysterious purple fluid — theorized to be a kind of stress-induced greasy sweat — will ooze out of its body. This fluid is its defense mechanism against enemies; although harmless, it is very sticky and hard to wash off. Shellos has a friendly disposition and is said to have great regenerative capabilities. In the anime, West Sea Shellos can extend their necks to incredible lengths. It is unknown if the East Sea form can do this as well.
This species once had a shell on its back long ago and is considered a close relative to Pokémon such as Shellder. The Nurse Joy featured in Gateway to Ruin! revealed Mount Coronet's formation led to an allopatric speciation event, in which the original population of Shellos was separated into two. As a result, Shellos's color and other physical aspects began to vary due to environmental differences and population isolation over time. The two forms are still able to interbreed; the child normally takes the mother's form but takes the father's if bred with a Ditto. Recently, East Sea Shellos' population has been declining, while West Sea Shellos has become more abundant than before.
Forms
Shellos has two separate forms: West Sea Shellos and East Sea Shellos. The two forms differ in appearance only.
| West Sea |  |
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Evolution
Shellos evolves into Gastrodon.
Game data
Pokédex entries
| This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation IV. |
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| Generation IV | | Sinnoh
#060 | | Johto
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| Diamond | Its color and shapes differ from region to region. In the Sinnoh region, two types are confirmed. |
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| Pearl | It lives along bodies of water. Its body shape has changed to suit its habitat. |
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| Platinum | Beware of pushing strongly on its squishy body, as it makes a mysterious purple fluid ooze out. |
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| HeartGold | Its shape and coloration vary, depending on its habitat. |
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| SoulSilver |
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| Generation V | | | Unova
#— |
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| Black | Beware of pushing strongly on its squishy body, as it makes a mysterious purple fluid ooze out. |
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| White |
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| Black 2 | Beware of pushing strongly on its squishy body, as it makes a mysterious purple fluid ooze out. |
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| White 2 |
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| Generation VI | | Kalos
#— | | Hoenn
#— |
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| X | Beware of pushing strongly on its squishy body, as it makes a mysterious purple fluid ooze out. |
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| Y | Its shape and coloration vary, depending on its habitat. |
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| Omega Ruby | Beware of pushing strongly on its squishy body, as it makes a mysterious purple fluid ooze out. |
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| Alpha Sapphire | Its shape and coloration vary, depending on its habitat. |
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| Generation VII | | Alola
S M : #260 | | Alola
US UM : #341 | | Kanto
#— |
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| This Pokémon has no Pokédex entries in Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!. |
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| West Sea |
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| Sun | For the most part, it makes its home along the seashore. Its color and form differ according to its habitat and the quality of its food. |
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| Moon | Purple mucus sticks to the hands of anyone who touches it. Take care, as the substance is troublesome to wash off. |
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| Ultra Sun | While they normally live in the sea, they can function on land, too, until their skin dries out. |
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| Ultra Moon | When it senses danger, a purple liquid oozes out of it. The liquid is thought to be something like greasy sweat. |
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| East Sea |
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| Sun | Shellos lives in the sea and feasts on plankton. The lovelier the ocean where Shellos resides, the more vibrant its color becomes. |
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| Moon | The difference in color from one Shellos to another seems to be a result of their diet. No large changes can be seen in their capabilities. |
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| Ultra Sun | When it senses danger, it gushes a purple liquid. Some theories suggest this liquid is a greasy sweat induced by stress. |
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| Ultra Moon | Scientists interested in its great regenerative capabilities are currently analyzing the materials from which its cells are made. |
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| Generation VIII | | Galar
#230 | | Sinnoh
#060 | | Hisui
#082 |
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| Brilliant Diamond | Its colors and shapes differ from region to region. In the Sinnoh region, two types are confirmed. |
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| Shining Pearl | It lives along bodies of water. Its body shape changed to suit its habitat. |
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| West Sea |
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| Sword | This Pokémon's habitat shapes its physique. According to some theories, life in warm ocean waters causes this variation to develop. |
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| Shield | Subjecting this Pokémon to a strong force causes it to secrete a strange purple fluid. Though harmless, the fluid is awfully sticky. |
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| Legends: Arceus | Found in abundance on seashores bordering warm waters. Shellos are unexpectedly friendly and will crawl toward any person they see. Take care not to get coated in mucus! |
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| East Sea |
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| Sword | There's speculation that its appearance is determined by what it eats, but the truth remains elusive. |
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| Shield | Its appearance changes depending on the environment. One theory suggests that living in cold seas causes Shellos to take on this form. |
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| Legends: Arceus | Found in abundance on seashores bordering cold waters. When pressed upon, the Pokémon will secrete from its body's surface a purple fluid that will stain one's clothes. |
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| Generation IX | | Paldea
#327 | | Kitakami
#— | | Blueberry
#— |
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| West Sea |
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| Scarlet | It used to have a shell on its back long ago. This species is closely related to Pokémon like Shellder. |
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| Violet | It oozes a purple fluid to deter enemies. Apparently, there are more West Sea Shellos now than there were in the past. |
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| East Sea |
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| Scarlet | A recently published research paper states that this form of Shellos is gradually decreasing in number. |
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| Violet | This Pokémon can often be seen along seashores. It's capable of spending a limited amount of time on land. |
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Game locations
| This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation IV. |
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In side games
| This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation IV. |
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| Generation VIII | |
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| This Pokémon is unavailable in Generation VIII side games. |
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Held Items
Stats
Base stats
Pokéathlon stats
Type effectiveness
| Under normal battle conditions in Generation IX, this Pokémon is: | |
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Learnset
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- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Shellos
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution of Shellos
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see level-up moves from other generations
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- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Shellos
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution or an alternate form of Shellos
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see TM moves from other generations
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- Moves marked with an asterisk (*) must be chain bred onto Shellos
- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Shellos
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution of Shellos
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see Egg moves from other generations
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Side game data
West Sea
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Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs| Group: | | Poké Assist:
(present) | 
| Field move:
(present) | 
(Soak ×2) | | Not available in the past. | | Browser entry R-086 | | It attacks by spitting bubbles that make Pokémon Slowed. |
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Pokémon Rumble Rush | Walking Speed: 2.92 seconds | Base HP: 54 | | | Base Attack: 69 | Base Defense: 49 | Base Speed: 60 |
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East Sea
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Pokémon Rumble Rush | Walking Speed: 2.92 seconds | Base HP: 54 | | | Base Attack: 69 | Base Defense: 49 | Base Speed: 60 |
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Form data
Shellos has two different forms: West Sea Shellos and East Sea Shellos. In most cases, where it is encountered in the wild determines its form. This is purely a cosmetic difference, and this Pokémon cannot change between forms.
West Sea Shellos is pink and white in color, whereas East Sea Shellos is blue and green in color. There is also a slight difference in shape depending on the form.
In Sinnoh and Hisui, West Sea Shellos is encountered west of Mount Coronet, while East Sea Shellos is encountered east of Mount Coronet. In Paldea, West Sea Shellos is encountered in West Province (Area Two), while East Sea Shellos is encountered in East Province (Area One) and South Province (Area Five); both forms can also be found in Tera Raid Battles regardless of location. In other regions, only one form appears in the wild per game (with the other only obtainable via trading or transfer): in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Shellos appears as a hidden Pokémon, with West Sea appearing in Omega Ruby and East Sea appearing in Alpha Sapphire; and in Alola and Galar, only East Sea Shellos appears in the wild.
Bred Shellos are always the same form as their mother, or the same form as the Shellos or Gastrodon parent if bred with Ditto.
Evolution data
West Sea
East Sea
Sprites
| This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation IV. |
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Other sprites
In the anime
West Sea Shellos in the
anime 
East Sea Shellos in the anime
Major appearances
West Sea Shellos debuted in A Stand-Up Sit-Down!, under the ownership of Zoey, where it partnered with her Glameow to show Dawn and her Pokémon a Double Performance. In Last Call — First Round!, it was revealed to have evolved into a Gastrodon.
Other
Multiple Shellos of both kinds appeared in Gateway to Ruin!, which also served as the main series debut for East Sea Shellos.
Minor appearances
East Sea Shellos debuted in The Rise of Darkrai.
Two East Sea Shellos appeared in a fantasy in Yo, Ho, Ho! Go, Popplio!.
In Deceiving Appearances!, three Shellos, two of them West Sea and the third East Sea, were at Aether Paradise.
An East Sea Shellos appeared in Pikachu's Exciting Adventure!.
A Trainer's West Sea Shellos appeared in The Gates of Warp!.
A Trainer's two East Sea Shellos appeared in Showdown at the Gates of Warp!.
Five East Sea Shellos appeared in HZ042.
Pokédex entries
| Episode | Pokémon | Source | Entry |
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| DP041 | Shellos | Dawn's Pokédex | Shellos, the Sea Slug Pokémon. Shellos's shape and color varies depending on where it lives. Two different varieties have been confirmed in the Sinnoh region. | | DP136 | Shellos | Dawn's Pokédex | Shellos, the Sea Slug Pokémon. A mysterious purple fluid oozes out of its soft body when Shellos is strongly squeezed. Two kinds of Shellos, pink and blue, have been confirmed. |
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In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
East Sea Shellos debuted in Bombastic Bibarel & Heroic Hippopotas, under the ownership of a male Ace Trainer seen at the Seven Stars Restaurant.
Shellos's most notable appearance is that of a companion of Mr. Fuego's. He typically keeps his East Sea Shellos on his shoulder, continuing to do so even after he accidentally imprisoned himself to avoid Team Galactic. It first appeared in Maddening Magby.
West Sea Shellos debuted in Movie Panic, where it was at the Pokéstar Studios, presumably under the ownership of one of the visiting Trainers from the Aspertia Trainers' School.
In the TCG
Main article: Shellos (TCG)Trivia
Shellos's early back sprite
- According to an interview in Nintendo Power with Game Freak, Shellos and Gastrodon were originally intended for Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire.[1]
- Both Shellos and Gastrodon have early back sprites that can be found in the game data for Pokémon Diamond and Pearl; however, there are no front sprites for these forms.
- In Diamond and Pearl, no in-game Trainer uses East Sea Shellos in battle, even on the east side of Mount Coronet.
- Shellos's English Pokédex entry for Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver has the fewest words of any Pokédex entry in the core series games, with nine. The Pokédex entry is carried over to Pokémon Y and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire.
- Prior to Generation VI, Shellos's shape was
. - Shellos and its evolution were accidentally released in Pokémon GO on April 29, 2019, but were removed shortly after. On May 17, 2019, they made their official debut along with various other Pokémon from Generation IV.
- Shellos is the only Pokémon with Sand Force that benefits from its sandstorm immunity, since every other Pokémon with the Ability are naturally immune to sandstorm damage due to their typing.
Origin
Shellos is based on a sea slug.[1] It resembles various species of nudibranch, and its ability to secrete purple fluid may be based on sea hares, most of which secrete a purplish ink for self-defense.
The Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Pokédex entries mentioning an increase in West Sea Shellos and a decrease in East Sea Shellos may be referencing changes in the populations of real sea slug species due to climate change, with species that better survive in warmer waters becoming more common.[2]
Name origin
Shellos may be a combination of shell and loss or lost (referring to its lack of a shell), or the German suffix -los (-less).
Karanakushi may be a combination of 殻 kara (shell), 無くした nakushita (to have lost), and 海牛 umiushi (sea slug; nudibranch).
In other languages
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| More languages |  Hindi | शेलगुमा Shellgooma | From shell and गुम goom |  Thai | คารานะคูชิ Kharanakhuchi | Transcription of Japanese name |
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Related articles
References
External links
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