Do Pokemon eat other Pokemon?

Pokemon might be the most Family friendly franchise in the world. However, this does not stop you from wondering how exactly Pokemon survive in the wild and what do they eat. Especially, those Pokemon that look carnivorous. In this article, I’ll be answering this long-standing question about the Pokemon community.

Yes, Pokemon do eat other Pokemon. Although the series tries to avoid stating this fact outrightly, many fans have been able to deduce it through Pokedex entries and in-game dialogues. Pokemon that are confirmed to eat other Pokemon include Duskull, Corviknight, and Woobat.

Honestly, it takes quite an in-depth knowledge about the various Pokemon, their Pokedex entries, and their in-universe dialogues to figure this out. If you wish to know more details, then read this article. We’ve added quite a bit regarding the reality of many fan-favorite Pokemon.

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Do Pokemon eat other Pokemon?

Snorlax attempting to eat Goldeen in the Pokemon Anime

Pokemon eat one another. The Pokemon Community has known this fact for a very long time now. Since the first Pokemon series, several Pokemon have been known to eat each other. The period of Pokemon Red/Blue is also been regarded as the first Pokemon generation. There have been many Pokemon that have been known to eat other Pokemon as part of their regular diet.

The major reason for this is that Pokemon as a franchise was first launched in 1996. And many of the original 151 Kanto Region Pokemon were based on or inspired by real-life animals. The result of this is that the series incorporated many mature themes regarding aspects such as Pokemon hunting.

We would frequently see Pokedex entries that hinted at Pokemon hunting other Pokemon as prey. Although this was meant to sound innocent, we know that logic would dictate that prey be used in a more carnivorous context.

Pidgeot, from Pokemon Red/Blue, is a famous carnivorous Pokemon. His description in the Pokedex reads: “When hunting, it skims the surface of the water at high speed to pick off unwary prey such as Magikarp.” Which quite directly states that Pidgeot prey on and eat Magikarp that we find in the waters of the Kanto region.

Why Do Pokemon Eat Other Pokemon?

The answer to why some Pokemon eat others is simple. Pokemon, like the animals they are inspired by, need to eat to survive. If they do not eat other Pokemon then they will starve, and probably die. To avoid this many Pokemon, much like animals, hunt and eat other Pokemon to obtain sustenance.

If we examine the Pokemon that have been signified to have predator-prey relationships, it is obvious that it is only those who very obviously have predatory-animal inspirations. That is to say, birds eat bugs, bigger fish eat smaller fish and Anteaters eat ants. This is the natural law of things in the real world and is the same for the Pokemon world.

Although we do not know if real-world animals exist in Pokemon or not, we understand that the food chain needs to be regulated. That can only occur if there are predator-prey relationships that also exist within the world as well.

There may also be some omnivorous Pokémon, in the Pokémon universe. For example, there are Pokémon like Snorlax that are omnivorous and will consume everything, including other Pokémon.
Even in a well-known incident shown in the anime, a Snorlax is seen trying to eat a Goldeen, until
stopped at the very last minute.

5 Confirmed Pokemon That Eat Other Pokemon

Animals in the wild are known to be the inspiration for a majority of Pokemon. And we’ve discussed one example of this so far in the form of Pidgeot. However, It only makes sense that certain Pokemon would naturally tend to want to eat other Pokemon.

Pokémon fans have long wondered what the real food chain in the games and anime looks like. Pokémon Sword and Shield’s debut provided some clarification for fans curious about this very topic. So I scoured through the entirety of the Pokedex from Pokemon Sword and Shield and concluded a list of Pokemon that eat other Pokemon without a doubt.

Currently, the 5 confirmed Pokemon that eat each other are as follows:

Duskull
Galvantula
Corviknight
Heatmor
Vibrava

Throughout the rest of this section, we’ll be discussing each of these Pokemon in detail. And we’ll expand upon what their direct food chain looks like. Some of these entries might shock you. Because it certainly opened my eyes when I realized who was the hunter and who were the hunted in the Pokemon world.

Galvantula

The first Pokemon on our list is the electric spider-like Galvantula. It is a very well-known Pokemon that evolves from the adorable little tick Pokemon Joltick. However, as adorable as its pre-evolution is, Galvantula has a terrifying Pokedex entry in Pokemon Sword and Shield. The entry states the following:

“It lays electrified thread traps around the nests of bird Pokemon, intending to snag chicks that are not yet proficient in flight”

As you can probably tell, this is horrifying. Not only does Galvantula eat bird-type Pokemon. But rather prefers to set up traps around the nests of bird-type Pokemon, so it can trap and feed on newly hatched Pokemon like Tailow and Pidgey.

This fact might not be overtly expressed in anime or Pokemon video games. However, from the information that we have, Galvantula is among the Pokemon that have very clear carnivorous properties.

Corviknight

Corviknight is a steel bird-type Pokemon that has a wicked cool design. But when we look at its sharp beak, metal claws, and armor, we can tell that this Pokemon doesn’t just eat berries.

However, unlike Galvantula, we didn’t figure out that it was carnivorous through its Pokedex entry. Rather it was the entries of a few other Pokemon, most notably Bunnelby and Steenee, that indicted us to Corviknight’s gruesome disposition.

It was stated in both Bunnelby and Steenee’s Pokedex entries that they had developed to evade being hunted by Corviknights. Their evolutionary process provided them with various advantages that increased their likelihood of survival from an attack from Corviknight.

We know for a fact that ravens were the inspiration for Corviknight’s design and general attitude. It is thus not shocking at all that they consume lesser or smaller Pokemon. Especially, since ravens are known to eat Mice and Bugs in the animal kingdom. So it stands to reason that they would also be considered favorable meals by Pokemon of a similar design.

Vibrava

Vibrava is a very popular Ground-type and Dragon-type Pokemon. And is the evolution of Trapinch and evolves into Flygon. It has been featured many times in the Pokemon anime. It has been a frequently added Pokemon since it was first introduced in Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire.

The Pokemon also has the honor of being the first Pokemon whose Pokedex entry in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen had the mention of “prey.” This was unprecedented for the games at the time. And if we examine Vibrava’s Pokedex entry which reads:

“It first renders prey unconscious before melting them down with acid”

You know for a fact that Vibrava isn’t just eating berries. But very clearly is consuming other Pokemon as well. It further states that to help Vibrava develop its wings, it dissolves tonnes of prey in its digestive secretions and guzzles them down every day.

Heatmor

We move on now to the next Pokemon on our list, Heatmor. This is a Pokemon that’s been based on Anteaters. So the fact that they consume prey similar to ants should not surprise you. In fact, in the generation when Heatmor was introduced, an ant Pokemon called Durant was also unveiled.

Heatmors are known to consume Durants, the Ant Pokemon. And much like their real-life counterparts, Durant does not stand any chance against Heatmor. Not only because of the difference between the size of the two Pokemon. But also because Durant is a Steel-Type and Bug-type Pokemon, and is 4x weak against Fire-Type Pokemon like Heatmor.

Many of the Pokedex entries for Heatmor describe that it melts through Durant’s insides through its tough exterior. It sounds terrifying to imagine. But we can’t blame the Pokemon. Nature is often very cruel. And how Heatmors eat Durants is just one example of that in the Pokemon world.

Duskull

Duskull is a Ghost-type Pokemon. Which perhaps makes its very existence a terrifying concept to consider on its own. However, they are not omnivores, even if they are not alive.

In Pokemon Shield’s Pokedex it is stated that it refers to “prey” when describing how Duskull feeds. And it is highlighted that when Duskull haints a major driving factor for it is to consume. It is known to eat unsuspecting Pokemon or those that it can trick into entering its hypnosis.

Another terrifying fact about Duskulls is that they not only eat other Pokemon but are known to Spirit away misbehaving youngsters, leading them to a hypnotic demise. Truly Duskull is one of the scariest Pokemon within the Pokedex.

Pokemon do eat other Pokemon, and this is a fact that has been known to us for a very long time now. Since the first generation of Pokemon games. throughout the years and future installments we’ve been introduced to several terrifying Pokemon that eat not just other Pokemon, but might even have a taste for humans.

Although there are several Pokemon that we could mention in our list for the confirmed Pokemon that eat other Pokemons, we thought to keep it short. So you have all the information you need. For more information regarding everything Pokmon, check out the rest of our website. Till next time!