Venonat using its "Radar Eye" to find Team Rocket's truck
Special abilities
Venonat has highly developed eyes, which it uses to help find suitable prey. The eyes can also shoot powerful beams. Additionally, poison oozes from all over Venonat's body.
Behavior
The small bugs it catches and eats appear only at night, so it sleeps in a hole in a tree until night falls. Venonat's prey and Venonat itself are both attracted by bright light.
Venonat has made some background appearances in Pokémon Adventures.
It first appeared as a wild Pokémon while Red partook in a bike race which started in Route 11. A Trainer also owned a Venonat in which he sent it out along with a bunch of Pokémon to take on Lugia and Ho-oh.
During the Trick Master's story of the homeland soil, a Venonat appeared in the flashback when it was one of the Pokémon calmed down by it.
Venonat is said to have evolved with a coat of thin, stiff hair that covers its entire body for protection. It possesses large eyes that never fail to spot even minuscule prey.
Its coat of thin, stiff hair that covers its entire body is said to have evolved for protection. Its large eyes never fail to spot even miniscule prey.
In spite of Venonat's name it is not similar to a gnat in size, physiology or behavior, other than on its compound eyes. It is likely also based on a mite, which also sucks blood, is round, and have a pincer-like mouth.
Name origin
Venonat is likely a combination of venom and gnat (a small insect).
Kongpang is possibly a combination of こんちゅう konchū (insect) and pang (the sound that a radar makes, referring to its radar-like eyes). It could also be a shortening of コンパウンド アイ compound eye, both referring to its eyes and its Ability.