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Lickitung is a bipedal Pokémon with a thick, powerful tail. It has soft, pink skin with semicircular yellow markings on its belly, and fully circular markings on its knees. It has small, beady eyes, and its hands have thumb-claws and circular yellow markings on the undersides. The most famous feature Lickitung possesses is a long prehensile tongue, which it uses to manipulate objects and possibly, to consume them. Aside from being very receptive to all sorts of tastes, its tongue is very dexterous. The tongue is very likely connected to its huge tail, as when it is extended, the tail quivers.
Gender differences
None.
Special abilities
The licks from their 6'6"-long tongue can paralyze foes and leave a tingling sensation. Their saliva is gooey and sticks to everything. Their tongues are shown to be quite strong, as they can lift Trainers with it, which was shown in Deceit and Assist.
Behavior
These Pokémon appear to be like Slowpoke, rather easy-going and almost dopey, hence having Own Tempo and Oblivious as abilities. They also like to lick things they come across, but get put-off by some sour substances. They do not mean harm when they lick people for food traces. Lickitung also uses its tongue to lick its body clean.
Lickitung, being heavy Pokémon, use their weight to their advantage with a large portion of their attacking strategies. For instance, they are capable of using Stomp, Slam or Rollout.
Lickitung are a rare sight, usually staying in dense forests near large bodies of water. They are very rare in Kanto, but seem to be far more common in Johto and Sinnoh.
Multiple Lickitung were among the Pokémon attempting to reach Shamouti Island in The Power of One, with some successfully crossing the ocean, and others remaining stranded.
Later, in Volume 11, a quad of Lickitung becomes attracted by the scent of Crystal's newly evolved Bayleef.
Later, already late into the Diamond & Pearl arc, Diamond's map was stolen by a Lickitung and he attempts to capture it, but instead it evolves to a Lickilicky and provides him a challenge.
Whenever Lickitung comes across something new, it will unfailingly give it a lick. It does so because it memorizes things by texture and by taste. It is somewhat put off by sour things.
Whenever it sees something unfamiliar, it always licks the object because it memorizes things by texture and taste. It is somewhat put off by sour things.
Lickitung's name was misspelled "Likitung" in the Kanto Pokérap.
Origin
It may have been based on any number of lizards with extending tongues, particularly the blue-tongued skink or maybe even chameleons. It also shares traits with anteaters. Lickitung could also be an iguanodon, as it shares its characteristic "thumbs" with it.
Name origin
Lickitung is a combination of lick and a corruption of tongue.
Beroringa may be derived from べろ bero (tongue), ベロベロ berobero (an onomatopoeia for a licking sound), or べろべろ嘗める beroberonameru (to lick up with one's tongue). Ringa is most likely derived from ring (referring to the patterns on its body) or a corruption of the English word lingua (which refers to a tongue or an organ resembling a tongue).
This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon species, as well as Pokémon groups and forms.