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Snivy is a reptilian Grass-type Pokémon. Most of its body is green in coloration, while it has a cream-colored underside. A yellow stripe runs down the length of its back and tail, and it also has yellow markings around its large eyes, extending from its eyelids. Yellow, curved structures protrude from its shoulders and bend backwards. These structures resemble leaves or small wings, as well as a fleur-de-lis when viewed from the back, and give Snivy the appearance of wearing a collar. In spite of being snake-like in appearance, it has fully-developed limbs. Its slender arms are the same green color as the rest of its body and have three fingers, while its tiny feet match its underside in coloration and have no digits whatsoever. It has a large, palmate leaf with three prongs on the end of its tail.
Gender differences
None.
Special abilities
It absorbs energy in the sunlight via photosynthesis through the leaf on its tail to grow more powerful, which also sharpens its movements and agility.
Behavior
It is a smart Pokémon with a cool demeanor. It is very calm and doesn't panic even when faced with a bigger foe. It usually basks in the sun and undergoes photosynthesis with its tail, which droops when it loses energy. It is also more adept with its vines than it is with its hands.
Habitat
Mostly they live in tall grass in forests, or in trees.
Ash's Snivy first appeared in Snivy Plays Hard to Catch!. She knows Attract, much to the dismay of Ash, who tried to catch her with most of his team being male. She was defeated by Pidove due to both of them having the same gender and Ash successfully captured her.
Snivy is also featured along with the other starter Pokémon in the Pokémon Adventures manga as one of the starter Pokémon in Professor Juniper's lab. While talking on the phone to Fennel, Tepig spilled some Berry Juice on Snivy, causing it to fight with Tepig. Eventually Oshawott joined in on the commotion until the three starter Pokémon had managed to make a mess of her office, after which Juniper returned them to their Poké Balls, commenting that she was worried that the three might be too much for their future Trainers. Snivy was given to Cheren by Bianca because she thought it resembled him.
Professor Cedric Juniper's Snivy was supposed to be given to new Trainers, but was liberated by N. Snivy went with N, and evolved into a Servine while with N, and was then given to White.
Snivy appears as one of the player character in PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond. She is the daughter of Queen Serperior, which makes her Princess of the Arbor Area. Much to her mother's dismay, she is quite rambunctious, and prefers playing and getting dirty than being elegant and proper. Upon hearing of Pikachu and Oshawott's task to save the PokéPark, she helps them to open the portal in the Arbor Zone, on the condition that they take her with them.
Pokédex entries
This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation V.
Snivy and its fellow Black and White starter Pokémon were first revealed as silhouettes on the May 9, 2010 episode of Pokémon Sunday. They were later revealed in full in the June 2010 issue of CoroCoro.
Shortly after its release, much like many other Generation V Pokémon newly introduced, Snivy received the fan-made moniker, "Smugleaf". This name was picked up on and published in an article on video gaming-focused blog Kotaku and later in an issue of Official Nintendo Magazine Australia and New Zealand, as well as its United Kingdom counterpart.
Snivy is the only Grass-typestarter Pokémon that is not listed as the first Pokémon in its regional Pokédex, although it is still #001; this is because the Pokémon before it has a Pokédex number of #000. It is also the only Grass-type starter Pokémon that is not the first Pokémon of its generation in National Pokédex order.
Snivy has the lowest base stat total of all Grass-type starter Pokémon.
Snivy is the only Grass-type starter Pokémon not in the Monster Egg Group and the first to be classified in the Field Egg Group.
Snivy, along with the other two Black and White starter Pokémon, are the only starter Pokémon to evolve at an odd number: 17.
Origin
Snivy may be based on a variety of vine snake species (Oxybelis fulgidus), (Ahaetulla nasuta), or (Ahaetulla prasina), snakes with green scales and a pointed nose that lives in the Americas and Southeast Asia. Its color scheme resembles Opheodrys aestivus (Rough Green Snake), the North American grass snake that is likely the namesake of Snivy's species designation. The Pokémon's combination of snake- and lizard-like features is also similar to that of the Skink, more specifically the Neoseps, who heavily resemble snakes but have small, stubby legs. Its head and general body shape, as well as its protrusions on its shoulders, may be based on the birds of paradise flowers or false birds of paradise. Ken Sugimori has said that Snivy's personality was meant to be similar to that of European (particularly French) royalty, specifically mentioning The Rose of Versailles anime as inspiration.
Name origin
Snivy may be a combination of snake and ivy. It may also involve snide, sly, snark (a snide remark), or snicker (a sly or snide laugh).
Tsutarja may be a combination of ツタ tsuta (Japanese ivy) and 蛇 ja (snake).
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.