Biomes and Habitats

Most trainers are familiar with temperate, broadleaf forests. With mild, but seasonal weather and healthy tree growth, they play home to many common Pokémon. Many types can be found in these forests, but Grass-, Bug-, Flying-, and Normal-types are the most abundant. Novice trainers would do well starting their adventures in such areas.

Tropical jungles are warm and humid year-round with very frequent rainfall. They are densely vegetated with tall trees, vines, and other plants. A thick canopy of leaves shades over a dark understory in these rainforests. Grass- and Bug-types thrive in these prolific habitats, which have more Pokémon and plant life per square meter than any other terrestrial biome.

Woodlands are a bit less dense than forests, allowing them to support more shrubs and bushes. They often form in areas where a few trees have fallen, allowing flowers and tall grasses to take advantage of open sunlight. Damp, rotting logs and plentiful shade from remaining trees make woodlands ideal for Bug-types; when night falls, Dark-types, Ghost-types, and Fairy-types may also appear in these whimsical habitats.

Open fields and meadows are turfed with lush, short grass and wildflowers. A near-total lack of trees grants these areas with gentle breezes, open skies, and warm sunlight. With temperate weather and moderate rainfall, many Normal- and Flying-types can be found in these habitats. Oddly, Electric-types often dwell here as well, perhaps so they can be unobstructed by trees during lightning storms.

All of these habitats are characterized by a lack of tall trees and an abundance of tall grass. They are warm with seasonal rainfall; dry seasons are exceptionally devoid of water. Brushfires are an occasional occurrence in these areas, a phenomenon exacerbated by Fire- and Electric-types that can start them. Poison- and Normal-types are also a regular sight in the tall grass.

Urban areas like cities are defined by the humans that live in them and the environments that they create. Some Pokémon only can live parts of their lives in cities, while others happily inhabit walkways, alleys, or even homes as pets or pests. Normal-, Psychic-, Fighting-, and Ghost-type Pokémon often coexist alongside people, while Poison-types even thrive on the waste that we create.

As one would expect, Electric-types love to congregate around areas with high levels of electrical activity. One would most readily think of human structures like power plants, but these Pokémon are also attracted to naturally-occurring magnetic hot spots and lightning rods.

For most of their altitude, volcanoes are much like mountains in terms of the wildlife that they support. Close to the craters of active ones though, or near magma pools inside of them, only Pokémon that can withstand the blistering heat can survive. Naturally, this means Fire-types thrive in these areas, though sturdier Rock-types and the occasional Poison-type can be found here as well.

Little to no light penetrates into dark, damp caverns. Mineral-rich Ground-, Rock-, and Steel-types can often be found underground alongside a variety of Pokémon adapted to life in the dark. Some Dragon-types also have a preference for hiding themselves deep within winding caves.

This biome specifically refers to the open-faced, rugged mountainsides ideal for Rock- and Steel-types; mountain forests and peaks usually support a different set of Pokémon entirely. These places are also remote and usually quiet, so Fighting-types often find refuge on them so they can train in peace.

Sandy, arid deserts support many Ground-type Pokémon that can burrow away from the sun's heat. Many other hardy species of Pokémon, however, have also adapted to a life of sweltering days and frigid nights. Desert dwellers also usually require very little water for survival or have some way of storing it for long periods of time.

Not many Pokémon can eke out a living in the badlands. Harsh weather, barren and rocky soil, and few trees for shelter make these areas tough to survive in. Though many types are represented, few are particularly abundant; resilient Steel- and Ground-types stand out from the rest, though Dark-, Dragon-, and even Flying-types appear as well. In such wastelands, only the scrappiest Pokémon can truly survive.

Ponds are small, freshwater bodies of water characterized by their stagnation; water doesn't flow in or out of them, making them prime spots for rich algal growth. Pond Pokémon can usually tolerate murky waters; they are usually slower and smaller than those found in lakes, finding refuge in calmer, smaller pools of water. While Water-types are of course most abundant here, Bug-types also often can be seen flitting around ponds.

Lakes are large bodies of fresh water; they aren't flowing like rivers or streams, but also aren't small and murky like ponds. This makes them ideal for larger Pokémon that aren't equipped to handle swift currents. Naturally, Water-types are most common in lakes, as they are in all bodies of water.

Swiftly-flowing freshwater streams and rivers naturally are home to a number of different Water-type Pokémon, many of whom also inhabit lakes (and often swim in and out of them through rivers). Species that manage to dwell in these areas are usually adapted to either swim against or endure currents so they aren't swept away.

Pokémon that dwell near lakes and rivers are usually--but not always--decent swimmers that could jump right in if they wanted. Most species in riparian habitats are also Water-types, but again, there are exceptions. Access to fresh water means that these areas often support vibrant plant life alongside their banks.

Rocky and sandy beaches play home to many semiaquatic Pokémon that are content only spending some of their time in the sea. The intertidal zone also supports rock pools where some hardier Water-types make their homes; Pokémon that dwell here are adapted to withstand the crashing waves and changing tides.

The vast, open ocean supports many types of marine Water-types. Some float near the surface of the sea in sunlit waters, while others dive deeper below into the pelagic zone. Still others spend their lives resting on the sea floor and the continental shelf. This habitat refers primarily to cold or temperate waters, excluding deep abysses, icy seas, and tropical reefs.

Warm, sunlit waters and vibrant coral reefs provide the Water-types that dwell here with abundant food and shelter, making them the richest ecosystems in the world. Marine Pokémon of all kinds can be found in these tropical havens, which are particularly sensitive to changes in water temperature, salinity, and cleanliness.

The polar seas are a frigid habitat often filled with ice floes and icebergs. Parts of these areas routinely freeze over entirely, locking vast expanses of ocean water beneath them. The Ice- and Water-types that dwell in these chilly seas are adapted to withstand subzero temperatures and survive even as the waters freeze around them.

Little is known about the deepest trenches of the sea floor, where the water is frigid, the pressure is crushing, and the seascape is engulfed in darkness. The life down in these abysses is often unusual and alien; these Water-types have adapted to an environment unlike any other in the world.

While they may seem unappealing and dreary on the surface, wetlands are some of the richest terrestrial habitats we know of. These environments play home to many Grass-, Bug-, Water-, and Poison-types who have devised ways to take advantage of the acidic, oxygen-poor soils that characterize such places.

This section includes the most frozen reaches of the worlds: icy glaciers, snowy mountain peaks, and frozen caverns. These areas are permanently trapped in plant-unfriendly ice, so the life that survives here--primarily Ice-types, of course--has adapted to withstand freezing temperatures and scarce food supplies.

The tundra is characterized by a layer of permafrost that makes it difficult for anything more than grasses, mosses, and lichens to grow. Meanwhile, boreal forests are filled with evergreen, coniferous trees and are sometimes blanketed in snow. These areas have seasons of total darkness where the sun never rises, but also fleeting periods where it never sets. Ice-types are the most common in these frigid areas, but heartier Normal-types sometimes dwell here as well.

Ruins and cemeteries are an odd habitat; they are associated with humans, but they are remnants of past activity rather than current events. The Pokémon that dwell here, often Ghost- or Psychic-types, are frequently associated with the supernatural, as if they can detect something about their surroundings that science and humanity cannot.