Raticate is a large, rodent-like Pokémon. Though it is often shown on its hind legs, it is fundamentally a quadruped. Its primary color is tawny, with a cream-colored underside. It has narrow black eyes, ears that are ragged-edged and dark inside, and continuously growing large incisors. Three whiskers on each side of its face help it maintain balance. It has short arms with three-fingered hands and webbed feet with three toes, enabling it to swim. Its tail is long and scaly, and females have shorter whiskers.
When threatened, Raticate rises on its hind legs, bares its fangs, and emits an intimidating shriek at its enemy. It can confront larger adversaries if sufficiently provoked. Its teeth are powerful enough to gnaw through steel, necessitating constant gnawing to manage their growth. This habit may lead it to chew walls or even concrete buildings. This Pokémon usually resides in plains and savannas.
Forms
Raticate has a regional variant: Alolan Raticate. In Alola, this form has become heavier and darker due to urban living conditions and a higher-calorie diet. Its fur is mostly black, with a brown, leaf-shaped patch on its belly and brown inner ears. Its hands, feet, cheeks, and tail are whitish-cream colored, and its hands are notably smaller. It features large, puffy cheeks with four whiskers under its chin and two sprouting sideways from the top of each cheek. Its large incisors remain visible, but its eyes are now red.
This variant uses its nest as a food stockpile, typically sending out Alolan Rattata to forage while it stays behind to eat. It is selective about its diet, consuming only fresh, high-quality foods like fruits. There's a rumor that a high-class restaurant exploits this selectivity by bringing Raticate along to choose ingredients and taste-test new dishes. Each Alolan Raticate has its own territory, leading to frequent disputes over food and feeding grounds. These Pokémon were introduced to Alola via cargo ships and saw population explosions until Yungoos and Gumshoos were imported to control them.
A special Alolan Raticate serves as the Totem Pokémon for the Verdant Cavern’s Island trial in Alola.
Evolution
Raticate evolves from Rattata. Similarly, Alolan Raticate evolves from Alolan Rattata.
(Source: Bulbapedia)
