>>32164149Different anon, I agree with most of what you said; but I would urge caution with some of the translated "species," as well.
Sandshrew has shrew in the name, and is listed in the original poledex as a "mouse" Pokémon; however, Pikachu is also listed as a mouse, and both "mouse" and "shrew" are approximations of the Japanese terms which I can't be arsed to remember. Plus, Sandshrew's design and lore are largely based off pangolins, which are not rodents.
A lot of it comes down to the fact that Gamefreak isn't a team full of biologists; some artistic interpretation is going to occur because the gamemakers don't necessarily know the difference between some of these animals.
