Ambipom is a purple, simian Pokémon with two tails, each with a large, rounded hand with three red-tipped fingers. The tails also have a cuff of a rounded frill on the wrists. The bases of Ambipom's tails also have a similar frill. It has round ears with red insides. Ambipom has an arrangement of split hair sticking out from the top of its head. These strands of hair are longer on a female. It has a purple, triangular nose and wide eyes.
Ambipom can leap from tree to tree with brilliant speed. To eat, it deftly shucks nuts with its two tails. As it has two hands on its tails, it rarely uses its arms. Ambipom can use their tails to communicate with other Ambipom. Ambipom works in large colonies in heavily wooded areas and makes rings by linking tails with another Ambipom, apparently in friendship. Ambipom has been seen giving rings even to humans sometimes. It also shows affection by using both of its tails to wrap and squeeze people. It lives along with its young, Aipom. It lives high in the treetops of tropical, temperate, and even boreal forests, using its tails for balance as it swings from branch to branch. In the Alolaregion, while searching for comfortable trees, Ambipom tends to get into territorial disputes with Passimian, in which they win half the time.
To affirm their kinship, members of this species will form a ring by linking their newly doubled tails together. On rare occasions, humans have been accepted into such rings.
Ambipom debuted in Journey to the Unown!, where Dawn's Aipom, formerly owned by Ash, evolved. Upon evolving, she matured greatly and became one of Dawn's most talented Pokémon, being used in many of her Contests. In To Thine Own Pokémon Be True!, she was given to O in order to train and become a ping-pong champion at his training center in Vermilion City.
Gold's Aipom, Aibo, evolved into an Ambipom prior to his battle with Arceus. However, he debuted in Pleased as Punch With Parasect. This event, however, distressed Togebo, being the only Pokémon on his team that was in his basic stage.
Ambipom appears to be based on a New World monkey and the exaggerated concept of their prehensile tail. Ambipom also shares its large smile with a cymbal-banging monkey toy. It may vaguely reference the ahuizotl, a creature of Aztec mythology with monkey hands and a fifth human hand on its tail.
Name origin
Ambipom may be a combination of ambi- (prefix for both) or ambidextrous, Aipom, and palm.
Eteboth may be a combination of 猿公 etekō (monkey), 得手 ete (strong point), and both.
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.