Sandshrew is a bipedal pholidotePokémon (though it runs on all fours in Pokémon the Series)[1]. Its brick-patterned yellow hide is dry, and tough, blends in with desert sand, and protects its soft white underbelly and muzzle. Sandshrew has blue, almond-shaped eyes, a pointed snout, and triangular ears with white insides. Its tail is thick and conical. It has two long claws on each foot and three sharp claws on its forepaws, which are used to burrow.
Sandshrew spends much of its time hidden underground in deep burrows. It only emerges to lunge and drag in passing Bug-type Pokémon. Sandshrew can quickly curl into a tight ball to protect itself from great falls and opponents, but may also throw sand at attackers. While its body can efficiently absorb water to facilitate life in the desert, Sandshrew has been found in caves as well. It also lives deep underground in nests it has created from digging tunnels. Should hard rocks get in the way of digging, Sandshrew will use its sharp claws to remove them before continuing to dig. If it is too wet, its skin becomes wrinkly. It dries itself out by using the geothermal heat near a volcano. It is also known to bathe in sand, which helps remove dirt and moisture from its body.
In the Alola region, Sandshrew migrated to snowy mountains due to the volcanic activity near the desert areas. Its body is a light, icy blue, with a cream-colored belly and muzzle. Thicker plates form a dome around its head and its ears resemble an igloo's entrances. In adapting to this cold climate, its body became larger and heavier with a shell of hard ice covering its hide. The shell is also made of very hard steel.
This steel-like covering grants it extra defense from predators like Sneasel, but it is unable to curl into a ball like its desert counterpart; smarter predators such as Weavile exploit its soft underbelly. Alolan Sandshrew can burrow itself in the snow to avoid being blown away by blizzards. Its claws allow it to move without slipping on icy surfaces, but it slides on its stomach when it needs to move quickly.[2] A traditional Alolan custom during festivals is a competition to see who can slide Alolan Sandshrew across the ice the farthest. They can also be found in the Polar Biome of Blueberry Academy's Terarium, where Alola's island life is simulated.
Sandshrew's body is configured to absorb water without waste, enabling it to survive in an arid desert. This Pokémon curls up to protect itself from its enemies.
Sandshrew has a very dry hide that is extremely tough. The Pokémon can roll into a ball that repels any attack. At night, it burrows into the desert sand to sleep.
Sandshrew's body is configured to absorb water without waste, enabling it to survive in an arid desert. This Pokémon curls up to protect itself from its enemies.
Sandshrew has a very dry hide that is extremely tough. The Pokémon can roll into a ball that repels any attack. At night, it burrows into the desert to sleep.
It burrows into the ground to create its nest. If hard stones impede its tunneling, it uses its sharp claws to scatter them and then carries on digging.
The skin on Sandshrew’s back is very hard, and Sandshrew protects itself by curling into a ball. This also helps it move around faster—it can just roll across thedesert!
A Sandshrew appeared in The Path to the Pokémon League, under the ownership of A.J. Despite A.J.'s seemingly harsh and barbaric training methods, like using a whip on it and training in a pool, it was very loyal to him.
In Pikachu's PikaBoo, a Sandshrew was one of the Pokémon that played hide-and-seek. Sandshrew hid by camouflaging itself in front of a brick wall.
In Sandshrew's Locker!, Mira enlisted Ash and his friends to help retrieve her Sandshrew after it was lost at the bottom of an artificial lake created by a dammed river.
Near the beginning of Clefairy and the Moon Stone, an ailing Sandshrew was seen lying down. Seymour described as it "drying out" because of the significant increase of light sources inside Mt. Moon.
No other Pokémon has the same typecombination as Alolan Sandshrew and its Alolan evolved form.
Sandshrew and its evolved form both share their category name with Rattata, Raticate, Pikachu, Raichu, Pawmi, and Pawmo. They are all known as the Mouse Pokémon, though Rattata and Raticate were originally called the Rat Pokémon prior to Generation III.
Sandshrew has the lowest base Special Attack stat of all Ground-type Pokémon.
Both Sandshrew and Alolan Sandshrew have Abilities that boost evasion in certain weather (Sandstorm for Sandshrew and Hail for Alolan Sandshrew) and Hidden Abilities that boost Speed in those same weather conditions.
Alolan Sandshrew can be seen as a parallel to Alolan Vulpix. Both were initially introduced in Generation I and got Alolan forms in Sun and Moon. Both Pokémon are Ice-types, with Vulpix being exclusive to Sun and Sandshrew being exclusive to Moon. Furthermore, both Pokémon evolve when exposed to an Ice Stone.
Sandshrew may be based on the armadillo or pangolin, mammals with hard scales and sharp claws, can curl up into a ball, and live in desert regions. Both Sandshrew and Sandslash are mentioned to have poisonous claws, similar to how some species of the shrew are venomous.
Alolan Sandshrew seems to also be based on an igloo and a curling stone.
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.