Posted in: Games, Mobile Games, Niantic, Pokémon GO | Tagged: mareep, Niantic, Niantic Labs, pokemon, pokemon go

Poké Spotlight: Getting To Know Mareep Outside Of Pokémon GO

Part of the fun of the main series Pokémon games is the lore of each species, which Pokémon GO recreates with short descriptions in their Pokédex entries. However, looking into the roles these Pokémon play in other games, and even the anime, can enrich the experience of hunting these creatures in Niantic's mobile game. In honor of today's Mareep Incense Day, let's take a look at this species' lore.

Dex entry number 179, Mareep is a pure Electric-type species from the Johto Region, introduced into the world of Pokémon with Generation Two. This Pokémon can be encountered as either male or female and has no discernible gender difference. Referred to as the "Wool Pokémon," this is what Mareep's Dex entry says:

Mareep's fluffy coat of wool rubs together and builds a static charge. The more static electricity is charged, the more brightly the lightbulb at the tip of its tail glows.

Mareep is the first part of a three-stage evolutionary line. The middle evolution, Flaafy, evolves into the ultimate evolution of Ampharos. All three stages are pure Electric-types, but Ampharos receives a Mega Evolution that adds a dual Dragon-typing. Some wonder if Mareep as a species is a reference to the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? What is definitely true, though, is that the species' name is an anagram for "ampere," which is the base unit of electric current in the International System of Units.

For fans of the anime, Mareep debuts in Mild 'n Wooly, where a herd is behind shepherded by someone named… take a wild guess here. Later, different Mareep appear in A Chip off the Old Brock and a flock of the species shows up in The Light of Flocccesy Ranch! Mareep makes cameos all through the rest of the series and some of the movies.

Other Pokédex entries offer new information about Mareep:

• Gold: If static electricity builds in its body, its fleece doubles in volume. Touching it will shock you.
• Silver: Its fleece grows continually. In the summer, the fleece is fully shed, but it grows back in a week.
• Y: It stores lots of air in its soft fur, allowing it to stay cool in summer and warm in winter.
• Ultra Sun: Clothing made from Mareep's fleece is easily charged with static electricity, so a special process is used on it.

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