Mudkip

Mudkip (ミズゴロウ Mizugorou) is the type Starter Pokémon in the Hoenn region in the games Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. Brock in the anime also gets a Mudkip on his journey through Hoenn.

It evolves into Marshtomp at level 16, then into Swampert at level 36.

Special Abilities
The fin on a Mudkip's head can be used for sensing air and water currents, and can discern nearby bodies of water. The fin can sense danger as well, giving Mudkip warning. Mudkips breathe underwater using the gills on their cheeks, and their powerful tails drive them through the water quickly. Mudkip can lift big boulders. In a pinch, Mudkips will find strength enough to crush even rocks that are bigger than themselves.

Mudkip has the ability Torrent, which will increase the power of Water-type moves in a pinch.

Behavior
Mudkip will bury themselves in soft soil at a river's edge to sleep. They live in groups to combine their strength and overpower any threatening enemies.

Habitat
Mudkip are born on beaches, and then swim to swamps on remote islands to live. Very few Mudkip are hatched in swamps. Mudkip and its evolutions tend to live in swamps and wetlands because of their dislike of fresh water ponds and lakes.

Evolution
Evolves into Marshtomp at Lv. 16 and then Swampert at Lv. 36. (After the first evolution Mudkip gains a type --Ground-- making it a dual type Pokémon).

In the Anime
In the anime, Brock gets a Mudkip after winning the trust of Old Man Swampy, who styles his hair like a Mudkip. In the events leading up to this, Old Man Swampy offers to let Brock see his eggs hatch. Brock agrees, and is treated to the sight of a baby Mudkip hatching.

Old Man Swampy suggests that Brock take one of his older Mudkip. At the last minute, Brock asks the Mudkip's permission, and it agrees and decides to join Brock for all the great adventures they will have together. However, within a couple of episodes it ends up spending almost all its time in Brock's Poké Ball.

Later, Brock's Mudkip evolves into a Marshtomp, making it the only Hoenn starter to not evolve into its final form.

Trivia

 * The design for Mudkip was based on the real-world, Axolotl
 * It is unknown but marrision may have started with a mudkip