#0422 · Sinnoh · Generation 4

Shellos

Sea Slug Pokémon · Water-type

Shellos is a Water-type Pokémon, the Sea Slug Pokémon, number 422 (#0422) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 4 and comes from the Sinnoh region. It is 0.3 m tall and weighs 6.3 kg.

Shellos is the Sea Slug Pokémon, a squishy Water type that comes in two colours, pink West Sea and blue-green East Sea. Press it hard and it oozes a harmless purple fluid that is awfully sticky, the Pokédex says.

How to pronounce Shellos

Shellos is pronounced SHEL-ohs. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.

Listen to Shellos said out loud:

In Japanese it is カラナクシ (Karanakushi).

Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.

Lore

Biology

Shellos is 0.3 m tall and weighs 6.3 kg, a soft, slug-like creature with a wide yellow mouth and four small feet. West Sea Shellos has a pink mantle and a ring of pink knobs on its head; East Sea Shellos has a turquoise mantle and two white-tipped tentacles. The forms differ only in looks.

Behaviour

Shellos is friendly: the Legends: Arceus entry says it crawls toward any person it sees. It can stay on land only until its skin dries out, and the Pokédex notes its great regenerative capabilities.

Habitat

Shellos lives along seashores. In Sinnoh, West Sea Shellos lives west of Mount Coronet and East Sea Shellos east of it. Scarlet and Violet place West Sea Shellos in West Province and East Sea Shellos in East and South Province.

Diet

The Sun Pokédex entry for East Sea Shellos says it feasts on plankton.

Powers

Sticky Hold stops its held item being removed, and Storm Drain absorbs Water moves and raises its Special Attack; hidden Sand Force strengthens Rock, Ground and Steel moves in a sandstorm. It uses Water Gun, Muddy Water and Earth Power and heals with Recover. Base HP is 76 but Speed only 34.

Name origin

Shellos may combine 'shell' with 'loss' or 'lost', for its missing shell. The Japanese name is Karanakushi (カラナクシ), which may combine kara (shell), nakushita (lost) and umiushi (sea slug).

Design inspiration

Real sea slugs inspired Shellos: Bulbapedia notes that the West Sea form's knobs resemble a nudibranch's gills and the East Sea form's flaps and tentacles resemble cerata and rhinophores.

Evolution notes

Shellos evolves into Gastrodon at level 30. A bred Shellos takes its mother's form, or its Shellos or Gastrodon parent's form if the other parent is a Ditto.

In the games

A Sinnoh native, Shellos first appeared in Diamond and Pearl. In Omega Ruby only West Sea Shellos turns up wild, and in Alpha Sapphire only East Sea. It cannot be obtained in Legends: Z-A.

In the anime

Zoey's Shellos debuted in 'A Stand-Up Sit-Down!', teaming up with her Glameow for a Double Performance. In 'Gateway to Ruin!', a Nurse Joy explains that the formation of Mount Coronet split the species into its two forms.

Fun facts

• Bulbapedia says its nine-word HeartGold and SoulSilver entry ties with Kyurem's Black and White one as the shortest English Pokédex text in the mainline games.
• Sand Force also protects its holder from sandstorm damage, but only Shellos needs that, since every other holder is already immune through its type.
• Game Freak told Nintendo Power that Shellos and Gastrodon were first planned for Ruby and Sapphire.

Sources: Bulbapedia: Shellos (Pokémon) · Serebii: Shellos (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex)

Base stats

• HP: 76
• Attack: 48
• Defense: 48
• Sp. Atk: 57
• Sp. Def: 62
• Speed: 34

Shellos’s base stat total is 325. Its highest stat is HP.

Type matchups

What is Shellos weak to?

Shellos takes extra damage from Electric (2×), Grass (2×) moves.

It resists Fire (½×), Water (½×), Ice (½×), Steel (½×).

Evolution

How does Shellos evolve?

Shellos evolves into Gastrodon at level 30.

The whole family: Shellos, Gastrodon.

Abilities

• Sticky Hold: Prevents a held item from being removed by other Pokémon.
• Storm Drain: Redirects single-target Water moves to this Pokémon where possible. Absorbs Water moves, raising Special Attack one stage.
• Sand Force (hidden ability): Strengthens Rock, Ground, and Steel moves to 1.3× their power during a sandstorm. Protects against sandstorm damage.

Moves

Moves Shellos learns by level up in Scarlet / Violet

TM moves (36)

Shellos can learn 36 moves from TMs in Scarlet / Violet: Take Down, Mud-Slap, Protect, Water Pulse, Chilling Water, Facade, Bulldoze, Icy Wind, Mud Shot, Rock Tomb, Endure, Rain Dance, Sandstorm, Snowscape, Body Slam, Sleep Talk, Waterfall, Rest, Rock Slide, Substitute, Liquidation, Stealth Rock, Surf, Amnesia, Helping Hand, Earth Power, Ice Beam, Hydro Pump, Blizzard, Stone Edge, Tera Blast, Pain Split, Whirlpool, Muddy Water, Skitter Smack, Curse.

Egg moves (11):Acid Armor, Clear Smog, Counter, Curse, Mirror Coat, Mist, Sludge, Spit Up, Stockpile, Swallow, Yawn.

Breeding & training

• Gender: 50% male, 50% female.
• Egg groups: Water 1, Amorphous.
• Egg cycles: 20 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 2,560).
• Catch rate: 190 out of 255.
• Base friendship (Gen 8 onward): 50.
• Growth rate: Medium (1,000,000 experience points to reach level 100).
• Defeating it gives 1 HP effort value.
• Base experience yield: 65.

Pokédex entries

Found in abundance on seashores bordering warm waters. Shellos are unexpectedly friendly and will crawl toward any person they see. Take care not to get coated in mucus! (Legends: Arceus)

Subjecting this Pokémon to a strong force causes it to secrete a strange purple fluid. Though harmless, the fluid is awfully sticky. (Shield)

This Pokémon's habitat shapes its physique. According to some theories, life in warm ocean waters causes this variation to develop. (Sword)

When it senses danger, a purple liquid oozes out of it. The liquid is thought to be something like greasy sweat. (Ultra Moon)

While they normally live in the sea, they can function on land, too, until their skin dries out. (Ultra Sun)

Purple mucus sticks to the hands of anyone who touches it. Take care, as the substance is troublesome to wash off. (Moon)

Names around the world

Trivia

• Shortest Water type in Gen 4: 0.3 m, shared with 1 other.
• Slowest Water type in Gen 4: 34 Speed.
• Taller than 4% of all Pokémon (0.3 m).
• Heavier than 19% of all Pokémon (6.3 kg).
• Base stat total 325, ranked #761 of 1,025.
• One of 154 Water-type Pokémon (counting dual types).
• One of 87 purple Pokémon.
• Number 36 of 107 Pokémon introduced in Generation 4 (Sinnoh).
• Part of an evolution family of 2 Pokémon.
• Can learn 51 different moves in Scarlet / Violet.
• Catch rate 190: about 24.8% per Poké Ball at full health.
• Appears in 11 distinct Pokédex entries.

Sources and fact-checking

• Stats, types, abilities, moves, evolutions, forms and Pokédex entries: PokéAPI open game data.
• Lore: written by pokee.si in our own words, researched from Bulbapedia: Shellos (Pokémon), Serebii: Shellos (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex).
• Pronunciation (SHEL-ohs): it follows how the English anime, games or official videos say it.

Last checked: 20 October 2026. Every sentence of the lore was checked against Bulbapedia, Serebii and the game data.

Explore

Water-type Pokémon · Sinnoh region guide · Sticky Hold ability · Storm Drain ability · Sand Force ability · Compare Shellos · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves

Browse similar Pokémon

Gen 4 Water-type Pokémon · Gen 4 Pokémon list · Purple Pokémon list · Water 1 egg group · Amorphous egg group · Pokémon that start with S · Snail and Slug Pokémon

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