Trapinch
Trapinch is a Ground-type Pokémon, the Ant Pit Pokémon, number 328 (#0328) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 3 and comes from the Hoenn region. It is 0.7 m tall and weighs 15 kg.
Trapinch is the Ant Pit Pokémon, a desert hunter that digs a sloping pit and waits at the bottom for prey to tumble in. Its jaws can crush boulders, yet its head is so heavy it cannot right itself if it tips onto its back.
How to pronounce Trapinch
Trapinch is pronounced TRAP-inch. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.
Listen to Trapinch said out loud:
In Japanese it is ナックラー (Nuckrar).
Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.
Lore
Biology
Trapinch is 0.7 m tall and weighs 15 kg. It is an orange, insect-like Pokémon with a round body, white underside, four stubby legs and small black eyes in a huge head, with a zigzag mouth. The Pokédex says it can last a week without food or water.
Behaviour
Trapinch is a patient ambusher: it does not hunt actively and lets its nest catch food for it. The Ultra Moon entry says that at nightfall it burrows into the sand to sleep, and Ultra Sun says Sandile seize their chance when a flipped Trapinch is stuck on its back.
Habitat
The Pokédex places it in arid deserts, and in Hoenn it is found on Route 111. In Scarlet and Violet it arrives with The Indigo Disk, in Blueberry Academy's Savanna Biome and 2-star Tera Raids, while the base games offer it only by trade or Pokémon HOME transfer. It is unobtainable in Legends: Z-A.
Powers
Its Abilities are Hyper Cutter, which stops its Attack being lowered, and Arena Trap, which stops grounded foes fleeing or switching out; Sheer Force is hidden. It digs with Dig, Sand Tomb and Earthquake and bites with Bite and Crunch. Base Attack 100 is its strength and base Speed 10 its weakness.
Name origin
Trapinch may combine 'trap' and 'pinch'. The Japanese name is Nuckrar (ナックラー), which may come from 'nutcracker'.
Design inspiration
Trapinch seems to be modelled on the larva of an antlion, which digs a conical pit in sand before maturing into a winged adult. Its head also resembles a cartoon foothold trap. These are fan readings.
Evolution notes
Trapinch becomes Vibrava at level 35, and Vibrava becomes Flygon at level 45.
In the games
Trapinch waits in the sands of Route 111 in Ruby and Sapphire, its first games. Outside the core series it turns up in Mystery Dungeon dungeons such as the Desert Region in Red and Blue Rescue Team and Northern Desert in Explorers of Time, Darkness and Sky.
In the anime
Many Trapinch debuted in 'Beg, Burrow and Steal', where they had dug an intricate underground maze that hid a lake. In 'A Rivalry to Gible On!', a Trapinch at Mt. Shady uses Arena Trap to capture Ash.
Fun facts
- In Pokémon GO a Trapinch loses CP when it evolves, a trait Bulbapedia says is otherwise limited to cocoon Pokémon like Kakuna.
- Bulbapedia notes that Trapinch's base Attack is the highest of any Pokémon that evolves twice, and speculates that it exceeds Vibrava's because antlion larvae are more aggressive than the adults.
- As of Generation VIII, Trapinch, Vibrava and Flygon are the only Pokémon in both the Bug and Dragon Egg Groups.
Base stats
- HP: 45
- Attack: 100
- Defense: 45
- Sp. Atk: 45
- Sp. Def: 45
- Speed: 10
Trapinch’s base stat total is 290. Its highest stat is Attack.
Type matchups
What is Trapinch weak to?
Trapinch takes extra damage from Water (2×), Grass (2×), Ice (2×) moves.
It resists Poison (½×), Rock (½×).
It is immune to Electric moves.
Evolution
How does Trapinch evolve?
Trapinch evolves into Vibrava at level 35.
The whole family: Trapinch, Vibrava, Flygon.
Abilities
- Hyper Cutter: Prevents Attack from being lowered by other Pokémon.
- Arena Trap: Prevents opponents from fleeing or switching out. Eluded by Flying-types and Pokémon in the air.
- Sheer Force (hidden ability): Strengthens moves with extra effects to 1.3× their power, but prevents their extra effects.
Moves
Moves Trapinch learns by level up in Scarlet / Violet
| Level | Move | Type | Category | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sand Attack | Ground | Status | — |
| 1 | Astonish | Ghost | Physical | 30 |
| 8 | Bite | Dark | Physical | 60 |
| 12 | Mud-Slap | Ground | Special | 20 |
| 16 | Sand Tomb | Ground | Physical | 35 |
| 20 | Bulldoze | Ground | Physical | 60 |
| 24 | Dig | Ground | Physical | 80 |
| 28 | Crunch | Dark | Physical | 80 |
| 32 | Sandstorm | Rock | Status | — |
| 36 | Earth Power | Ground | Special | 90 |
| 40 | Earthquake | Ground | Physical | 100 |
| 44 | Superpower | Fighting | Physical | 120 |
| 48 | Fissure | Ground | Physical | — |
TM moves (28)
Trapinch can learn 28 moves from TMs in Scarlet / Violet: Take Down, Mud-Slap, Protect, Struggle Bug, Facade, Bulldoze, Mud Shot, Rock Tomb, Endure, Sunny Day, Sandstorm, Dig, Body Slam, Sleep Talk, Rest, Rock Slide, Substitute, Crunch, Giga Drain, Stealth Rock, Earth Power, Earthquake, Stone Edge, Hyper Beam, Tera Blast, Sand Tomb, Bug Bite, Scorching Sands.
Egg moves (7):Bug Bite, Feint, First Impression, Flail, Fury Cutter, Gust, Quick Attack.
Breeding & training
- Gender: 50% male, 50% female.
- Egg groups: Bug, Dragon.
- Egg cycles: 20 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 2,560).
- Catch rate: 255 out of 255.
- Base friendship (Gen 8 onward): 50.
- Growth rate: Medium Slow (1,059,860 experience points to reach level 100).
- Defeating it gives 1 Attack effort value.
- Base experience yield: 58.
Pokédex entries
It makes an inescapable conical pit and lies in wait at the bottom for prey to come tumbling down. (Black 2, White 2, Y, Shield)
Its nest is a sloped, bowl-like pit in the desert. Once something has fallen in, there is no escape. (HeartGold, SoulSilver, Sword)
It builds nests that double as traps, lying in wait for its prey to get caught. When night falls, it digs itself a spot beneath the sand to sleep. (Ultra Moon)
Its jaws are strong enough to crush rocks but so heavy that it can't get up if it flips over. Sandile seize those moments as their chance. (Ultra Sun)
As it digs through the sand, its giant jaws crush any rocks that obstruct its path. It builds a funnel-shaped nest. (Moon)
It can live for a week without eating a thing. It waits patiently at the bottom of its nest for prey to appear. (Sun)
Names around the world
| Japanese | ナックラー |
|---|---|
| Romaji | Nuckrar |
| French | Kraknoix |
| German | Knacklion |
| Spanish | Trapinch |
| Italian | Trapinch |
| Korean | 톱치 |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 大颚蚁 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 大顎蟻 |
Trivia
- Slowest Ground type: 10 Speed.
- Slowest Pokémon in Gen 3: 10 Speed.
- Slowest Ground type in Gen 3: 10 Speed.
- Taller than 34% of all Pokémon (0.7 m).
- Heavier than 36% of all Pokémon (15 kg).
- Base stat total 290, ranked #892 of 1,025.
- One of 75 Ground-type Pokémon (counting dual types).
- One of 147 brown Pokémon.
- Number 77 of 135 Pokémon introduced in Generation 3 (Hoenn).
- Part of an evolution family of 3 Pokémon.
- Can learn 39 different moves in Scarlet / Violet.
- Catch rate 255: about 33.3% 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: Trapinch (Pokémon), Serebii: Trapinch (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex).
- Pronunciation (TRAP-inch): it follows how the English anime, games or official videos say it.
Last checked: . Every sentence of the lore was checked against Bulbapedia, Serebii and the game data.
Explore
Ground-type Pokémon · Hoenn region guide · Hyper Cutter ability · Arena Trap ability · Sheer Force ability · Compare Trapinch · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves
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Gen 3 Ground-type Pokémon · Gen 3 Pokémon list · Brown Pokémon list · Bug egg group · Dragon egg group · Pokémon that start with T · Bug Pokémon