The Pokemon franchise has an incredible roster of creatures, many of them taking inspiration from various aspects of the real world. Some Pokemon designs are incredibly striking to fans, whether they are based on mythological figures or common animals on Earth, each one stands out for one reason or another. One archetype of Pokemon that draws interest are ones based on fossils, where these set of creatures that can only be revived when players find a fossil key item. These allow for unique prehistoric-themed Pokemon inspired by primitive wildlife.
The first of these Fossil Pokemon were introduced in Pokemon Red and Blue, with the Dome and Helix Fossils that can revive Omanyte or Kabuto. As the series went on, more Fossil Pokemon were created, with Pokemon Sword and Shield getting creative by showing off incorrectly assembled Fossil Pokemon when revived. Fans who love these unique creatures can see it in this official art that shows off the Pokemon and their real-life counterparts.
This official piece of artwork was created for an official traveling Pokemon Museum that teaches paleontology across Japan. It showed off some of the Pokemon that appear in the game as well as their real-life inspirations, such as Tyrantrum and its T-Rex-like appearance. They even came with models of skeletons of the fossil Pokemon so that they could be compared to its counterpart in real life. The exhibit will travel all over Japan, starting this past July in Hokkaido, and will end in Summer 2022 in Aichi. While it is predominantly only in Japan for the time being, the website can still be viewed in rough English through Google Translate.
The art also compares other distinct Fossil Pokemon to its inspirations. This includes the likes of the intimidating Aerodactyl to the Rhamphorhynchidae, a group of Pterosaurs from the Jurassic era. Others include the more bird-like and recent interpretations of the dinosaurs, like comparing Archeops to the Archaeopteryx. Though most of the Pokemon have been included, some fans noticed that Hoenn's Lileep and Cradily lines were absent from the art. A strange omission considering the exhibit is focused on palentology, ancient plant-life field too and Lileep is a recognized Fossil Pokemon, where it can be revived from the Root Fossil.
Coincidentally, this exhibit does come around the same time as Pokemon's 25th anniversary, and while it doesn't appear to tie into that particular event, it lines up with the franchise's milestone. It also shows fans a way to learn something new about their favorite creature from the Pokemon series along with the sciene and origins of its designs.