#0664 · Generation VI
What Animal Is Scatterbug Based On?
Scatterbug most closely resembles the Peacock Butterfly.
Closest animal
Peacock ButterflyConfidence
Reasonable animal match
How Scatterbug compares to the real Peacock Butterfly
Scatterbug's official category is the Scatterdust Pokémon. AnimalDex rates its resemblance to the Peacock Butterfly as a reasonable match, meaning the animal is clear but the design mixes in other traits. Scatterbug is a small dark caterpillar with pale bristles, much like the black, spiny caterpillars of the peacock butterfly that feed together on nettles. Its dusty scales and crawling stage set up the butterfly that follows.
The comparison covers looks and behavior cues, not biology: Scatterbug is a fictional Pokémon, while the Peacock Butterfly (Aglais io) is a real invertebrate. On AnimalDex the real Peacock Butterfly scores 9 for dominance, 28 for speed, 4 for size and 14 for intelligence, out of 100, so its strongest trait is speed.
Official category: Scatterdust Pokemon. This page is an AnimalDex comparison for real-animal resemblance, not an official design-origin claim.
Meet the real Peacock Butterfly
Aglais io
Peacock Butterflies combine dark folded camouflage with bright eyespot display. Their wings can disappear against bark or flare into a warning illusion when birds come too close.
How to recognize it
- Rich red-brown upperside with dark scalloped wing edges
- Large eyespot on each wing: blue, yellow and black on the forewings, black and blue on the hindwings
- Almost black, finely lined underside resembling dead leaf or bark
Real Peacock Butterfly facts
- Most populations have a single generation a year, though a partial second brood occurs in warmer southern areas.
- Formerly placed in its own genus Inachis, it is now usually included in Aglais with the small tortoiseshell.
- Diet
- Adults sip nectar from flowers such as buddleia, thistles, knapweeds, hemp-agrimony and dandelions, and in autumn take juice from rotting fruit. Caterpillars eat the leaves of common nettle.
- Lifespan
- Adults that emerge in late summer can live about ten to eleven months, most of it in hibernation. Development from egg to adult takes roughly two to three months.
- Predators and threats
- Birds such as tits and small mammals such as mice attack adults, including hibernating ones, while parasitic wasps and flies attack the caterpillars. A disturbed adult flicks its wings open and rubs them together to make a hissing sound.
| Dominance | Speed | Size | Intelligence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9/100 | 28/100 | 4/100 | 14/100 |
Scatterbug animal FAQ
- What animal is Scatterbug based on?
- Scatterbug most closely resembles the Peacock Butterfly. Scatterbug is a small dark caterpillar with pale bristles, much like the black, spiny caterpillars of the peacock butterfly that feed together on nettles. Its dusty scales and crawling stage set up the butterfly that follows.
- Is Scatterbug a real animal?
- No. Scatterbug is a fictional Pokémon. Its closest real counterpart is the Peacock Butterfly (Aglais io), which AnimalDex covers with real field-guide facts.
- What is the real Peacock Butterfly like?
- Peacock Butterflies combine dark folded camouflage with bright eyespot display. Their wings can disappear against bark or flare into a warning illusion when birds come too close.
- Which other Pokémon are based on the Peacock Butterfly?
- AnimalDex also pairs Spewpa and Vivillon with the Peacock Butterfly.
More Peacock Butterfly comparisons in Generation VI
| No. | Pokemon | Closest animal | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| #0665 |  Spewpa | broad | |
| #0666 |  Vivillon | medium |