Lugia is one of those pokemon that leaves us in awe. Even those who don't like pokemon find some kind of fascination in him. But just what is he? For the past week, I have been closely inspecting the artwork of him in games, cards, and the movie. Yesterday, my birthday, I came up with a solution.
   Most people would argue that Lugia is a dragon. First of all, shut up to those who think so. Your proof? Please do tell. I see nothing dragonlike about him except the tail, a similar trait with other creatures. Of course, if you say he is mammal, whale-like, you're equally as wrong. He is of the bird species, hybridized with other speci TRAITS, but in fact one creature only.
   First things first. Lugia's wings. Classic bird. No, not mammal. Bats don't count. They have wings of taut skin. That's the next feature. Lugia has feathers. These feathers are small and shimmery. At first glance, you'd think it were fur. No, you are wrong. These feathers are penguin-like. The shimmer is natural body oils that coat the feathers. This keeps the feathers streamline, locking in small bubbles of air that keep lugia's body warm at such depths.
   Lugia's feet are indeed rounded, such as the padded feet of mammals, but mammals by default, need 4 digits on their hind legs, and only the primate family has 5 digits. Many birds have 4 digits as well, 3 in front, 1 behind. But guess which bird has only 3? Penguins. This lacking of the heel digit makes penguins do their classic waddle. But the advantage is that these feet are more streamlined, and are able to be tucked in better, allowing lugia to swim faster and more elegantly. And imagine if Lugia walked as compared to an Articuno. Articuno has the heel digit, so would be able to support her weight comfortable as she walks. Lugia would be unable to, so is only able to stand or sit. This leads us to the arrival of his psychic powers.
   Because he is unable to walk, this means he needs to fly for long periods of time. And with him having solid bones, not the hollow flight bones, this is impossible. Psychic powers have evolved, allowing him to stay aloft with no stress. And these powers account for him being able to stay so long underwater. Now like all creatures, he needs air. And he has no gills, specific to fish, so how does he breathe? I believe that his powers allows him to separate air from water, much like gills. He would only have to take a mouthfull of water, and his powers would extract the air. And for further efficiency, he is able to live with a slower heartbeat underwater, only needing a smaller amount of air.
   What did I mean by solid bones? Well, imagine Lugia with hollow bones. He would then be able to fly normally, true. But imagine seagulls. They can only dive underwater from heights, and still dont go far under. Their bones act as a floatation device. The solid bones of a penguin allow Lugia to go further underwater with no restraint.
   Now we move to the wings. True, there are 5 clearly distinguishable digits, but this does not make him mammal. Remember that birds have 5 primary feathers? Well as Lugia evolved for water, those digits would need to be wider, stronger, so as to act as a propeller in water. They evolved so much that they became much like fingers, but still originate from the original feather primaries.
   Tail. Ok, this is possible the only mammal trait right here. It's long and serpentine, true, but is not reptillian in any way. It is whale. It is longer true, or is it? Imagine a whale. It has blubber, something lugia lacks. So without the blubber, the tail seems thinner and longer. And the spines? They're an evolved piece of cartilage, covered in dark skin, that acts as a whale's finned tail. It's the rudder of the bird, allowing any change in direction.
   The fins are also of this dark skin and cartilage make. They fold down voluntarily for more speed, and for diving. It could be a dirivative of a stegosaur, if immediately decided, or a new trait altogether. I believe these fins could be used for more, for mating maybe. As many birds have crests or tails for gaining mates, I believe these are the same thing. The bigger they are, the more attractive, powerful, etc. and the females would feel safer with the more powerful. A typical dance maybe would also help. Avian train of a new sort is my conclusion.
   Neck: can be anything, but my guess is heron. Another fishing bird, the heron has a long neck for multiuple uses.
   Head: A clearly visible head crest is noticed. This is bony, unlike typical fins of whales and dolphins. It is in fact an outgrowth of the skull. As lugia evolved for underwater, the skull grew out slightly, creating a blade-like fin that could cut through water efficiently, making him faster with less energy. The beak is of a new sort, covered in feathers. It is still a beak, however, just angled differently for underwater life. This allows Lugia to eat different foods, such as kelp, fish, and maybe higher level critters, such as seals. A beak would be unable to hold a seal correctly, and so needed to be thicker. The feathers are just to keep warm at those depths. But teeth, you say. He has teeth! Yes, he does. But the ancient Archaeopterix, the first true bird, had teeth, too.
   And so this is my conclusion. Lugia is a BIRD. He does hold traits of other beings, but his evolution has traced him from bird lineage, and is only bird. Just as all creatures of today, he has evolved uniquely for his life, and thus is the perfect creature for his kind.