Poliwhirl, also known as the Tadpole Pokémon, is a large, amphibious, froglet-like Pokémon. Its hands make it seem as though it is wearing white boxing gloves. It is capable of living in or out of water; in order to live out of water, it must sweat to keep its body slimy. It prefers to live underwater in ponds where there is less danger. In battle, it subtly undulates the spiral-shape on its belly to put the foe to sleep, using a type of hypnosis. It is also capable of easily escaping the grasp of foes due to its greasy skin. As a child, Satoshi Tajiri collected insects and other small animals around his Machida, Tokyo home. Tajiri drew inspiration for Poliwhirl from the tadpoles that he collected; the swirl on the Pokémon's stomach comes from Tajiri's memories of being able to see tadpoles' intestines through their transparent skin. Poliwhirl's English name came from a combination of the word "tadpole "and" whirl "; the later half of the animal name was combined with the symbol on Poliwhirl's stomach.