Restarting my Pokedex

So after about a year of not touching my personal pokedex I've decided to start over. Keeping a few previous design ideas but overall its going to be new ideas. I have sorta hit a little roadblock though.

Each of the starters seem to have a set theme:
Until Gen 6, all Grass Starters were easily identified as Reptiles with Floral traits.
Until Gen 6, all Fire Starters were easily identified as members of the Chinese Zodiac. (For arguments sake I do not count Fennekin as a Canine (dog). If I did, I would have to count Poohyena and Mightyena as felines due to being Hyena which are branched from the feline families.)
All Water Starters are creatures that can adapt to life both in water and on land. Ambiguously amphibious.


I've kinda got nothing on Grass. Can't really think of some good lizard designs.

Can't make my mind up on the remaining Chinese Zodiac symbols. (Monkey, Rooster, Mouse, Dragon, Boar, "Dog" are taken leaving Snake, Horse, Tiger, Hare, Ram, and Ox left.)

Water I have an idea, but can easily be enthralled by another idea.


So are there any starter animals/ideas you can think of/would like to see?

A fire hare sounds interesting a horse...not so much considering there's Ponyta/Rapidash. I also like the idea of a fire typed Tiger, but I'm not sure what you could do with that.

Maybe a water leech, or mosquito? I'm not sure haha. Like imagine a tiny mosquito that grows into some badass blood sucking bug/water type that can shoot high-pressure streams of water out of its sucker ahahah.