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Pikmin
#03

Beady Long Legs >>

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Pikmin 2
#02

Beady Long Legs >>

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Pikmin 4
#03 (Blossoming Arcadia)

Emperor Bulblax >>

The Burrowing Snagret (ヘビガラス, Hebigarasu) is a boss in the Pikmin games. It serves as the boss of White Flower Garden in Pikmin 2, and has a blue scaly body and a head which is white in coloration. As the name implies, it appears to be a hybrid of an egret and a snake, as it is a member of the Snavian family (Snavian being a combination of the words snake and avian, avian meaning "bird-related"). They remain underground for the majority of the time, surfacing only when approached by Pikmin or a Captain. On occasion when it emerges, the Snagret can get stuck with only its head above ground for a few seconds, creating an opening that serves as the creature's only weakness in battle. When above ground, it tries to eat Pikmin by gathering them in its mouth, being able to take a maximum of three Pikmin (in Pikmin and Pikmin 2) in one round. The only way to save your Pikmin is to kill the Snagret before they are consumed. Once the Snagret is sufficiently damaged, it burrows back underground.

When killed in Pikmin, Burrowing Snagrets explode into many different Pellets (and the Geiger Counter depending on which Snagret is defeated). In Pikmin 2, a dead Burrowing Snagret leaves behind its head to be returned to an Onion or the Research Pod. However, in the other games, the entire body is available, where the carcass takes an elongated shape in Pikmin 3 and a more circular one in Pikmin 4. The drops from the two newer games also reveal a foot at the end of the body.

In Pikmin 3, the Burrowing Snagret has undergone appearance changes to be represented in HD (these changes are still present in Pikmin 4). Its scales and head feathers are larger and now much more defined. It can also shed these feathers during battle, although this is just an aesthetic difference and serves no purpose in battle. Also in the aforementioned game, unlike the previous games, the Burrowing Snagret only appears once in the Story Mode, and never respawns. However, it appears multiple times in Pikmin 4.

Notes[]

Ship's Log[]

"This large, subterranean life-form suddenly erupts from underground to feast on nearby Pikmin. Its body is covered in slick scales, which render Pikmin attacks ineffective. Surely, it has a weak point somewhere..."

Reel notes[]

"The bluish hue of its feathers distinguishes it from the burrowing snarrow."

Olimar's Notes[]

"The majority of snagret species lie in wait to ambush and capture prey, with a body type perfectly adapted to such sudden strikes. It violently attacks small, surface-dwelling insects. Distributed across a relatively wide range, subspecies of snagret suited to the varying soil conditions have emerged, making the snagret the most geographically represented species besides the bulborb. Visually resembling the burrowing snagret is the burrowing snarrow, the range of which partially overlaps with the snagret's range. While the two may appear similar, when pulled from the ground they can be distinguished by the presence or absence of tail and wing markings."

Louie's Notes[]

"Slice the serpentine torso into thin medallions, skewer on a metal rod with Hocotate onions, and barbecue over an open flame."

Nintendo Player's Guide[]

"The Burrowing Snagret's weak spot is its head. Toss Pikmin at the bird-snake's skull as it's emerging from the ground, and let them go to work on the beast. Call them before they're shaken off and prepare for another assault."

Pikmin Player's Guide[]

"The white-headed snagret is a subterranean dweller characterized by a birdlike head and a snakelike body. Its avian head features white plumage and a long, pointed beak, which it uses for digging, while its reptilian body is covered with blue scales. White-headed snagrets burrow in flocks and they will rear their heads when surface vibrations alert them to possible prey above ground. The blueish hue of its feathers distinguishes it from the burrowing snarrow."

Pikmin 3 Prima Guide[]

"As its name implies, the Burrowing Snagret spends most of its time underground. When it senses potential prey, however, this creature emerges and uses its powerful beak to snatch up any victims in range. The Burrowing Snagret's body it protected by scales, making the creature's head its only weak point."

Each time a Burrowing Snagret emerges from the ground, there's a brief pause just after the creature's beak appears -- this brief window is the only opportunity you'll have to execute a successful charge. If your Pikmin can latch onto the creature's head before it's fully exposed, they'll be able to do a significant amount of damage in a very short time. Winged Pikmin can charge the Burrowing Snagret's head whenever it's above ground, but you'll need a large squad to compensate for the Winged Pikmin's low attack power.

If you can't seem to land a successful charge attack, flank the Burrowing Snagret's side and toss your Pikmin directly onto the creature's head. This method makes it fairly difficult to keep your squad out of harm's way, but it does allow you to deal reliable damage for the duration of the battle."

Dalmo's Notes[]

”Instead of the sky, this scaly anomaly flies through the ground. When it pops its head out the surface, the way it’s crown of feathers fluff-though intended to be more intimidating-is delightful to behold. But be wary of lingering to gaze up at it, as you’ll likely get the poking of a lifetime from that long, sharp beak!”

Burrowing Snagret Trophy

Super Smash Bros. Brawl trophy[]

  • "A member of the snavian family with a birdlike head and a snakelike neck and body. An underground dweller, the snagret makes sudden strikes aboveground to capture surface-dwelling prey. It uses its beak to scoop up daily nutrition and can snatch up three Pikmin at once--a relatively small amount made deadly by its strike speed. No one has ever seen its tail." (NTSC)
  • "A member of the snavian family with a birdlike head and a snake-like neck and body. An underground dweller, the snagret makes sudden strikes aboveground to capture surface-dwelling prey. It uses its beak to scoop up daily nutrition and can snatch up three Pikmin at once--a relatively small amount made deadly by its strike speed. No one has ever seen its tail." (PAL)
Burrowingsnagretsmash4

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U trophy[]

  • "A foot-long bird doesn't sound all that large, but when you're the size of a Pikmin, a foot is massive! This member of the avian family will emerge from underground, hunting for Pikmin, its favorite snack. Act fast—or this bird of prey will prey on your poor Pikmin!" (NTSC)
  • "A strange creature that looks like it's part bird and part snake. At 35cm in length, it's fairly small by our standards, but for Pikmin, it's a towering monster! Another thing that makes it monstrous is that it sees Pikmin as a nutritious meal. If you're not careful, it'll pop out of the ground and gobble them up before you know it!" (PAL)

Locations[]

Pikmin[]

Pikmin 2[]

Pikmin 3[]

Pikmin 4[]

Battle Strategy[]

Note: The following part(s) of the article is a strategy (or strategies); therefore, it is highly subjective, meaning it may not work for everyone.

Pikmin[]

Three Snagrets appear in close proximity in the Forest of Hope, and one of them has ingested the Geiger Counter, making it a required fight. They are at their biggest and their deadliest in their first appearance, having high resistance to Bomb Rocks. While they can only eat up to three Pikmin at a time, once they have one in their beak it will die as soon as the Snagret swallows or burrows underground; the only way to save the Pikmin is to kill the Snagret before it can do either. Each Snagret also has a relatively large territory on the plain where they dwell, and they can emerge from anywhere within that territory.

The Snagret's scaly body is highly resistant to attacks, but its feathered head is much weaker. When it emerges from the ground, it will either come up immediately or get stuck beneath the surface. Once it emerges, however, it only has a limited range in which it can lunge and consume Pikmin. If Pikmin are barely within that range, it will rotate to attack them; if not, after a few seconds, it will burrow back underground.

Burrowing-snagret-zoom

Olimar, leading an attack on a Burrowing Snagret.

A good strategy is to take a group of flowered Pikmin around 60 in number and move back and forth across the Snagret's territory waiting for it to emerge. If it emerges immediately, having a relatively small squad will allow you to retreat quickly enough that it can't attack any. If it gets stuck, swarm your Pikmin around it quickly; if they don't latch onto its head, they will latch onto its upper back and do decent damage while out of the Snagret's range of pecking. If other Pikmin or Olimar are at its lower body where it emerges from the ground, it will delay burrowing back under in favor of attacking them first. Alternatively, you can throw Pikmin onto its head; if they latch on, they will do significant damage, but this is risky as they can easily be snapped up if they miss. Once killed, the Snagret's body will explode, leaving only a handful of randomly colored pellets behind.

Each Pikmin type has its own advantages for this battle: Red Pikmin will deal the most damage, Yellow Pikmin will be easiest to throw onto its head successfully, and Blue Pikmin will have no risk of drowning if they fall into the water on either side of the plain.

Pikmin 2[]

71burrowingsnagret

Burrowing Snagret in the Piklopedia

In Pikmin 2, Snagrets are notably smaller with less HP and will now drop Pikmin when burrowing underground instead of killing them. They appear mostly underground; the only ones on the surface are in the Valley of Repose near the buried Pink Menace, and near the entrance to the Snagret Hole in the Awakening Wood. Neither fight is necessary to acquire the treasure nor destroy the nearby gate.

The strategy for battling them is largely unchanged from the previous game. The only difference is the new mechanics that the player can utilize. Purple Pikmin are a natural asset against them and White Pikmin can be used either for their significant speed in retreating or as sacrifices to let their poisonous bodies deplete the Snagret's health. As well, the Ultra-bitter Spray will leave the Snagret immobilized and vulnerable to attack, though the head remains the weakest point. Once slain, most of its body will explode, leaving only its head behind.

Pikmin 3[]

Pikmin3 StuckSnagret

A Snagret in Pikmin 3 getting its beak stuck in the ground.

In Pikmin 3, the only Burrowing Snagret in the game appears in the Twilight River. It lunges more slowly to eat Pikmin, but it now attacks five times instead of three. It also has a new attack where it opens its beak widely and lunges its face into the ground in an attempt to eat a captain. If it misses, it will be stuck in the ground for a few seconds and be completely vulnerable.

Despite these upgrades, this is by far the easiest Burrowing Snagret to defeat (aside from Pikmin 4's rendition); the best strategy is to use an army of Winged Pikmin enhanced by an Ultra-Spicy Spray. Ordering them to charge the Snagret will leave it dead before it can even try to shake them off. Upon its defeat, its body fully emerges from the ground, revealing a single taloned foot, similar to the Pileated Snagret. Defeating it will also yield the Insect Condo.

Pikmin 4[]

In Pikmin 4, like many other enemies, Snagrets are not difficult. Ultra-Spicy Spray can minimize losses, and it's best to get a preemptive strike by attacking when the beast is stuck in the ground. Otherwise, battle it identically to how it is fought in Pikmin 3.

Crossover appearances[]

Super Smash Bros. series[]

Burrowingsnagretultimate

Artwork of Burrowing Snagret in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

In the Super Smash Bros. series, the Burrowing Snagret first appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, in the form of a collectible trophy, and returns as such in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the Burrowing Snagret appears as an Assist Trophy character to assist a fighter during a battle, and it is the first one from the Pikmin series. When summoned, it will pop out of the ground and peck any nearby fighter three times, damaging them. After this, the Burrowing Snagret burrows underground and reemerges elsewhere on the stage to perform its pecking action once more. It is possible for opponents to damage Burrowing Snagret with their attacks, and by doing this enough, the Burrowing Snagret becomes stunned. Like other Assist Trophy characters, the Burrowing Snagret disappears from the stage after a while, but it is possible for opponents to defeat the Burrowing Snagret by damaging it enough.

Additionally, there is an Ace-class primary spirit of a Burrowing Snagret in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and it can be summoned using the cores of Raphael the Raven and Rattly. During its Spirit Battle, the Burrowing Snagret is represented by a Giant Charizard, who is fought on the Garden of Hope stage, and Burrowing Snagret itself appears as a hostile Assist Trophy toward the player fighter. The Spirit Battle also features Pitfall items, a reference to a Burrowing Snagret's tendency to burrow underground.

Trivia[]

  • The Super Smash Bros. Brawl trophy states that no one has ever seen a Burrowing Snagret's tail before. However, Olimar states in the Piklopedia that the Burrowing Snagret and Snarrow can both be distinguished by the markings on their tails, implying that Olimar has seen its full body, or at least its tail. In Pikmin 3, it is seen that it does not have a tail, only a foot, similar to the Pileated Snagret (despite the Piklopedia reusing Olimar's notes from the previous game). However, that could be a trait acquired later, as it's possible to see the Snagret's dead body shrank to an extremely small size in Pikmin 2 and it doesn't have a foot.
  • The Burrowing Snagret is the only boss to appear in the four main Pikmin games (except Hey! Pikmin), as well as the most commonly fought boss in the series, as it can be fought four times in the first game, eleven times in the second game, and three times in the third. The fourth game breaks the chain, with you fighting the Burrowing Snagret four times. (Porquillion is fought six times, and Emperor Bulblax is fought five times)
  • In-game sources disagree on whether the creature's body is lined with feathers or scales: the Enemy Reel states they are feathers, while Olimar's Voyage Log call them scales. Louie's Notes refer to the creature's 'serpentine torso', also implying they are scales. Olimar's notes in the Piklopedia state that the Snagret has "tail and wing markings", despite it not having wings, however this appears to be a mistranslation, as in Japanese he talks about "tail feathers" instead. This is also true for the English Enemy Reel.
  • The name of the Snagret seems to be a combination of the words "snake" or "snag,", which means "to catch," and "egret," a kind of bird which resembles the Snagret.
  • The Leviathan Feather is too large to be a Burrowing Snagret's, but is found within the Snagret Hole.
  • Their scientific name, Shiropedes anacondii, means 'Whitefoot Anaconda', with the term 'Whitefoot' possibly being a reference to the Beta Snagrets whiter coloring or their foot as seen only in Pikmin 3.
  • Though the Snagret's entire dead body comes of out the ground in Pikmin 3, it takes only 10 Pikmin to carry, only twice the amount that just the head took to be carried in Pikmin 2
  • The Snagret is the only returning boss in Pikmin 3 and as a result, the most reoccurring boss in the series featured in all three games thus far.
  • In Pikmin 3, it is possible for a glitch to happen when Winged Pikmin are carrying the Burrowing Snagret's corpse back and its foot gets caught in the Arachnode's web that is on the way back to base. If this happens, the creature's body will get stretched grotesquely out until the Pikmin reach the Onion.
  • The Burrowing Snagret, along with the Pileated Snagret, may be based off the Mboi Tu'i from Guaraní mythology, being a creature with a massive serpentine body and an avian head and beak.
  • The Burrowing Snagret is one of the few enemies that show battle damage as the player hurts it as it loses it's head feathers as it's health goes down, until ultimately going bald when defeated.
  • The Snagret's death sound effect was originally from Mel Blanc in the "Looney Tunes" short "Each Dawn I Crow".

Burrowing Snarrow[]

Burrowing snarrow

This beta Snagret is implied to be the Burrowing Snarrow.

In the in-game Piklopedia, the information provided speaks of a creature called the Burrowing Snarrow (ヘビガモメ), this creature strangely having never been seen in any game. The Burrowing Snarrow is also mentioned in the first game's Creature Montage, in which it is distinguished from the Snagret by the latter's "blueish hue." This may be a reference to the white colour of the Snagret in the Pikmin beta video. To this day, the mystery of what the Burrowing Snarrow could be is still greatly unsolved.

Gallery[]

Enemies and plants
Pikmin
Armored Cannon Beetle | Beady Long Legs | Breadbug | Burrowing Snagret | Candypop Bud | Dwarf Bulbear | Dwarf Red Bulborb | Emperor Bulblax | Fiery Blowhog | Female Sheargrub | Goolix | Honeywisp | Iridescent Flint Beetle | Mamuta | Pearly Clamclamp | Pellet Posy | Puffstool | Puffy Blowhog | Male Sheargrub | Shearwig | Smoky Progg | Spotty Bulbear | Swooping Snitchbug | Red Bulborb | Water Dumple | Wolpole | Wollyhop | Yellow Wollyhop
Pikmin 2
Red Bulborb | Hairy Bulborb | Orange Bulborb | Dwarf Bulbear | Spotty Bulbear | Fiery Bulblax | Emperor Bulblax | Empress Bulblax | Bulborb Larva | Water Dumple | Bulbmin | Breadbug | Giant Breadbug | Dwarf Red Bulborb | Dwarf Orange Bulborb | Snow Bulborb | Fiery Blowhog | Watery Blowhog | Puffy Blowhog | Withering Blowhog | Fiery Dweevil | Anode Dweevil | Caustic Dweevil | Munge Dweevil | Volatile Dweevil | Titan Dweevil | Beady Long Legs | Man-at-Legs | Raging Long Legs | Burrowing Snagret | Pileated Snagret | Armored Cannon Beetle Larva | Decorated Cannon Beetle | Segmented Crawbster | Hermit Crawmad | Male Sheargrub | Female Sheargrub | Shearwig | Doodlebug | Iridescent Glint Beetle | Iridescent Flint Beetle | Cloaking Burrow-nit | Ravenous Whiskerpillar | Skitter Leaf | Careening Dirigibug | Swooping Snitchbug | Bumbling Snitchbug | Antenna Beetle | Anode Beetle | Lesser Spotted Jellyfloat | Greater Spotted Jellyfloat | Toady Bloyster | Ranging Bloyster | Wolpole | Yellow Wollyhop | Wollyhop | Creeping Chrysanthemum | Unmarked Spectralid | Honeywisp | Mitite | Gatling Groink | Mamuta | Waterwraith | Crimson Candypop Bud | Golden Candypop Bud | Lapis Lazuli Candypop Bud | Violet Candypop Bud | Ivory Candypop Bud | Queen Candypop Bud | Pellet Posy | Common Glowcap | Glowstem | Clover | Figwort | Dandelion | Seeding Dandelion | Horsetail | Foxtail | Margaret | Fiddlehead | Shoot | Burgeoning Spiderwort
Pikmin 3
Arachnode | Arctic Cannon Larva | Armored Cannon Larva | Armored Mawdad | Bearded Amprat | Bug-Eyed Crawmad | Bulborb | Burrowing Snagret | Calcified Crushblat | Desiccated Skitter Leaf | Dwarf Bulbear | Dwarf Red Bulborb | Dwarf Orange Bulborb | Female Sheargrub | Fiery Blowhog | Flighty Joustmite | Hermit Crawmad | Iridescent Flint Beetle | Joustmite | Male Sheargrub | Medusal Slurker | Necterous Dandelfly | Orange Bulborb | Peckish Aristocrab | Pellet Posy | Phosbat | Plasm Wraith | Puckering Blinnow | Puffy Blowhog | Pyroclasmic Slooch | Quaggled Mireclops | Red Spectralid | Sandbelching Meerslug | Scornet | Scornet Maestro | Shaggy Long Legs | Shearwig | Skeeterskate | Skitter Leaf | Skutterchuck | Spotty Bulbear | Sputtlefish | Swarming Sheargrub | Swooping Snitchbug | Toady Bloyster | Vehemoth Phosbat | Waddlepus | Water Dumple | Watery Blowhog | Whiptongue Bulborb | White Spectralid | Wolpole | Yellow Spectralid | Yellow Wollyhop
Pikmin 4
Albino Dwarf Bulborb | Ancient Sirehound | Anode Beetle | Arctic Cannon Beetle | Arctic Cannon Larva | Aristocrab Offspring | Armored Cannon Larva | Baldy Long Legs | Bearded Amprat | Blizzarding Blowhog | Bloomcap Bloyster | Bogswallow | Breadbug | Bug-Eyed Crawmad | Bulborb | Burrowing Snagret | Chillyhop | Creeping Chrysanthemum | Crusted Rumpup | Desiccated Skitter Leaf | Doodlebug | Downy Snagret | Dwarf Bulbear | Dwarf Bulborb | Dwarf Frosty Bulborb | Dweevil | Emperor Bulblax | Enemy | Fiery Blowhog | Fiery Bulblax | Foolix | Freezecake | Frosty Bulborb | Giant Breadbug | Gildemander | Gildemandwee | Groovy Long Legs | Grubchucker | Hermit Crawmad | Horned Cannon Beetle | Hydro Dweevil | Iceblown Dweevil | Icy Blowhog | Joustmite | Jumbo Bulborb | Mama Sheargrub | Mammoth Snootwhacker | Mamuta | Man-at-Legs | Miniature Snootwhacker | Mitite | Moldy Dwarf Bulborb | Moldy Slooch | Moss | Muckerskate | Pearly Clamclamp | Porquillion | Puckering Blinnow | Puffy Blowhog | Pyroclasmic Slooch | Red Spectralid | Scorchcake | Shearflea | Shearwig | Shockcake | Skutterchuck | Smoky Progg | Snavian | Snowfake Fluttertail | Snowy Blowhog | Sovereign Bulblax | Spotty Bulbear | Startle Spore | Sunsquish | Titan Blowhog | Toady Bloyster | Toxstool | Tusked Blowhog | Venom Dweevil | Waddlepus | Waddlequaff | Waterwraith | Watery Blowhog | Wollyhop | Wolpole | Yellow Wollyhop
Hey! Pikmin
Adult Centipare | Armurk | Berserk Leech Hydroe | Blubbug | Bulborb | Centipare | Clicking Slurker | Coppeller | Crammed Wraith | Crested Mockiwi | Crumbug | Crystalline Crushblat | Electric Cottonade | Electric Spectralid | Electripede | Elongated Crushblat | Emperor Bulblax | Eye-Stalker Bulbeel | Fiery Blowhog | Fiery Blowlet | Fiery Dwarf Bulblax | Fiery Young Yellow Wollywog | Fireflap Bulborb | Fireflinger Groink | Firesnout Beetle | Flatterchuck | Flying Spotted Jellyfloat | Grabbit | Large Splurchin | Long Water Dumple | Luring Slurker | Male Sheargrub | Mockiwi | Muggonfly | Puckering Blinnow | Puffstalk | Puffy Blubbug | Queen Shearwig | Red Bubblimp | Seedbagger | Shearblug | Shearwig | Shooting Spiner (Female) | Shooting Spiner (Male) | Skutterchuck | Sparrowhead | Speargrub | Spiny Coppeller | Sporegrub | Spornet | Starnacle | Stony Flint Beetle | Stuffed Bellbloom | Swooping Snitchbug | Widemouthed Anode Beetle | Yellow Wollyhop | Young Yellow Wollywog
Families
Amphituber | Arachnorb | Breadbug family | Blowhog | Candypop Bud | Chrysanthemum family | Dweevil | Glowcap family | Grub-dog | Jellyfloat | Lithopod | Mandiblard | Mollusking | Snavian | Unknown Family
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