The Whiptongue Bulborb (ペロチャッピ) is an enemy found in Pikmin 3 and Pikmin 4. It has a long, slender snout which somewhat resembles that of an anteater, and has a white back with dark brown spots. Unlike the Red Bulborb's pale face, its face is a shade of dark brown.
This Bulborb species attacks with its long, flexible tongue, which allows it to quickly devour Pikmin from much greater distances than other members of the grub-dog family. It doesn't sleep when unaware of the presence of Pikmin. Instead, it will rummage through the ground and sniff around the surrounding area much like a Dwarf Bulborb.
When a leader and/or a Pikmin is nearby, it will quickly shuffle towards them. If the Pikmin are standing within attack range, it will launch its tongue outward as a means of consuming them. Up to five Pikmin can be snagged at a time by this move. However, if Pikmin are standing beside it, or are attacking its feet, it will lap up individual Pikmin one at a time at a slightly slower pace than normal Bulborbs. Just like all other grub-dogs in Pikmin 3, it can be temporarily incapacitated by throwing Pikmin directly at its eyes.
Notes[]
Dalmo's Notes[]
"Its narrow snout houses an amazing prehensile tongue! It sets its sights and slurps its target right up. The sweet li'l bean uses this marvel of evolution with great skill. Any creature with a dexterous tongue like that is unlikely to ever go hungry."
Olimar's Notes[]
"Instead of the gnashing jaws usually found in related species, it uses its extensible, viscous tongue to capture prey. Even before it opens its mouth, it's recognizable by its tapered snout and black spots against its white back. Some theorized that it evolved its long tongue to snatch prey drawn to high-blooming flowers, but a recent finding confirmed that until its second molt, this creature feeds with its teeth much like other Grub-Dog species. it will begin to use its tongue once it reaches adulthood."
Louie's Notes[]
"Pat the tongue dry, then coat all sides with a spicy dry rub of your choice. Grill over high heat until the outside is perfectly crisped!"
Pikmin 3 Website[]
"Part of the Bulborb family, it has an extra long tongue, giving it more range to grab its prey."
Pikmin 3 Prima Guide[]
"As its name implies, the Whiptongue Bulborb uses its long tongue to snatch up any Pikmin unfortunate enough to be caught in the attack. When you encounter a Whiptongue Bulborb, flank the creature and send your Pikmin charging in to attack."
Battle Strategy[]
The Whiptongue Bulborb can be quite a dangerous foe because not only does it constantly roam around, leaving no part of its body exposed for long, but its long tongue allows it to ensnare batches of Pikmin from a distance. There are several ways to deal with this enemy.
The first method is attacking from the rear, much like combating a Red Bulborb. Use a 30+ Pikmin squad comprised of Red and Rock Pikmin and simply keep chucking them from behind. Wait until it has begun sniffing the ground before throwing any Pikmin so that it doesn't spontaneously turn around and proceed to lash out its tongue. If you can keep throwing Pikmin on its back as it shakes them off, it'll be taken out without getting the chance to use its tongue.
A surprisingly effective strategy is charging it from the front with 35+ Rock Pikmin. Just like other Bulborbs, the Whiptongue Bulborb will flinch when its eyes are hit. Take your squad and let it catch sight of you from a distance. As it approaches and gets ready to use its tongue, start throwing your Rock Pikmin at its face. Throwing them at the face is bound to lead to some hitting the eyes, which will make it flinch. Attacking it from the front without aiming for the face however is lethal and will result in you losing a lot of Rock Pikmin to this. If you keep throwing Rock Pikmin at the face in rapid succession like this, it'll have all its hit points drained without even getting a chance to use its tongue, because it will constantly be flinching.
Another rather risky method is to get a group of around 30-50 Pikmin, preferably Reds and Rocks, attract the attention of the Whiptongue Bulborb and lead it to the edge of its territory; then, when it's walking away, order your Pikmin to rush it. If done correctly, the Whiptongue Bulborb will quickly succumb to the blitzkrieg, with little to no deaths. Note that this will not be the preferred choice of action if you are attempting a zero-death run unless around 50 Red Pikmin and 30-50 Rock Pikmin are present.
Another fact to note is that even though it eats with a tongue, just like with other Bulborbs, if hit in the eye, it'll release any Pikmin it has caught in its mouth and is about to eat. This can be taken advantage of if you are in a pinch and a Whiptongue Bulborb is about to eat quite a few of your Pikmin. You can also take cover in clover patches in order to hide from it.
There is another method, which needs only one single Pikmin: using a bomb rock. Luckily, these bombs can be found on a dirt mound near the Whiptongue Bulborb. When a Pikmin is carrying a bomb rock, it can be thrown directly on the Bulborb, or you can leave this Pikmin in front of the creature; it will try to eat the Pikmin, but it'll eat the bomb instead. Afterwards, the Whiptongue Bulborb will explode and die.
Gallery[]
Main Article: Whiptongue Bulborb/Gallery
Trivia[]
- In the Pikmin 3 Website notes, it states that it's part of the "Bulborb Family," even though the correct term is "Grub-dog."
- This is the first adult Bulborb to not have a dwarf mimic.
- This enemy is debatably one of the most advertised enemies in Pikmin 3, with others being the Armored Mawdad, Pyroclasmic Slooch, Peckish Aristocrab, and the Medusal Slurker.
- It's based on an anteater.
- It is one of the 3 adult Bulborbs to never be shown sleeping, with the others being the Jumbo Bulborb and the Bulbmin.
References[]