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    Bulborb

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    Bulborbs, or grub-dogs, are a family of creatures in the Pikmin series. The Red Bulborb is the most iconic and recognized, being the poster enemy for the Pikmin series.

    Short summary describing this concept.

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    Overview

    All Grub-Dogs feature similar characteristics. They have a round backside, a large mouth, eyestalks, and bird-like feet. While most are nocturnal and found sleeping, the Spotty Bulbear was changed in Pikmin 2 to a diurnal hunter. 

    Varieties

     Red Bulborb (Pikmin 1 and 2)
    The Red Bulborb, known in the first Pikmin game as the Spotty Bulborb, is red with white spots. In both games it is found sleeping, and is vulnerable to attacks from the rear. It is typically accompanied by Dwarf Red Bulborbs, which are actually not related, and are members of the Breadbug family seeking protection through disguising themselves as the Bulborb's young. This explains their diurnal habits. These mimics will let out a cry when threatened, waking up the adult Bulborb. The Red Bulborb appears as a hazard in Super Smash Bros. Brawl in the stage Distant Planet. It wanders into the stage from time to time, sometimes opening its mouth to catch unsuspecting players and pull them off stage.
     
    Orange Bulborb (Pikmin 2 only)
    The Orange Bulborb features a dark face, yellow eyes, and an orange body with black spots. It is a light sleeper, and will wake up when a captain or pikmin comes near. This makes sneak attacks more difficult. Like the Red Bulborb, it will often be accompanied by a dwarf variety that is actually a member of the Breadbug family. 
     
    Hairy Bulborb (Pikmin 2 only)
    The Hairy Bulborb is white, with light blue spots covered up by white hair on its back half. This Bulborb behaves almost identically to the Red Bulborb, but is slightly more resilient. Its hair will fall off once it loses half of its health. Like the aforementioned Bulborbs, it is found with Breadbug mimics. These mimics, referred to as Snow Bulborbs, have no hair.  
     
    Bulborb Larva (Pikmin 2 only) 
    Bulborb Larvae are tiny, grub-like enemies that are mostly white. These are constantly spawned by the Empress Bulblax. They can only attack one pikmin at a time and are very weak. The only threat they pose is in their numbers, and the distraction given by Empress Bulblax. The Pikmin 1 Official Player's Guide states that larval Bulborbs remain in trees until they can hunt, but their appearance in Pikmin 2 shows that they are capable of hunting, if necessary, immediately after birth.
     
    Spotty Bulbear (Pikmin 1 and 2) 
    The Spotty Bulbear is larger and rounder than other Bulborbs, featuring a black backside with red spots that grow and shrink, even after death. In the original Pikmin, they act very similarly to Red Bulborbs, sleeping until attacked. However, they are more resilient than their counterparts. The Bulbear is changed in Pikmin 2, where it has become a diurnal hunter that wanders about, making it very dangerous. In addition to that new danger, it will also slowly regain health after being defeated, leading it to revive itself if it is not taken by an Onion or Pod. This species is followed by a dwarf variety, but these Dwarf Bulbears actually are juvenile Bulbears, unlike the Bulborb mimics. 
      
    Fiery Bulblax (Pikmin 2 only)
    The Fiery Bulblax features an orange and black backside, and one of its eyes is smaller than the other. Its body looks somewhat melted, and its backside is engulfed in flames. This makes red pikmin ideal for taking on the beasts, as they will not be burnt. However, if lured into water, the beast's flames will temporarily cease to burn. 
     
    Empress Bulblax (Pikmin 2 only)
    An Empress Bulblax has the appearance of a large, pink maggot with a Bulborb's face and front legs. It spends most of its time sleeping and giving birth to Bulborb Larvae. When threatened, they awake and begin attacking by rolling, attempting to crush attackers while continuing to release larvae to attack. Unlike most grub-dogs, these are vulnerable in the face rather than the rear. They are a boss enemy. 
     
    Emperor Bulblax (Pikmin 1 and 2) 
    Emperor Bulblax is the most dangerous member of the grub-dog family. It has a large body, with the rear camouflaged by moss and (in Pikmin 1) mushrooms called blaxcaps. In the original game, it appears only once, as the boss enemy holding the final ship part, the Secret Safe. It hides in the ground until confronted, at which point it bursts to the surface to attack. It typically attacks by waving its large tongue around in order to pick up large groups of Pikmin. Occasionally, it will leap into the air, coming back down in attempts to crush the Pikmin. It is defeated by coaxing it to eat bomb rocks, at which point Olimar throws Pikmin at its face until it is no longer stunned. In Pikmin 2, a smaller variety is seen. It loses its ability to jump and has less health, but can still be coaxed into eating bomb rocks scattered about. 
     
    Water Dumple (Pikmin 1 and 2) 
    While very different in appearance to Bulborbs, Water Dumples are still a part of the grub-dog family. Water Dumples are found in water, having round blue bodies, a large mouth, and no eyes. Their swimming ability seems limited, as they are fairly slow and appear to scoot along in shallow water rather than swim. These creatures are fairly weak and easily defeated by a swarm of blue pikmin. 

    History

    One of the early ideas in Pikmin's development was that the game would follow primitive people, who are searching for something when they are attacked by a giant Bulborb, holding the role of a wooly mammoth. Pikmin director Masamichi Abe commented that the Spotty Bulborb was the only creature to make it through all of development. 
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