Whiptongue Bulborb

Whiptongue Bulborb
Names
Family	Grub-dog
Statistics
Attacks	Catches Pikmin with tongue
Carry weight	12
Max. carriers	25
Seed worth	15
Treasure value	50
Appearances
Areas	Tropical Wilds Distant Tundra
Challenge Mode	Pikmin 3 Battle Enemies Thirsty Desert Distant Tundra Remix (x2) Formidable Oak Remix (x3) Collect Treasure Tropical Forest Beastly Cavern
2-Player and Bingo Battle levels	Stagnant Sea Jigsaw Colosseum

The Whiptongue Bulborb (ペロチャッピ) is an enemy found in Pikmin 3. 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 appear to 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 Red Bulborb.

When a captain 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. The player can also take cover in Clover patches in order to hide from it.

Notes

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 a long, but as previously said, 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 snifffing the ground before throwing any Pikmin so that it doesn't spontaneously turn around and proceed to lash out its tongue. If one 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.

An ironic, but 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 and spit out any Pikmin it hasn't swallowed yet. 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. If one keeps 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 charge at it from behind. 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 one is attempting a Zero-death run unless around 50 Red Pikmin and 30-50 Rock Pikmin are present.

If a Pikmin holding a bomb rock gets caught on the tongue, it'll grab only the bomb and not the Pikmin that was holding the bomb. Once the Whiptongue Bulborb swallows the bomb, it will be killed instantly.

Another thing 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.

Gallery

Art of a Whiptongue Bulborb from the Official Nintendo Magazine.

Whiptongue Bulborb snatching some Pikmin with its tongue.

Red Pikmin hiding from a Whiptongue Bulborb.

The group of heroes approaching a Whiptongue Bulborb in a beta version of Distant Tundra.

Here we have the whiptongue being locked on and scanned.

A Whiptongue Bulborb sticking its long tongue out. This picture was taken by the KopPad.

A Whiptongue Bulborb just about to attack.

A Whiptongue Bulborb scratching itself

Pikmin carrying a Whiptongue Bulborb in Bingo Battle.

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.