Burrowing Snagret
File:Burrowing snagret.png
Appears in PikminPikmin 2Pikmin 3
Scientific name Shiropedes anacondii
Family Snavian
Areas Pikmin 1
The Forest of Hope
Pikmin 2
Valley of Repose
Awakening Wood
Pikmin 3
Twilight River
Caves White Flower Garden, Snagret Hole, Hole of Heroes
Challenge Mode stages The Final Trial
Mission Mode Collect Treasure! stages None
Mission Mode Battle Enemies! stages None
Side Story days None
2-Player Battle stages None
Bingo Battle stages None
Attacks Eats Pikmin

The Burrowing Snagret (ヘビガラス) is an enemy in the Pikmin games, and the boss of White Flower Garden in Pikmin 2. It has a blue scaly body, and a head which is white in coloration. It appears to be a combination of a bird and a snake, (It is not known what kind of species of snake its body parts belonged to but it is likely that the species of bird is an egret.) and 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. Every few times it emerges, the beast gets stuck with only its head above ground for a while, giving a captain an opportunity to attack without fear of losing any Pikmin. When above ground, it attempts to eat Pikmin one by one, by gathering them in its mouth. The only way to save your Pikmin is to kill the snagret before they are swallowed. Once the snagret is sufficiently damaged, it burrows back underground.

When killed in Pikmin, Burrowing Snagrets explode into many pellets; in Pikmin 2, a dead Burrowing Snagret leaves behind its head to be returned to an Onion or the Research Pod.

The Snagret, in Pikmin 3, has undergone appearance changes to be represented in HD. Its scales and head feathers are larger and more defined. It can lose the feathers from its face, although it's currently unknown if this will have an effect in battles or damage. After it is defeated, its entire body will come out from the ground, revealing its foot. Unlike the previous games, the  Burrowing Snagret only appears once in the story mode, and never respawns. It's body also will not be there the next day like the major bosses.

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."

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."

Locations

Pikmin

Pikmin 2

Pikmin 3

Killing Strategy

Pikmin 

In Pikmin, they are a lot more difficult than in Pikmin 2 as they have very high health and are larger than in the second game. When trying to defeat it in the first game, the best strategy is to swarm its head when it struggles to dig its head out of the ground. Don't try Bomb Rocks, as they are Bomb Rock proof on the inside and out.

Another effective way is to dismiss your Pikmin near where the Burrowing Snagret comes out from the ground. They will immediately go to attack it since they're idle. Many Pikmin will hang on head, other will be in the middle of body, so they cannot be eaten. When using many Pikmin in stack (more than about 40) some of them will not attack and stay as they are not close enough, quickly whistle and run away with them to safe distance. Repeat about 4 times to kill the Burrowing Snagrets, pretty fast, as there are three of them.

Pikmin 2

In Pikmin 2, defeating one is an easier task because of its lower health. Manually throwing Pikmin onto its head is usually more efficient. It is recommended to use Purple Pikmin.

File:Burrowing-snagret-zoom.jpg
Olimar, leading an attack on a Burrowing Snagret.

It is wise to bring a group of 20-30 pikmin, as Snagrets can have a very long attack range, making it hard to get a large group of pikmin away in time.

It is easy to take advantage of the fact that sometimes, the beast will not fully emerge, getting stuck for some time. It is best to attack the Snagret then, and the Captain should kill it without losing any Pikmin. With quick, accurate throwing, however, this is not necessary to secure the battle. Throw many Pikmin at its head as soon as possible and the Snagret should die before managing to swallow any of the Pikmin that it may have snatched up from the ground.

It is not possible to defeat the Burrowing Snagret with captains alone.

Pikmin 3

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

In Pikmin 3, the Burrowing Snagret seems to eat Pikmin slower than in the first and second, and if it misses a strike, its beak will get stuck in the ground, leaving it vulnerable to attack. Another strategy is that you can use Winged Pikmin to swarm it in the air. Upon being defeated, its body fully emerges out of the ground, revealing talons similar to the Pileated Snagret, its whole body can be salvaged, rather than in Pikmin 2, where only the head was left.

Trivia

File:Burrowing snarrow.png
The beta Snagret.
  • The Burrowing Snagret can be seen in a pre-release beta video of Pikmin, where it appears to have a light or white body.
  • The 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 it full body, or at least its tail. In Pikmin 3, it is seen that it does not have a tail, only a foot.
  • The Burrowing Snagret is the most commonly fought boss in the first two games, as it can be fought 3 times in the first game, and 11 times in the second game.
  • 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.
  • 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 resembling the Snagret.
  • The Leviathan Feather is too big/large to be a Burrowing Snagret's, but is found within the cave, 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.
  • It's currenly 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.

Burrowing Snarrow

In the in-game Piklopedia, the information provided speaks of a creature called the Burrowing Snarrow, this creature having never been seen in any game. The Burrowing Snarrow is also mentioned in the first game's enemy reel. In the enemy reel, the Snarrow is distinguished from the Snagret by the latter's "blueish hue." This may be a reference to the white color of the Snagret in the Pikmin beta video.

Gallery