Spotty Bulbear

Spotty Bulbear
Appears in	Pikmin, Pikmin 2
Scientific name	Oculus terribilis dotticum
Family	Grub-dog
Areas	The Distant Spring, Perplexing Pool
Caves	Frontier Cavern, Glutton's Kitchen, Hole of Heroes, Dream Den
Challenge Mode stages	The Forest of Hope, Subterranean Lair, Emperor's Realm
2-Player Battle stages	None
Attacks	Eats Pikmin

Spotty Bulbears are creatures in both Pikmin games that resemble Red Bulborbs with a different color and stature, and larger mouths with wider lips. They are black with red spots, and their face is yellow. Its large mouth allows it to eat Pikmin more rapidly and easily, making it a rather more formidable foe. These enemies are often found with a number of following Dwarf Bulbears, which are supposed to follow this guardian as a source of protection and general aid.

In Pikmin, these creatures sleep, and have bloodshot eyes upon waking up. They have about one and a half times the health of a Red Bulborb, and their red spots constantly change in size, even after death. Returning a dead member of the species to an Onion produces 15 Pikmin sprouts, but the Crushing Glitch may make carrying its body difficult in this game. They do not revive after they have been killed, but they regenerate if the player takes too much time to kill them.

In Pikmin 2, Spotty Bulbears have far greater maneuverability than other members of the same family, as well as a less focused patrol area; they have the ability to move literally anywhere in most areas, below as well as above ground. They can be found in the Perplexing Pool after the thirtieth day, and may even enter the landing site. If the creature is defeated and its corpse remains, its HP steadily grows back, the creature reviving itself; after what may be minutes, it may return to consciousness, requiring a repeated "kill", similar to the Gatling Groink. For this reason, it is recommended that the body be quickly returned to an Onion or the Research Pod.

Notes

Reel notes

“This rare species of bulborb has a certain indefatigability.”

Olimar's notes

“A midsize subspecies within the grub-dog family, the spotty bulbear's unique feeding habits set it apart from other grub-dogs. The spotty bulbear patrols a set path searching for prey, instead of passively feeding on creatures that wander into a limited territorial range. When entering bulbear habitat, it is wise to proceed with extreme caution until the bulbear's patrol path can be clearly identified.”

Louie's notes

“For an unrivaled green curry, peel away the spotty bulbear's skin, pulverize the juicy innards, and stew until curiously fragrant.”

Strategy

Pikmin

The exact same strategy for the Red Bulborb is effective here, but take care of the Bulbear's increased health. A large group of Red Pikmin or three bomb-rocks will do it in.

Pikmin 2

Spotty Bulbears do not sleep in this game and are constantly roaming the map, making a surprise attack nearly impossible. It is possible to trick the Bulbear into attacking and missing, allowing the captain access to its backside, but they frequently have Dwarf Bulbears following them, making this tactic risky. Another means of accessing its rear is to split the Captains, using the one without Pikmin as a distraction. If Purple Pikmin are available, they make the battle easier as they can injure and stun the adult and children, but with other colors it may be wise to use an Ultra-bitter spray. It is often effective to switch roles with and hunt the Bulbear itself before it can pick up any Dwarfs, and then stun and attack it.

If time is not a concern, captains can be used to kill the Dwarf Bulbears and even the adult without the risk of losing Pikmin. The Rocket Fist upgrade makes this especially easy.

In the Perplexing Pool, one can trap the Bulbear in between the wall and the small 3-D maze next to the bridge. It will be unable to get out, so it won't be an issue anymore unless you want to kill it. Just begin to rain Pikmin down on its head, it should shake once or twice before dying. You then can carry its corpse and the 10-pellet it dropped out of the area and they will be able to get to the Onion.

To defeat the Spotty Bulbears in the Subterranean Lair in Challenge Mode, lure all three close to one another, then hit them all with a single shot of Ultra-bitter spray to petrify all three at once, hopefully along with the dwarf compainions.

Since Bulbears follow the active captain, they can be lured into falling into bottomless pits that are between the pilot and the bulbear. Any treasures the creature would drop will be, unlike in Pikmin, safely returned to the sublevel for collection. One such level is Sublevel 3 in the Dream Den.

Gallery

• NPC Spotty Bulbear.jpg

  Official artwork for the Spotty Bulbear.

• 

  Spotty Bulbear in Pikmin, its red eyes visible.

Trivia

• In the Enemy Reel, Bulborbs are present in places that Bulbears inhabit in the finished game, suggesting that this is how it was in the development version.