Author Notes - Here we finally arrive at the most iconic Pikmin enemy of them all: the Bulborbs! This was actually the first 'chapter' I wrote for this project, because you gotta start somewhere. Of course, my style of writing this story has changed quite a lot since then. To give you a good idea, when I first wrote this, 'Diet and Defences' was simply 'Diet', and didn't discuss self-defence methods at all. Most of it remains the same, but I did do a lot of rewriting to make it fit in more with the new stuff.

BULBORBS
GRUB-DOG FAMILY

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Anthropoda
Class: Bipoda
Order: Bulborousa

EMILY'S PERSONAL NOTES

These were actually the first notes that I wrote for this little document thing, seeing as Bulborbs are arguably the most iconic creature from this planet! Which unfortunately meant I didn't like my initial notes and then had to rewrite a bunch of stuff. Well, you gotta start somewhere at least! But seriously, these things are strangely iconic, to the point where they're the second thing most people think of when they hear 'PNF-404'. Second only to the Pikmin, of course. And they should be iconic because they are absolutely everywhere. And absolutely adorable too!

I can't help but notice that these critters bear more than a passing resemblance to the dogs found on the planet Hocotate. It sounds absolutely absurd, but I wonder if there's some sort of a connection. After all, Hocotate and Koppai are a fair distance away, but we still share a genus. The biggest difference I find between Hocotatians and Koppaites is that Hocotatians have much pointier ears. ... Wait. Is it just me, or is it a thing where two species of spacefaring people are really only different because one has pointy ears and the other doesn't? Hm. Fascinating...

PHYSICAL APPEARANCES

The Bulborb, though it comes in many variants, is always clear through its basic physical traits - a head that takes up nearly half of the creature's body, two eyes on short stalks, two legs with two toes each, and a hind depicting an array of perfectly-round spots. It is one of the largest creatures found on PNF-404, being approximately 9cm long from nose to 'tail'. A set of mandibles, resembling fangs, can be seen jutting out from its jaws.

The most common variant of the Bulborb, Oculus kageyamii russus, has a scarlet hind with white spots but no other notable features. It appears to be the variant that all the others evolved from. Note that the common name of this species has varied since its discovery. It was originally classified as the 'Spotty Bulborb', until equally-spotty variants were discovered. Hence, it was renamed the 'Red Bulborb'. Recently, however, many scientists prefer to call it the 'Basic Bulborb', due to it serving as the original point of all other variants. This leaves two academic camps as rivals, debating what term should be used. (I choose 'Basic Bulborb')

O. kageyamii folliculus (Hairy Bulborbs) are easily identified from the other variants due to its bright white colouring, brown nose, and a thick coat of white fur covering its hind. The hair follicles are fragile, and the hair can fall out suddenly even if the Bulborb is merely surprised. This thick layer of fur is rather unique in the ecosystem, as most creatures on PNF-404 lack fur of any kind.

O. kageyamii orangium (Orange Bulborbs) are identifiable through their brown faces, orange hinds, and orange eyes. Its eyes are noticeably more bloodshot than those of its cousins. Take this as your warning sign.

O. longolingua, despite its common name being the Whiptongue Bulborb, is not as closely related as the other variants. Nevertheless, it is still a Bulborb, though it has only been reclassified as such recently as of the time of writing. It differs from its more distant cousins by having a longer, thinner brown snout. Its white hind implies a possible connection to their Hairy counterparts, but this is yet to be confirmed.

HABITAT

Bulborbs can be found all over PNF-404, due to the species exhibiting a high level of adaptability. As previously mentioned, the Basic Bulborb is the most commonly seen, being found most often in forests and tropical areas, though rare sightings in colder climates have also been reported.

The Hairy Bulborb has currently never been seen above ground, and only in caverns located beneath snowy areas. Its thick coat of fur developed to keep its insides warm inside the chilly frozen caves, and will quickly grow back should it ever fall out. Its body contains a thin layer of blubber to help it survive the cold while the fur grows back.

The Orange Bulborb is found in many of the same places as the Red variant, but adapted to areas with high amounts of predator traffic. Because of this, they evolved to be much more alert to danger than their less aware counterparts.

The Whiptongue Bulborb is the rarest of the variants, found in low numbers in tropical and snowy climates. There seems to be no difference between those from warm areas and those from cold, and the reason behind its ability to exist in these polar opposite climates is currently unknown.

DIET AND DEFENCES

The diet has consistent characteristics throughout all Bulborb variants. All variants are nocturnal, but can easily be awakened during the day, and typically eat insects and other tiny creatures that are retreating to their homes in the early hours of the night. What makes up their diet specifically depends entirely on the region and not the variant, as they will eat any sort of insect they see.

Most variants devour their prey by using their mandibles to grind them up, capable of snatching up multiple little critters at once, but the Whiptongue Bulborb exhibits a very different way of doing so. Instead of powerful jaws, they grab their prey with an extensible tongue. It appeared to have evolved to snag prey from high-blooming flowers, but the lack of any infant specimen to be seen currently suggests a completely different biological branch.

They typically rely on their powerful jaws and plentiful girth to take on predators. Hairy Bulborbs, however, have another method of self-defence. Their fragile hair follicles do not seem like a failure in design but is in fact intentional. If they are taken by surprise thanks to a predator, the hair will fall out all at once and function as a smoke screen of sorts, providing a distraction and blinding the predator while the Bulborb makes a getaway.

Note that bulborbs are not obligate carnivores, contrary to popular belief. They can survive and even thrive entirely on plant matter if there are no insects in the vicinity. They exhibit a particular preference for members of the Pikmin family (see 'Pikmin'), which consists of creatures more plant-like than animal. While most of the teeth in their jaws are sharp, all of the teeth at the back are flat.

SOCIAL STRUCTURE

While initial observations were unsure if Bulborbs had a strong bee- or ant-like social structure, later research quickly revealed that this is indeed the case. While Bulborbs live mostly independently, they form 'groups' in any particular area that belong to the Oculus matriarcha (Empress Bulblax) in the region, but information on Empress Bulblaxes can be found in the Bulblax section of this document. These groups mimic the relationship between worker ant/bees and their queen.

Similar to bees and ants, most Bulborbs are female. Male specimens are extremely rare but not impossible to find, though hard to differate from the females due to a lack of obvious sexual dimorphism. The rarity of male Bulborbs can increase during breeding season, due to many of them going through an involuntary sex change if they are not involved in reproduction. The ratio between male and female specimens ranges from 1:30 to 1:70, depending on the time of year.

While males are typically only around for reproduction purposes, the females have a much larger role in gathering food for the Bulborb Larvae (more information in the Bulblax section) and raising the young. Note that the tiny Bulborbs they are often seen with are an unrelated species (Pansarus pseudooculii), and are instead part of the Breadbug family (see 'Breadbug').

COURTING AND CHILDREARING

Due to their social structure, only the Empress Bulblax will produce offspring. Thus, most of the details of Grub-dog reproduction will be explained in the 'Bulblax' section, but basic details can still be supplied here. Most of these offspring are female, and the males are typically only 'used' for reproduction purposes. Any variant may be used for reproduction, and will result in the Empress Bulblax birthing larvae that grow up into those variants.

Males will compete with each other over who gets to breed with the Empress. Most males are killed in battle, as to ensure that only the best genetics are passed into the next generation. The surviving male or males mate with their Empress, and often keep mating with her until they die during the process. The offspring larvae can easily survive and hunt on their own, but once they arrive on the surface (see 'Bulblax') nearby female Bulborbs will raise them in hiding until they mature enough to raise their own children, whereupon the cycle will repeat. True juvenile Bulborbs - the stage between larva and infancy - have never been found in the wild and only in captivity, due to a lack of hiding spaces.

OTHER NOTES

Like most mammals, the eyes are a sensitive area on all Bulborb variants and their relatives. One hit will result in them recoiling in pain and dropping any prey they have in their mouthes. However, their prominent eye stalks render them especially prone to an attack such as this, meaning that any insects or Pikmin in their jaws can be easily saved if one is quick enough to strike a hit.

NOTES FROM OTHER RESEARCHERS

Basic/Red/Spotty Bulborb -

Only a very confident designer would waive through issues like bright red warning colouration and a tendency to sleep in broad daylight. There's no way a frontal assault on this thing will work, so we have to get creative. I'm thinking we should hit its back hard while it sleeps, or maybe targeting those thin-looking eyestalks. - Alph

The white polka dots on red is quite a look. Something about it is familiar, but where— Ah. Right. It reminds me of the captain. Not the polka dots—I mean the way it snores as it naps in the sun. - Brittany

This red bruiser gobbles up Pikmin like candy. The standard approach is to attack from behind while it's still asleep. That may seem callous, but it would do the same to you if it could. Stow those feelings and strike! - Captain Charlie

Hairy Bulborb -

A design with some camouflage! Much better than the bright flashy colours of the other versions of this model. That hair is an interesting choice, because I'm certain that it keeps it well insulated in those cold climates. Imagine how warm the S.S. Drake would be with a coat like that! But I don't see much use for it being so easy to lose… - Alph

They look so cute with all that fluff on their rumps! It's such a shame that it loses it so easily. I should gather it all up and make a sweater for myself with it! Oh, but if that all falls off me, that could be a little unfortunate. - Brittany

That fur may make its hind hardier, but it falls out at the slightest shock! Just scare it out of its fluffy pants, and attack. I'd hate to say it, but I relate to its hair loss... - Captain Charlie

Orange Bulborb -

I appreciate the warning coloration to let us know it's more dangerous than the other models. Anything that risky is best approached with a Bomb Rock while it sleeps. - Alph

It's lavishly coloured and so anxiety-ridden that a few footsteps can wake it up instantly. Kind of like me! It's also a terror when it's awake which, again, same. - Brittany

Those bulging eyes are honed for battle, with no known blind spots. We often find them asleep, but they wake as soon as we get close. For all we know, they're only pretending to sleep to lull us into a false sense of security. Still, sometimes that one second where they're waking up is all we need to go in hard. - Captain Charlie

Whiptongue Bulborb -

This model has a surprising feature! I'm very impressed at the speed with which it employs its long, flexible tongue. Though I'm also dismayed at its unnerving wakefulness and the difficulty we seem to have sneaking past it. - Alph

Not a fan of this one's style. Too plain. Too beige. And too big. Where's the little version of this guy? It's gotta have one, right? Though maybe not. After all, I don't have a little version of myself. - Brittany

That long tongue isn't just a sensory organ—it's a deadly weapon. It uses that thing like a pro. I tried some exercises to see if I could get my tongue to do that, but I kept biting it by accident. Always in the same place, too. I hate that. - Captain Charlie

Author Notes - Brittany's notes on the Orange Bulborb are a massive mood.

Next time, we're dealing with Bulbears. And every Pikmin 2 fan who delved into the Frontier Cavern or the Glutton's Kitchen just cringed...