Author Notes - The Bulblaxes were surprisingly fun to work with. Especially since none of them returned for Pikmin 3, so I could write all new notes for them regarding the A-B-C trio! So, uh, that's neat.

BULBLAXES*
GRUB-DOG FAMILY

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

EMILY'S PERSONAL NOTES

Why did Olimar classify Bulborb Larva as their own separate species? I know that now we just use it as a simple way of classifying the Bulborb offspring, seeing as they grow up into a wide variety of species and subspecies, but it's still a little odd...

Oh, sorry. I just like throwing in random rambles sometimes. More to the point, we're getting the big guns now! Apparently, Mr Olimar had to deal with one of the big boys before he got off the planet, and I was especially intrigued when every other Emperor he saw afterwards was a lot smaller. Turns out they're all pretty dang cool! I mean, Empress gives birth to larvae. I didn't even realise that could be possible!

I won't lie... they kinda remind me of my parents. My mother certainly did push out a lot of kids too! Okay, in all seriousness, they're just as dedicated at keeping their kids happy and safe as the Bulblaxes. Momma can crush anything if she wanted to, and Dad has a massive appetite even for Koppaite standards. And, of course, the fiery boys are almost as fiery as Hannah. Except all Fiery Bulblaxes are boys, and Hannah's a girl. ... I think. You can never be sure of these things. She'd - they'd - tell me if they weren't actually a girl, though.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCES

Three species currently have the classification of 'Bulblax': Oculus supremus (Emperor Bulblax), Oculus matriarcha (Empress Bulblax), and Oculus vulcanus (Fiery Bulblax).

The Empress Bulblax has the most striking appearance out of the three. Outside of breeding season, they appear no different from most Red Bulborbs. They are most identifiable when their egg sacs swell to dramatic proportions, resulting in it resembling a short and thick yet gigantic annelid (segmented earthworm). Its massive body is divided into five distinct segments, each with a dark crimson spot going down the middle on both sides. Its comparatively tiny feet can only dangle from its body.

The Emperor Bulblax is the biggest of the Grub-Dog family, being easily 25cm on average when it is fully grown. It resembles your typical Bulborb, but its skin has a noticeably saggy look to it that could be described as seeming as if its face had melted. Due to its hunting methods (see 'Diet'), moss grows over its rump, giving its body a dark green appearance. The true appearance of its rump is currently unknown, for the moss is so embedded in its skin that it is impossible to remove without taking the skin with it.

The Fiery Bulblax resembles the Emperor Bulblax greatly, retaining the 'melted' appearance, though there are many key differences. It is much smaller in size, just a little bigger than the average Bulborb, and its hind is a dark shade of crimson. One of its eyes is noticeably smaller than the other. When the specimen is alive, bodily excretions of an unknown but extremely flammable waxy substance cause flames to erupt over the creature's hind. While its skin has a spongy cell structure to diffuse the heat - protecting the inner organs - it appears to have no such protection for the skin itself, resulting in its face melting from its own heat.

HABITAT

Empress Bulblaxes have yet to be sighted above ground, and have only been seen in underground caverns. It does not seem to be limited by climate and only by depth, as it has been sighted underneath tundra and forest areas alike, and is often found so deep into the earth that the climate of the above ground matters little anyway.

Emperor Bulblaxes are typically found underground, but they have been seen above ground too. All specimens found underground appear to be juveniles, where they can grow up with little risk of danger. Once they mature, they grow too big for their underground homes and must migrate to the surface instead.

Fiery Bulblaxes have an incredible range, appearing in many of the same places as all variants of Bulborb. Their fiery hides keep them warm in colder climates, but it doesn't appear to bother them in more tropical areas. When underground, their adaptability is shown as they can live anywhere between marshy earth, shower tiles, and even rusty metal.

DIET AND DEFENCES

All variants of Bulblax have similar diets to Bulborbs - tiny insects returning home at dusk, as well as all types of Pikmin. There are, of course, many differences worth noting.

Empress and Emperor Bulblaxes have unique ways of hunting. The Empress Bulblax takes advantage of their dramatically increased properties, and will flatten any prey that comes near by rolling over them with their body. This is the only way that they can eat, for their massive bodies drag them down and cannot otherwise keep up with living prey.

Emperor Bulblaxes are normally found buried in the ground, with only their eye stalks or hinds visible above the surface. When unwitting prey approaches, they drop the camouflage and emerge from the ground, eating up any prey with their massive tongues. Their saliva is an impressive adhesive, so any prey caught has no chance of escape. They then swallow their prey in one gulp.

Fiery Bulblaxes hunt and consume prey in a very similar method to the common Bulborb. They are nocturnal, but can be woken up just as easily as Red Bulborbs, and use their mandibles to grind up prey before swallowing. The main difference is that they prefer their prey roasted instead of raw.

SOCIAL STRUCTURE

Unlike Bulbears, which follow their own social structure, Bulblaxes not only follow the social structure of Bulborbs but are in fact a part of it. What differentiates Bulborbs from Bulblaxes appears to be nothing more but a rank; Bulblaxes rank 'higher' in the social structure than Bulborbs do, much the same way queen bees rank higher than drones or worker bees.

All Empress Bulblaxes are female, and Bulblaxes as a whole are a matriarch. Her egg sac can swell to gigantic sizes, as mentioned prior. It typically does this as a result of environmental changes, such as a depletion of prey, or when the population suddenly drops. When this happens, she becomes the pack matriarch and all Bulborbs and Bulblaxes must go wherever she goes.

Emperor Bulblaxes, as their name might suggest, are all male, but not necessarily the male counterparts to the Empresses. They not only breed with their empress, but also keep her safe until they mature enough to migrate to the surface. They are mostly just 'drones', but have been seen being 'second-in-command' to their empresses.

Fiery Bulblaxes, too, are all male. They are, in fact, Emperor Bulblaxes themselves, but with a recessive gene that results in their fiery hinds. Since they give off constant flames, breeding with them is near impossible so they are left to wonder on their own. They still protect their empress, but can never breed with her. The combined factors of being all-male, their fires making breeding impossible, and the gene being recessive, make them very rare and they may very well be going extinct.

COURTING AND CHILDREARING

Bulblaxes court their empress much the same way male Bulborbs do. When they grow big enough, they stop trying to protect the queen and instead attempt to court her. The Emperors will fight one another to the death, whereupon the survivor will breed with the empress before he grows too big and has to retreat to the surface. Since mature Emperors and Empresses have wildly different habitats, it's unlikely that they will ever encounter each other again.

Once the male specimens have bred with the Empress, she will retreat to a secluded cave and proceed to give birth. Uniquely, she neither lays eggs nor gives birth to mature species, but instead births offspring in their larval form. This is unique to all known species. While the larval offspring are classified as Oculus bambinii - somewhat confusingly, as it is a different species from their mother - this is merely an easier way of classifying the larval form, as the offspring will mature into whatever species had bred with the Empress prior.

The Bulborb Larva can hunt prey on their own as soon as they are born, and in fact can be considered even more dangerous since they never take the time to chew. Any insect or Pikmin caught up in their jaws will be impossible to save, for the larval will swallow them too quickly. They will continue eating underground until they grow big enough, and will then migrate to the surface as a group. This makes them easy prey to the surface animals, so many of them won't make the journey. Those that do are raised by mature female Bulborbs until they get big enough to fend for themselves.

OTHER NOTES

Very rarely, an Emperor or Fiery Bulblax may be born with non-functional female external genitalia instead of that more associated with males, though still lacking in internal female parts such as ovaries. These Bulblaxes, consisted intersex, are totally sterile and have stunted growth, typically not living long.

NOTES FROM OTHER RESEARCHERS

Empress Bulblax -

This is questionable design at its finest. Its body is so massive that its legs don't even touch the ground. I'd even call it outright bad design, but its body is very effective at crushing things. So, I guess it evens out! - Alph

I thought that thing at the end was like a funnel, or some sort of weird hat. Then I saw it giving birth through that thing, and now I know that the thing I wanted to wear is actually a… can someone tell me how I unlearn something? - Brittany

There may be many captains who say that they'll never hit a girl, but I am not one of them. My steely fists don't care about gender! But if that girl is a mother? Now that's taking it a step too far. Unless, of course, she's flattening my army! - Captain Charlie

Emperor Bulblax -

Now THIS is camouflage! It doesn't just look like moss. That IS moss growing on its body! Not only is that fantastic camouflage, but it's amazing dedication to the illusion. The only problem is that its large size makes it an easy target to hit. - Alph

Hey, you know what would be really nice? Not giving me a FREAKING HEART ATTACK! I wasn't expecting that soft pile of moss to try EATING ME when I lay down on it! - Brittany

Its thick hind is surprisingly hard to breach. Do you know what we do when we come across a wall we can't get through or over? Simple. We blow it up! Just feed it a bomb rock and it'll become easy pickings. - Captain Charlie

Fiery Bulblax -

I don't think this design was well thought through. On one hand, a fiery hind is near impossible to get through. On the other, its face appears to be melting from its own flames. I think some more flame-resistant material is in order. - Alph

Oh, if only we could tame this beast. Can you imagine it? You'd have a portable fireplace that never goes out! But this guy's a big mean jerk, and won't let me go anywhere near it! On an unrelated note… does anyone know how to treat burns? - Brittany

I respect this guy. Using fire in battle is one thing, but wearing the fire on your body? Charging straight into battle while on fire is one of the most metal things you can do. - Captain Charlie

Bulborb Larva -

Do not underestimate these little guys. They may be fragile, but their jaws are some of the most impressive on this planet. The designer focused much more on the bite than the defence on this one. - Alph

Look at them! They're little baby Bulborbs! They would be WAY cuter if they didn't almost turn me into their next meal, though… - Brittany

These guys remind me of the Pikmin a lot. Little fragile guys who are regardless very powerful in high numbers? They're not so different after all. It breaks my heart to hurt creatures so soon after they are born, but war has sacrifices, and it's either them or our own army. - Captain Charlie

Author Notes - I don't think it's ever been confirmed, but there's a possibility that the Fiery Bulblax was supposed to be a boss at some point in development. Not only are the other 'Bulblaxes' bosses, but its icon in the Piklopedia is 80x80 big like the other bosses and not 40x40 like the non-boss enemies. So, I incorporated that by making them Emperors but on fire.

Anyway, next time we wrap up our Grub-dog marathon with the aquatic members of the family!