Author Notes - It's strange how lovely these creatures are. They're a bit of a pain to fight, but dang are they beautiful. Did you know that the Lesser Spotted Jellyfish hums a little song to itself when there are no Pikmin nearby? It's very quiet so you'll have to lower the music volume, but it's a cute little detail that hardly anyone notices.
JELLYFLOAT FAMILY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Natetus
Order: Semastorm
EMILY'S PERSONAL NOTES
Beautiful… simply beautiful. They float around in the air without a care in the world, doing so in such a lovely manner. They even sing little songs to themselves, so quietly that you really have to pay attention to hear it. Even in death they're gorgeous, for they explode in a beautiful display of sparkles not unlike fireworks. Which of course means dissecting them is really hard, but that hardly matters.
Have you ever stopped to wonder if 'greater' and 'lesser' are good things to name a species? Like, I get it, and it makes sense. One's bigger than the other and usually tougher too. But isn't it kinda mean to call someone a 'lesser' version of someone else? I've been there too many times, and I know exactly what that's like. It hurts, man. And don't tell me that the Lesser Jellyfloat doesn't have feelings. I can guarantee you that it does!
PHYSICAL APPEARANCES
Members of the Jellyfloat family, as you may expect, highly resemble jellyfish. All members have a big round head with frills resembling a short dress on the bottom, from where its spindly tentacles emerge. Spots cover the top and bottom of their bodies, leaving the middle plain. On the very top of their heads are two antennae with small glowing eyes at the end.
The only notable differences between the three species are their colour and size. The Cephalus vortexia (Greater Spotted Jellyfloat) is the biggest of the three, and stands out amongst the cooler colours with a vibrant pink. The Cephalus dottalium (Lesser Spotted Jellyfish), as its name indicates, is notably smaller and is blue with white spots. The smallest of the three is the Cephalus aerialis (Flying Spotted Jellyfloat), who settles for a deep turquoise colour.
HABITAT
Greater and Lesser Jellyfloats are found exclusively underground, in contrast to Flying Jellyfloats which live exclusively above ground. The Underground variants often share homes, with the Greaters slowly pushing out and dominating over their Lesser counterparts. These areas are typically those tiled with ceramic or covered in concrete and dirt, often but not necessarily coming with many little underwater lakes.
Flyings are only known to inhabit one area, named 'Downpour Thicket' due to its much higher rates of rain compared to the rest of the continent, and the Flyings' inability to survive in areas without constant water flow. Though their numbers are abundant in this area, this has left them critically endangered unless more are found. Due to their high breeding capabilities and low amount of threats, their numbers are increasing steadily and extinction does not seem likely in the near future.
DIET AND DEFENCES
All known members of this family are carnivorous. The hunting method of the Lesser and Greater variants is fairly well-known and effective. They will float above the ground so very little can hurt them, and attract prey - consisting primarily of small insects and Pikmin - with the bioluminescent lights on their heads. Once they are directly above their prey, they will open up the mouth-like orifice on the bottom of their bodies and suck the prey up into themselves much like a vacuum cleaner.
Greaters are capable of catching bigger prey than Lessers, and may even feast on critters such as Dwarf Bulborbs if given the chance. If they have sucked up multiple insects or Pikmin at once, they will digest them one at a time, taking about one minute per critter.
Flyings, however, have a more basic method of hunting. They will drop down from the air as hard as they can and crush prey beneath them. Once the prey is sufficiently squished, they will suck up the liquefied remains into their orifice and digest them that way instead.
SOCIAL STRUCTURE
Jellyfloats may be roaming by themselves or in small groups. Members of each respective species often congregate with each other, though Lessers and Greaters have been found in mixed groups. Flyings will not mix with the other species in the wild, but will interact freely with Lessers without an issue.
Greaters, however, come from a different ecosystem and thus are used to dominating on their own. If Lessers (or, in captivity, Flyings) are in their territory, they will attack and occasionally eat the smaller Jellyfloats invading their territory. The only way the Greaters can lose these fights is if the smaller Jellyfloats band together and attack in numbers.
COURTING AND CHILDREARING
The Jellyfloats' method of reproduction is… somewhat odd. Jellyfloats are capable of changing their biological sex, but will only do so if the numbers for that particular sex is lacking in the area.
Once a year, all male matured Jellyfloats will slowly die for seemingly no reason. Nearby female Jellyfloats will attempt to absorb as much as the remaining genetic material as they can, with fights often breaking out for the more genetically-impressive specimen. The material is essentially 'recycled' inside the female with her own to produce several offspring.
Bizarrely, female Jellyfloats do not lay eggs because they develop the eggs and hatch them inside their bodies. This results in them giving live birth which are released upon the mother's death, making for a unique method of reproduction among jellyfish species.
Crossbreeding is possible between Lesser and Greater Jellyfloats if they inadvertently absorb the material of another species. Lessers are the dominant species, perhaps the only thing keeping their numbers afloat (pun not intended).
OTHER NOTES
Lesser Jellyfloats have been noted to 'hum' a simple little song to themselves when idle, perhaps to entertain themselves. This little song is the same across every species and appears to serve no purpose beyond personal entertainment. The other members of this family do not exhibit the habit or even ability to 'hum' little songs too.
NOTES FROM OTHER RESEARCHERS
Lesser Spotted Jellyfloat -
Not as effective as its bigger cousins, but don't underestimate it! If any Pikmin get sucked into its body, you only have a minute or two to free them before they're lunch. You may be better off without Pikmin though, since they won't attack captains. In fact, I like to listen to that lovely little song they hum. - Alph
Hm, hm-hm, hm-hm… it's a nice little song they sing, isn't it? I almost feel bad for hurting them. The way they float about in the air is so peaceful. Heck, even when they die, it's beautiful! That's how I wanna die: in a gorgeous glittery explosion. - Brittany
How does this creature feel about being called the 'lesser' of the Jellyfloats? They say 'sticks and stones break my bones, but words never hurt me', but… I dunno. Has anyone thought to ask the poor thing if it's okay with such a cruel name? - Captain Charlie
Greater Spotted Jellyfloat -
Much stronger than the other one. This model will go after captains and can even capture them too! As Brittany (and later the Captain) found out the hard way. It goes down in just the same way though: just throw enough Pikmin at it (or a single Purple) and it'll be downed before you know it! - Alph
Lemme tell you. Getting trapped in one of these things is NOT a pleasant experience. It's dizzying, everything is pink (I mean, I LOVE pink, but I have standards)… AND YOU'RE BEING SLOWLY DIGESTED BY THE SECOND! - Brittany
This nasty little (er, not-so-little) jellyfish thought it could get away with kidnapping one of my own soldiers! Not if I have anything to say about th-! GAH, IT'S GOT ME! - Captain Charlie
Flying Spotted Jellyfloat -
It bears a close resemblance to the other members of this family, and yet its method of attacking is wildly different. The ways these creatures evolve differently from one another despite their similarities can be kinda… confusing. - Alph
Well, I suppose I can appreciate how direct this species is. No kidnapping or slow digestion here. Just a simple 'crush and run' strategy. It's kinda cute, but it's still trying to kill me. But it won't try to kidnap me, so there's that. - Brittany
This little guy employs a much more simplistic battle plan compared to its bigger cousins. But who's to say that makes it any worse? Sometimes, the simplest of battle plans can end up being the best one. I learnt THAT one the hard way… - Captain Charlie
Author Notes - Charlie's notes on the Lesser Jellyfloat are inspired by a poem I remember reading in primary school. It was about the two main species of bilby, and I remember it repeated that old 'sticks and stones' saying before ending with 'have you ever asked the Lesser Bilby'? If you're thinking 'that species is extinct', they were extinct at the time of me reading that too.
You hear that obnoxious ringing sound in the distance that's messing with your treasure gauge? ANTENNA BEETLE IS NEXT!
