Author Notes - Emily's little confession here, right out of the gate? Yeah, I made the same mistake. Until about a year ago, I thought the big guy was named 'Raging Bloyster', and I completely missed the N. Every. Single. Time. Reminder, I've been playing Pikmin 2 for about a decade now. I have NO idea how I managed to be so blind to this creature's real name, and it embarrasses me.

Somehow, I managed to make the Bloysters somewhat tragic. After all, have you noticed that throughout the entirety of Pikmin 2, there's only one Toady Bloyster? You fight the boss version of it more than the regular one. I managed to make myself mildly sad (or miffed, if you want more alliteration), when I proofread this 'document'.

MOLLUSKING FAMILY

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Stylommatophora

EMILY'S PERSONAL NOTES

Wait, what? … Oh. OH... Oh crap.

I have a confession to make. For the longest time, I thought the name of the big boy was 'Raging Bloyster'. Like, I've been thinking this for years. Turns out its name is actually 'Ranging Bloyster', with an 'n'. That 'n' has been there since the very beginning. How did I never notice it until now?!

Alright, let's put that embarrassment aside to talk about the creatures themselves. They're closely related to slugs, which isn't at all surprising considering their appearance. And most people consider slugs gross, and I… don't get it. I mean, they're not conventionally cute, but look at 'em! They're just snails without shells, and snails are adorable! … Or do most people think snails are gross too? Oh, I don't get people sometimes.

The Raging - Ranging! - Bloyster might be a favourite of mine, just cos of the way its gills at the back glow a particular colour depending on what's going through its 'mind' at that moment. Watching it glow orange when I step onto the scene is gorgeous! Sure, it means it's coming after me and intends to eat me, but it's so beautiful! This family in general just appeals to me, really. And it's actually kinda tragic. See, you always find them on their own. But... well, you'll find out when you read about their social structure. Just writing those notes made me feel incredibly sad.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCES

All known members of this family resemble the slugs to which they are closely related, though some may liken them to sentient puddles of goo. Their bodies are a light shade of pink, and they have two eyes on stalks above a wide mouth. One of their most notable features is the fruit-like ball hanging from a 'branch' on their behinds. This is actually an appendage covered in gills, and is necessary for the creature to survive.

The main difference between the two species is the size. The Molluschid minionicus (Toady Bloyster) is approximately 10cm from head to 'tail', while the Molluschid predatoria (Ranging Bloyster) can reach lengths up to 20-25 cm.

The eyes and gills on the Ranging variant are capable of glowing certain colours, while the smaller Toadies are incapable of such bioluminescence. The colour depends on whatever shiny object the Bloyster is currently fixated on, due to being directly connected to the brain waves that cause such a fascination.

HABITAT

Bloysters are always found in aquatic areas, though are capable of surviving away from water for a limited time. In fact, if there is adequate moisture in the air, they can survive out of the water for months. The depth of the water's location does not matter; though Toadies are typically on the surface in tropical areas, while Rangings are found most commonly underground, they can live anywhere. The type of surface does not matter either; both soft earth and hard shower tiles will do fine.

Though Rangings should theoretically be harder to encounter than their smaller counterparts, due to their preferred habitats of massive spaces deep underground, many have reported to find more Rangings than Toadies during any given expedition. Captain Olimar is a particularly famous example of this (well known for winning the title 'Most Crash Landings of Any Experienced Pilot'). While their numbers have increased since then, they are still regarded as an endangered species.

DIET AND DEFENCES

Bloysters do most of their hunting within waters, though are perfectly capable of doing so on land too. Toadies make themselves appear as slow and harmless creatures who would rather sit there and take it rather than fight back. When unsuspecting insects and tiny animals get too close to their mouths, the Toady will unleash five tongue-like tendrils from its mouth and ensnare its prey before devouring them in one 'bite'.

Rangings are much more direct in their hunting approach. Due to their much bigger sizes and somewhat faster speeds, they will chase their prey down and attempt to scoop them up. It can, however, be easily distracted by shiny or glowing objects. Those with glowing tracker beacons must be wary around this creature.

Aside from their tendrils, they are not without any self-defence mechanisms. If they are attacked by predators, they will involuntarily spew out an ink-like substance from their pores. This ink is thick and doesn't spread very well, for it is 'designed' more to blind predators directly than obscure its entire body. The ink may also make contact with a predator's taste receptors, and its bitter flavouring deters many predators from continuing the attack.

SOCIAL STRUCTURE

Due to their rare numbers, many believe that Bloysters are very solitary creatures. Earlier reports of the creature state as such, as they are only found on their own and far away from any other members of their species. However, further reports deem this incorrect.

Bloysters are, in fact, highly social animals. Though they are capable of living by themselves and thriving, they exhibit much higher levels of happiness if they are in groups. This includes but is not limited to sharply increased speed and movement. The slow movement they make by themselves appears to stem only partially from natural slowness, and is due in part to their loneliness. They form strong bonds with each other, evident when they rub up against each other and make expressions similar to smiling on a humanoid.

The only reason why Bloysters appear to be solitary creatures at all is solely due to their frighteningly low numbers. They simply can't find others of their kind very often, and those they do find have to be reserved strictly for mating purposes.

Despite their differences in temperament and size, Rangings and Toadies get along surprisingly well. While Rangings are often considered the 'leaders' of any group gathering, they otherwise make no distinction between the two species.

COURTING AND CHILDREARING

Bloysters are hermaphrodites, so there are no 'males' or 'females' in the traditional sense. Due to their scarce numbers, they will often mate with the first eligible partner they see, regardless of how impressive they believe the genes to be. Unlike most species of animals that will engage the act immediately, Bloysters wait until their partners express a desire for procreation before doing so. This makes them one of the few species on the planet that understand consent, revealing they may be more intelligent than initially believed.

Anywhere between 10-20 eggs are laid at a time, by both Bloysters. They each take on the role of raising the hatchlings, fiercely protecting them from any predators, until they mature after a mere two weeks.

Typically, a Bloyster will only mate with another Bloyster of the same species. However, they show no hesitation in mixed breeding if there is no other choice. Offspring from such a combination are often bigger Toadies that have the bioluminescence capabilities of the Rangings, albeit the light will be much dimmer. Like most hybrids, these offspring cannot breed. Their lifespan is not as long as that of the Rangings, but longer than that of the Toadies.

OTHER NOTES

There are estimated to be only 5,000 Toady Bloysters left on PNF-404. Attempts to increase the population in captivity had proven successful, and many experts believe that the species can easily be saved. These attempts are the only reason why we know just how social these creatures are.

NOTES FROM OTHER RESEARCHERS

Toady Bloyster -

Problem: Sending in Pikmin causes it to spew ink to confuse its attackers. Amidst the chaos, it sends out its set of stretchy tongues to pick off prey. Solution: Ignore the ink. It's nontoxic and can't hurt you. Stay calm, exploit its slow speed to get behind it, and focus your strikes at its puffy tail bulb. Other Notes: Its optic receptors are oddly tiny. How can it see anything? - Alph

I'm positive their tails are a kind of fruit. I tried once to take it away from the Pikmin and have it analysed instead of converted to seeds, but Alph talked me out of it. He said not everything that looks like fruit tastes good, and he might have a point. - Brittany

It might not look like much on the face of it, but that's because its deadliest weapons are hidden. I've seen its tongue do things I can never unsee. The ink it sprayed everywhere to blind me was practically a mercy. - Captain Charlie

Ranging Bloyster -

More addicted to hunting down shiny objects than Brittany is to hunting fruit (don't tell her I said that). It's especially attracted to our tracking beams, making it a danger. Just focus on the light its emitting, and you'll know who it's tracking. - Alph

Finally, a creature with some real taste! Look at the way its eyes and fruit-flower-thing glow a bright pink when it's around me. It's great to meet someone else who gets it. … Okay, that's a little too close. Alright, you can back away now. OH MY GOSH HOW MUCH DO YOU LIKE PINK?! - Brittany

A powerful foe to be sure. It even does a wonderful job at hiding its weak spot. The one problem? It gets confused easily. If you give it enough bright flashy lights, it won't know who to focus on and opens itself up to attack! Which can still make things pretty chaotic for us, but I'm willing to face that bright green light and be bait. - Captain Charlie

Author Notes - I actually really like snails and slugs in real life. Sure, they're not the... prettiest animals around, but I think they're cute. It helps that I ended up adopting a couple of snails of my own as pets. Yes, really. A relative gave me a teeny-tiny snail as a joke, and well, the rest is history. Sometimes at night, I can hear them eating. I've had them for at least a year now. Possibly more. I'm not really sure.

I know it was kind of a dick move to say that Olimar has an award for crashing so many times, but... I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist. This entry needed a bit of comedy, because I'm actually kinda sad now.

Hey, did you know that the Pikmin games have, like, no mammals? You may have thought Bulborbs were mammals, but, well... according to the Piklopedia, Bearded Amprats are the only mammals on the entire planet!