Startle Spore

Startle Spore
Appears in	Pikmin 4
Scientific name	Taraxacum fungensus
Family	Chrysanthemum
Areas	Primordial Thicket
Caves	Engulfed Castle
Dandori Challenge stages	Trial of the Sage Leaf
Dandori Battle stages	None
Attacks	Eat Pikmin, spew poison

The Startle Spore (おったまダケ^?, lit.: "So-Spooked Shroom") is an enemy introduced in Pikmin 4. It has a similar appearance to the Creeping Chrysanthemum, but it mimics red mushrooms instead of flowers. It hides as a cluster of said mushrooms, with its eyes being the only thing differentiating it from the true mushrooms. When a leader, Oatchi, or Pikmin come near, it hops up and attempts to attack them with its long, poison spewing tongue.

Stats

Weight	Max. carriers	Seeds	Value	Health
10	20	12	× 12	2000

Behavior

Startle Spores will hide partially underground, mimicking mushrooms in the nearby area. Occasionally, if observed long enough, it will open its eyes to look around. Much like the Skitter Leaf and the Desiccated Skitter Leaf, it can't be spotted on the Map while it's burrowed underground. When something gets close, its eyestalks will turn to look at its target, while a dramatic sound plays to note it's awakening. It will hop out of the ground, knocking down Pikmin, Captains, and Oatchi too close to it. Almost immediately, it will launch out its tongue to eat Pikmin, leaving a splatter of poison on where it landed, which can only be traversed safely by White Pikmin or Oatchi when he has the Pup Sniff Saver. It will eat any Pikmin who get stuck on its tongue, but it will hit itself with said tongue and be stunned for a bit if it catches no Pikmin (however, this will still release poison). It can also catch the player, but will regurgitate them instantly. It shakes off Pikmin by inflating its cheeks and throat when too many have begun to attack it. When its prey is close, it will take chase, but it will re-enter hiding if its prey strays far away, returning to its original spot.

Strategy

The following article or section contains guides. The strategies shown are just suggestions.

The Startle Spore can be hard to spot, especially when the player does not know about it or it is effectively camouflaged in Primordial Thicket. It is best to watch for the unusual, spherical bulges underneath the cap of the mushroom. These are its eyes, which it usually keeps shut to prevent this from being obvious. They also appear in the middle of a path instead of to the sides like red mushrooms typically do.

The player can use the same strategy as the Creeping Chrysanthemum, being weary of the pools of poison it spews by attacking the beast from behind. The poison pools last longer and reach father than they might first appear, and can make fighting the creature a nuisance. The player can use White Pikmin to make fighting this creature a little easier, but their low damage and the Startle Spore's immunity to being poisoned combined with a large health pool can make this strategy not extremely effective (Especially if the player only has a small number of White Pikmin, which is likely). If the player plans on relying on White Pikmin, Ultra-spicy spray is reccomended.

Instead, the player can opt to use a small number (Around 30 or so) of high-damaging Pikmin such as Rock Pikmin or Purple Pikmin. Bait out the enemy from hiding by throwing and whistling back a single Pikmin, then reach around to the back (It should be noted the creature will turn to have its sights on the bait Pikmin, so you can use this to your advantage). When you reach the back, simply throw Purple Pikmin continuiously or repeatedly charge and call back your Rock Pikmin, this should defeat the beast quite quickly and safely. Using Oatchi's Rush with a large squad here is also a good option (And one of your only options, if fought in the Engulfed Castle), but be mindful of your squad's damage output and make sure Oatchi has his Sniff Saver equipped.

If the player is struggling with this enemy, a single Bomb Rock is enough to take it out, even if it hasnt been consumed.

Notes

Dalmo's notes

“These don't just mimic a growth of mushrooms for the fun of catching you by surprise—they also use the opportunity to spread poison around quite indiscriminately. But that's just this little darling's idiosyncratic method for catching its prey. We could learn from the way nature embraces such unique and varied creatures.”

Olimar's notes

“The defining characteristics of the fungi that grow from its head differ from that of the Chrysanthemum family's Creeping Chrysanthemum, but the makeup of the body out of which they grow is mostly the same.

As a result, we can theorize that like fellow Ambuloradicis the Bulbmin, this species is not an evolutionary variation, but that the body is a parasite that has nestled inside a group of mushrooms. Because the hosts are mushrooms, the Startle Spore cannot photosynthesize. Instead it gains nutrients by catching its prey with highly poisonous fluids, or by absorbing the nectar in the ground left behind as creatures killed by its poison decompose.”

Louie's notes

“If you can successfully remove the tongue's poison glands, you'll enjoy a rare opportunity to appreciate the umami synergy of the mushroom and meat combo.”

Naming

See more: Chrysanthemum family#Naming.

• Common name: Startle Spore. It would most likely startle players by hiding as mushrooms, and mushrooms produce spores. Note that it has a similar naming scheme to its relative, the Creeping Chrysanthemum.
• Japanese nickname: おったまダケ^?. It is a combination of おっ魂消る (flabbergasted) and 茸 (mushroom).
• Japanese name: キノコヅモリ^?, lit.: "Mushroom Pretender". It is based off of the Creeping Chrysanthemum's Japanese name, "キクヅモリ", but with "キク" (chrysanthemum) replaced with "キノコ" (mushroom).
• Scientific name: Taraxacum fungensus. Fungensus is a combination of "fungen-", which means "fungi", and "esus", which means "eaten" in Latin.
• Internal names: BIKKURIKINOKO. "Bikkuri" (吃驚) is the Japanese word for surprised, while "kinoko" (茸) is the Japanese word for mushroom.
• Prerelease: None.

Other information

• Pikmin 4 Piklopedia number: #59

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	おったまダケ? Ottama Dake	So-Spooked Shroom
Chinese (traditional)	驚人菇 Jīngrén Gū	Surprising Mushroom
Chinese (simplified)	惊人菇 Jīngrén Gū	Surprising Mushroom
Dutch	Bedriegerzwam	Impostor mushroom
French	Sporiflore surprenant	Surprising Sporeflora	"Sporiflore" is a portmanteau of "spore" (spore) and "flore" (flora)
German	Kriechender Schreckling	Creeping Hygrofearus	Portmanteau of "Schreck" (fright) and "Schneckling" (waxy caps)
Italian	Fungo trafelato	Panting mushroom
Korean	깜짝버섯 Kkamjjag-Beoseot	Startle Mushroom
Portuguese	Fingi	Pretengus	The name is a portmanteau of "fingir" (to pretend) and "fungi" (fungus)
Spanish	Seta pasmosa	Startle mushroom

Gallery

This article or section is in need of more images. Particularly: more images of wild Startle Spores. You can help Pikipedia by uploading some images.

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  A Startle Spore still underground.

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  A camouflaged Startle Spore in the Engulfed Castle.

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  The same Startle Spore with its eyes open.

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  The same Startle Spore emerging from the ground.

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  A Startle Spore reacting to a pikpik carrots.

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  A Startle Spore that has emerged.

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  A Startle Spore when its lost its prey.

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  A Startle Spore attacking Oatchi and a group of Ice Pikmin.

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  A poison puddle a Startle Spore makes, poisoning Winged Pikmin.

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  A defeated Startle Spore.

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  A defeated Startle Spore from a different angle.

Trivia

• The Startle Spore, much like the Creeping Chrysanthemum, shares a genus name with the Dandelion even though they are in separate families; in real life, this is impossible, as different species cannot be in the same genus and different families. This is likely a mistake.

See also

• Bulbmin
• Creeping Chrysanthemum
• Chrysanthemum family