Whiptongue Bulborb

Whiptongue Bulborb
Appears in	Pikmin 3
Scientific name	N/A
Family	Grub-dog
Areas	Tropical Wilds, Distant Tundra
Mission Mode Collect Treasure! stages	Tropical Forest, Beastly Cavern
Mission Mode Battle Enemies! stages	Thirsty Desert, Distant Tundra Remix, Formidable Oak Remix
Side Story days	None
Bingo Battle stages	None
Attacks	Eats Pikmin

The Whiptongue Bulborb (ペロチャッピ^?, lit.: "Slurping Chappy") is an enemy in Pikmin 3. It is a member of the Grub-dog family, but is different from the others in that it has a long tongue that it uses to slurp up Pikmin. Its tongue can catch up to 5 Pikmin at once, somewhat like the Emperor Bulblax, but quicker and much less destructive. It has a brown face, much in contrast to the paler face of the Red Bulborb, with a long snout at the end that the tongue comes out of, a white body with black spots, and blue eyes.

Notes

Pikmin 3 Website

"Part of the Bulborb family, it has an extra long tongue, giving it more range to grab its prey."

Pikmin 3 Prima Guide

"As its name implies, the Whiptongue Bulborb uses its long tongue to snatch up any Pikmin unfortunate enough to be caught in the attack. When you encounter a Whiptongue Bulborb, flank the creature and send your Pikmin charging in to attack."

Behavior

This Bulborb species attacks with its long, flexible tongue, which allows it to quickly devour Pikmin from much greater distances than other members of the grub-dog family. It doesn't sleep when unaware of the presence of Pikmin. Instead, it will rummage through the ground and sniff around the surrounding area much like a Dwarf Red Bulborb.

When a captain and/or a Pikmin is nearby, it will quickly shuffle towards them. If the Pikmin are standing within attack range, it will launch its tongue outward as a means of consuming them. Up to five Pikmin can be snagged at a time by this move. However, if Pikmin are standing beside it, or are attacking its feet, it will lap up individual Pikmin one at a time at a slightly slower pace than normal Bulborbs. Just like all other Grub-Dogs in Pikmin 3, it can be temporarily incapacitated by throwing Pikmin directly at its eyes.

Strategy

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

The Whiptongue Bulborb can be quite a dangerous foe because not only does it constantly roam around, leaving no part of its body exposed for a long, but its long tongue allows it to ensnare batches of Pikmin from a distance. There are several ways to deal with this enemy.

The first method is attacking from the rear, much like combating a Red Bulborb. Use a 30+ Pikmin squad comprised of Red and Rock Pikmin and simply keep chucking them from behind. Wait until it has begun snifffing the ground before throwing any Pikmin so that it doesn't spontaneously turn around and proceed to lash out its tongue. If you can keep throwing Pikmin on its back as it shakes them off, it'll be taken out without getting the chance to use its tongue.

An ironic, but surprisingly effective, strategy is charging it from the front with 35+ Rock Pikmin. Just like other Bulborbs, the Whiptongue Bulborb will flinch when its eyes are hit. Take your squad and let it catch sight of you from a distance. As it approaches and gets ready to use its tongue, start throwing your Rock Pikmin at its face. Throwing them at the face is bound to lead to some hitting the eyes, which will make it flinch. If one keeps throwing Rock Pikmin at the face in rapid succession like this, it'll have all its hit points drained without even getting a chance to use its tongue because it will constantly be flinching.

Another rather risky method is to get a group of around 30-50 Pikmin, preferably Reds and Rocks, attract the attention of the Whiptongue Bulborb and lead it to the edge of its territory; then, when it's walking away, order your Pikmin to rush it. If done correctly, the Whiptongue Bulborb will quickly succumb to the blitzkrieg, with little to no deaths. Note that this will not be the preferred choice of action if you are attempting a Zero-death run unless around 50 Red Pikmin and 30-50 Rock Pikmin are present.

Another fact to note is that even though it eats with a tongue, just like with other Bulborbs, if hit in the eye, it'll release any Pikmin it has caught in its mouth and is about to eat. This can be taken advantage of if you are in a pinch and a Whiptongue Bulborb is about to eat quite a few of your Pikmin. You can also take cover in Clover patches in order to hide from it.

Also, another method which needs only one single Pikmin : using a Bomb Rock. Luckily, these bombs can be found on a Dirt Mound near the Whiptongue Bulborb. When a Pikmin is carrying a Bomb Rock, he can be thrown directly on the Bulborb... Or you can leave this Pikmin in front of the Bulborb : it will try to eat the Pikmin, but it'll catch the Rock. Afterwards, the Whiptongue Bulborb will explode.

Gallery

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  Art of a Whiptongue Bulborb from the Official Nintendo Magazine.

• Pikmin3 tongue bulborb.jpg

  Whiptongue Bulborb snatching some Pikmin with its tongue.

• Observe.png

  Red Pikmin hiding from a Whiptongue Bulborb.

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  The group of heroes approaching a Whiptongue Bulborb in a beta version of Distant Tundra.

• FIltMrb - Imgur (1).jpg

  A Whiptongue being locked on and scanned.

• 

  A Whiptongue Bulborb sticking its long tongue out. This picture was taken by the KopPad.

• OkaythenWhiptongue.jpeg

  A Whiptongue Bulborb just about to attack.

• ZlCfzREdrG0rJgnawg.jpg

  A Whiptongue Bulborb scratching itself.

• ZlCfzREdqXU79iktfm.jpg

  A Whiptongue Bulborb noticing the player.

• Bulborborb.PNG

  Pikmin carrying a Whiptongue Bulborb in Bingo Battle.

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  A Whiptongue Bulborb which explodes.

Trivia

• In the Pikmin 3 Website notes, it states that it's part of the "Bulborb Family," even though the correct term is "Grub-dog."
• This is the first adult Bulborb to not have a dwarf mimic.
• This enemy is debatably one of the most advertised enemies in Pikmin 3, with others being the Armored Mawdad, Pyroclasmic Slooch, Peckish Aristocrab, and the Medusal Slurker. 
• Unlike its other Grub-dog relatives, it may not be nocturnal, as they are found awake in the wild, similar to the Spotty Bulbear in Pikmin 2. However, in the Tropical Wilds, they are seen scavenging for Pikmin during sunset. This suggests that Whiptongue Bulborbs are cathemeral, meaning they are active at both day and night.