Medusal Slurker

Medusal Slurker
Appears in	Pikmin 3
Scientific name	Unknown
Family	Unknown
Areas	Tropical Wilds, Garden of Hope
Mission Mode Collect Treasure! stages	Tropical Forest, Silver Lake Remix, Forgotten Cove
Mission Mode Battle Enemies! stages	The Rustyard, Forgotten Cove, Clockwork Chasm
Side Story days	None
Bingo Battle stages	Stagnant Sea, Blooming Terrace, Jigsaw Colosseum, Jigsaw Fortress
Attacks	Captures Pikmin and leaders.

The Medusal Slurker is an enemy from Pikmin 3. It is a floating, translucent pink jellyfish-like enemy with two small serpentine eyes and a single antenna sprouting from its top that resembles a Seeding Dandelion. It has a green pouch inside its head to store food in. This pouch has an uvula-like appendage hanging from it, which it extends to the ground and expands to trap Pikmin and leaders. It is first fought in the Garden of Hope, and defeating it will free the Rock Pikmin it had in its body, allowing the player to use them.

Medusal Slurkers can be found with a variety of things within them, including previously-trapped Pikmin, bomb rocks, fruits, and even Louie in DLC levels for Mission Mode. The one found in the Tropical Wilds conceals a Juicy Gaggle.

Notes

Pikmin 3 website

“These gelatinous creatures float above their prey and suck them up into their transparent bodies.”

Pikmin 3 Prima Guide

“The Medusal Slurker is a low-flying enemy that uses a sticky appendage to absorb any Pikmin that wander below it. When you encounter a Medusal Slurker, throw your Pikmin at the creature's soft outer shell. Rock Pikmin are particularly effective, but all Pikmin types can be used to deal with this enemy. When you defeat a Medusal Slurker, and Pikmin it managed to absorb are set free.”

Behavior

The Medusal Slurker is generally passive, usually minding its own business and floating gently above the ground, occasionally moving. When a leader or Pikmin approach, it will simply float away. However, if the Pikmin or leader still continue to pursue, the Slurker will hover over where they are standing and drop its uvula-like appendage (possibly its stomach) onto the ground, which expands to capture any Pikmin in its mucus-like structure. It will then suck them back into its transparent body and keep them for the rest of the day, unless the creature is defeated which will free the captured Pikmin. However, unlike the Jellyfloats, it does not digest captured Pikmin. It will also shake off Pikmin when agitated by their attacks. 

Strategy

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

To defeat a Medusal Slurker, simply throw Pikmin at its gelatinous body and quickly call them back if it looks like it is about to shake. If they aren't called back, they will be shaken off and be left vulnerable to attack by the creature's uvula. Sometimes the Slurker will make a quick movement away from the leaders, forcing all Pikmin off of its body as well. This is less predictable, so you should take caution. At the same time, the Pikmin that fall to the ground can usually get up before the creature returns to abduct them. Once defeated, the green core inside the creature will explode and its pink membrane will fly up into the air. After a few seconds, it will fall back to the ground, where it can be harvested. The creature can be defeated very quickly by approaching it with about 15 Rock Pikmin, as one will die after 10 hits from Rocks. Though floating, it may also be killed by a bomb rock, if you use it with precise aim.

Gallery

• Miiverse img04.jpg

  A Medusal Slurker after grabbing a group of Red and Rock Pikmin in the Garden of Hope.

• Pikmin3~MedusalSlurkerAttack.png

  The Medusal Slurker using its uvula-like appendage to ensnare Pikmin.

• 

  A Medusal Slurker with a Juicy Gaggle.

Trivia

• The Medusal Slurker is the first gelatinous enemy in the Pikmin series whose body doesn't completely dissolve after death, making it salvageable.
• The Medusal Slurker was the first new enemy fightable in the E3 2012 demo. In it, it required 7 Pikmin to carry, whereas in the final game, the corpse only takes 6.
• If all the Pikmin are trapped by one or more Medusal Slurkers, a Pikmin extinction will occur. This is most easily seen in Mission Mode and Bingo Battle.
• Though the Medusal Slurker was one of the most advertised new enemies, it appears only twice in the Story Mode, one of which does not respawn.
• If a Medusal Slurker absorbs a White Pikmin, it won't get poisoned since it doesn't actually eat them.
• The Medusal Slurker inside the cave where Rock Pikmin are found is the only non-boss enemy to play the boss intro sound effect.
• For Medusal Slurkers that are found with objects or Pikmin inside, they do not spawn on the area like that. They actually spawn alongside the items, and absorb them once the day starts. This can be seen if one goes to a Slurker using the KopPad's radar and checks the TV screen, as soon as the day starts.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Spanish (NoA)	Viscomedusia	Portmanteau of "viscoso" (viscous) and "medusa" (jellyfish)

See also

• Lesser Spotted Jellyfloat
• Greater Spotted Jellyfloat