Pearly Clamclamp

Pearly Clamclamp
Appears in	Pikmin, Pikmin 4
Scientific name	Ostrum mandimuscae; Lapis regrettabilis (Pikmin)
Family	Snareshell
Areas	The Impact Site, Serene Shores
Caves	Engulfed Castle
Challenge Mode stages	The Forest of Hope, The Forest Navel, The Distant Spring
Dandori Challenge stages	None
Dandori Battle stages	None
Attacks	Eat Pikmin

The Pearly Clamclamp (ヤマシンジュ^?, lit.: "Hill Pearl"; called the Clampshell in the European version of New Play Control! Pikmin) is an enemy in Pikmin and Pikmin 4. This large bivalve has a pinkish shell, and inside, a small pearl or item surrounded by a clear blue membrane. Their inner weak point can be attacked by Pikmin.

In Pikmin there are only three Pearly Clamclamps in the main story, all of which reside in The Impact Site, one contains the Positron Generator within its shell, while the other two have the usual pearl. When killed, they drop whatever they held in their gullet with natural pearls producing 50 Pikmin. When killed, the main body can still consume Pikmin, and is unable to picked up. Other Clamclamps are located in various Challenge Mode levels.

In Pikmin 4 Pearly Clamclamps appear in Serene Shores. In the main story three are found above ground. One contains a bulb of Flarlic, another one contains the Ring-of-Return Shield, and a third one holds the Princess Pearl. Another Clamclamp is located in the Engulfed Castle and has a castaway within. In Olimar's Shipwreck Tale, another one is found in Serene Shores where the Dandori Battle cave is located usually, holding the Sagittarius. Unlike in Pikmin the clam fully dies when its health is depleted, and both its innards and the shell can be carried.

Stats

The following stats apply to the pearl only.

Game	Weight	Max. carriers	Seeds	Value	Health	Regen.
	3	6	50	N/A	500	Unknown
	10	20	15	× 10	1000	No

Notes

Olimar's voyage log

“One would expect this creature to be a mollusk of the sea, but the fact that it is also found in the forest is typical of this planet's oddities. The pearl that rests inside appears to be one of great value, but it is actually a trap.”

Reel notes

“Though beautiful, this mollusk's pearls are thin and fragile.”

Dalmo's Notes

“On sand hills or in the sea, wherever it may be, it never moves from its spot. It will sit and wait for someone to wander past. Someone being prey, preferably, though it could also be someone who knows the value of its beautiful shell or the pearl it holds nestled inside.”

Olimar's Notes

“Using the pearl that takes shape inside its body as bait, this creature lures prey into its interior and traps it within its shell to feed. It's also worth noting that this pearl may just be an amalgamation of outside materials wrapped in a viscous gelatin exterior. On the frequent occasions when it cannot gather food for itself, this creature can also obtain nutrients when the symbiotic algae within its body photosynthesizes. For this reason, it can often be found with its mouth open on shoals or sandy beaches that get a lot of sunshine.”

Louie's Notes

“Heat in the shell over a strong fire to bring out the umami-rich juices. Finely mince the mantle and toss with noodles. Top with sesame seeds.”

Guide book

“To lure then trap creatures that are attracted to small shiny objects, the Ploister turns undigested foodstuffs into round beads with the same secretion that makes up its shell.

The pearl-like substance has a layering that is thinner and weaker then a real Pearl, reducing it in value.”

Pikmin Official Player's Guide description

“To lure then trap creatures that are attracted to small shiny objects, the ploister turns undigested foodstuffs into round beads with the same secretion that makes up its shell. The pearl-like substance has a layering that is thinner and weaker than a real pearl, reducing it in value.”

“Shortly after you toss Pikmin into a pearly clamclamp, its shell will snap shut. Don't let the clam gobble up your Pikmin by ordering them in and out of the shell before it has a chance to clam up. If your Pikmin can smack the clamclamp's pearl free from the shell, they can cash it in at an onion to earn 50 seeds.”

Pikmin Nintendo Power Booklet description

“Pearly clamclamps survive on instinct. If a Pikmin touches its sensitive tongue, it slams shut and slowly grinds away at an easy meal. Clamclamps produce pearl-like orbs that you can cash in for 50 Pikmin seeds.”

Locations

The enemy as seen at The Impact Site.

Story Mode

They only appear in The Impact Site. There are three, all of them on the beach area at the northwest. One is submerged in water, and has the Positron Generator. Another is in a small island in the pond, and the final one is on the beach itself, to the north of the area.

Challenge Mode

These are the locations of the Pearly Clamclamp in Challenge Mode. These places are in specific hard to reach places and surrounded by enemies.

The Forest of Hope: one where the Radiation Canopy is in the main game, and another where the Burrowing Snagrets are in the main game.
The Forest Navel: where the Libra is found in story mode.
The Distant Spring: where the Massage Machine is, where the Gluon Drive is, and where the Chronos Reactor is, in the main game.

Strategy

Fighting a Pearly Clamclamp in The Forest Navel in Challenge Mode.

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

Pikmin

There are three ways to kill the Pearly Clamclamp:

The first and most dangerous way to defeat this enemy is to gather about 20 to 30 Pikmin and throw them into the mouth of the Pearly Clamclamp, then when the Pearly Clamclamp starts to open its mouth wider, call them back.
The second and easiest way is to gather up 2 Yellow Pikmin, get them bomb-rocks, and then throw them at the Pearly Clamclamp at a reasonable distance.
The third way is probably the most time consuming, but is the best for zero death challenges. Bring about 5 Pikmin (any type for Pearly Clamclamps on land), then throw 3 to 5 in the mouth. When the creaking sound of the Clamclamp stops, call the Pikmin back. Repeat until the loot comes out.

Note that it can still attack after its pearl has been taken out.

Oddly, the Clamclamp has been known to take slight damage for a short time after the Pikmin have been called back, meaning that if the creature is already near death, the player can simply withdraw their Pikmin and the Clamclamp will die on its own.

With enough throwing speed, it is possible to defeat the enemy in a single cycle (i.e. before it closes its shell the first time), although this is mostly only feasible in tool-assisted superplays.^[1]

Leaders

There is only one place that a Pearly Clamclamp can be killed with Olimar alone. In The Distant Spring in Challenge Mode, go to the area near where the Chronos Reactor is found in Story Mode. There is a Yellow Wollywog nearby. Lure it right next to the Clamclamp, and lie down right next to it. After a few attempts, you'll be in the Clamclamp. It will try to shut on you, like if you were a Pikmin. Attack the pearl with your leader's punch then lay down if the Clamclamp and/or the Yellow Wollywog tries to attack. If you successfully do all these tactics, you will have defeated the membrane surrounding the pearl. Then get out of it, as the enemies will still try to attack. It was originally thought that this could only be done on the New Play Control! version of Pikmin, but it can be done on both versions.

Pikmin 4

Because of the increased amount of Pikmin and abilities there are far more options for dealing with a Pearly Clamclamp

Pikmin, on land

Similar to how they are fought in the first game, one way to fight them is to gather roughly 30 Pikmin and throw them onto the membrane in the centre of the Clamclamp's mouth, then whistle back as it is about to shut its mouth, then repeat 2-3 times. Red Pikmin and Purple Pikmin should output enough damage to kill the Clamclamp before it can shut its shell and kill them, but cautious players may prefer to whistle these types of Pikmin back before this happens anyway.

Alternatively, Rock Pikmin may be used since they tend to bounce out of a Pearly Clamclamp's shell when bouncing off of the central membrane, reducing the risk of Pikmin death. If the player is fast enough at throwing, it would only take 25 Rock Pikmin to beat the Clamclamp this way.

Another alternative is to use Ice Pikmin, who can stop the Clamclamp from closing its mouth entirely. It should only take around 10 Ice Pikmin to initially freeze the clamclamp, from which it is easy to toss other more damaging types onto the Clamclamp's centre. Freezing the Clamclamp also makes its typically undamageable shell vulnerable, making it weak to charges. The player should not feel afraid to attack a frozen Clamclamp in this way, as Pikmin will automatically be shaken off when the Clamclamp unfreezes, saving the Pikmin attacking it.

The player may also choose to use Oatchi's rush attack and precise aiming to dump a squad of Pikmin onto its central membrane. With enough precision, this can beat the Clamclamp with as little as 30 Pikmin, if the player prefers, they can use Rock Pikmin to instantly defeat the enemy, although if less than 25 Rock Pikmin hit the membrane and miss they will fail to beat the Clamclamp like this.

A particularly reliable method of beating a Pearly Clamclamp is to use 10 Winged Pikmin, available from the Below-Grade Discotheque, then use spicy spray on them and charge at the membrane. This will always beat the Clamclamp due to Winged Pikmin's homing properties.

If the player wishes, they can choose to use an item such as a Bomb Rock or Ice Blast and throw it into the Clamclamp's mouth, causing it to swallow the item and recieve its negative effects.

Blue Pikmin, in water

Some Pearly Clamclamps are found submerged in water, changing how they are fought. Despite being able to swim, Blue Pikmin lack the homing ability of Winged Pikmin when in water, causing them to simply attack the shell when targeting the enemy.

Since Blue Pikmin fall slowly in the water, the main strategy of throwing Pikmin is more sluggish and dangerous. A player may wish to throw only around 20 Blue Pikmin, then quickly whistle them before the mouth closes. Repeating this 2-3 times should result in the enemy's defeat.

A more advanced, more dangerous strategy is to position Oatchi above the Clamclamp, with his backside facing the enemy's mouth. Dismissing a squad of Blue Pikmin from this position with correct aiming will land them into the enemy's mouth, primed to attack. It should only take around 30 Blue Pikmin to beat the enemy in this way, although more may be used if the player is less confident in their aiming.

Technical information

Creature

Pikmin technical information (?)
Internal name	`shell`
HP	1

Pearl

Pikmin technical information (?)
Internal name	`pearl`
HP	500

Positron Generator

Pikmin technical information (?)
Internal name	`rocpe`
HP	500

Other information

Technical name in The Official Nintendo Player's Guide: Ploister

Naming

Common name: Pearly Clamclamp. The name consists of the word "pearly", referring to the pearl it normally holds, and a combination of the words "clam" and "clamp", "clamp" meaning "to crush and squeeze". In the European version of New Play Control! Pikmin, its name was changed to simply "Clampshell", for unknown reasons; this name is a combination of "clamp" and "clamshell".
Japanese nickname: ヤマシンジュ^?, lit.: "Hill Pearl".
Japanese name: ハエトリヤマシンジュ^?, lit.: "Flytrap Hill Pearl"
Scientific name: Ostrum mandimuscae. Ostrum seem to be based on the latin word for oyster, ostreum. Mandimuscae seems to be a combination of "mandible", alluding to Pearly Clamclamp's method of attacking, and musca, Latin for "fly", possibly referring to venus fly traps. Unofficially, in the Pikmin Nintendo Player's Guide, the scientific name was instead Lapis regrettabilis, where lapis is Latin for "stone" and "regrettabilis" is derived from "regrettable".
Internal names: Internally, this enemy is simply called shell, and the pearl is called pearl.
Prerelease: None.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	ヤマシンジュ^? Yama Shinju	Hill Pearl
Dutch	Klapkoester
French (NoA)	Coquiperle	Portmanteau of coquille (shell) and perle (pearl)
French (NoE)	Coquiperle	Portmanteau of coquille (shell) and perle (pearl)
German	Amphibienauster	Amphibian oyster
Italian	Chelus perlato
Korean	먹보진주조개 Muckbojinjujogae	Tasting pearl clam
Portuguese (NoA)	Embosvalva	from emboscada (trap) and bivalvo (bivalve)
Spanish	Bivalvo Opalescente	Opalescent Bivalve

Gallery

Artwork of the Pearly Clamclamp from Pikmin.
Alternate artwork with the Positron Generator.
A closed Pearly Clamclamp.
Drawings of the Pearly Clamclamp from the Pikmin Official Player's Guide.
A Pearly Clamclamp on an island in Pikmin 4.
A Pearly Clamclamp recorded in Pikmin 4's Piklopedia.

Trivia

Interestingly, in Pikmin, when its pearl comes out it makes the same sound the Honeywisp makes when hit and a soul floats up, yet the creature is still alive.
This creature is one of the two second leading creatures in Pikmin production in Pikmin, succeeded by the Smoky Progg and tied with the Armored Cannon Beetle.
This is the only enemy that carries a ship part where the part is visible before the enemy's death.
This is the only non-boss enemy in Pikmin not to make a return in Pikmin 2.
In Pikmin 4's Piklopedia, the Pearly Clamclamp will always contain the Princess Pearl. This is because the Pearly Clamclamp will never spawn without something in its gullet.
When returning to the Engulfed Castle, the Pearly Clamclamp located on sublevel 2 will not respawn due to not having an item within its mouth.