Swarming Sheargrub
- This article relates to the official games. See Pikipedia's "Swarming Sheargrub" article for more official information.
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| Enemy | |||
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| Scientific name | Unknown | ||
| Family | Mandiblard | ||
The Swarming Sheargrub is a green sheargrub with red eyes, that in every way excluding size and color resembles a Female Sheargrub. Swarming Sheargrubs are known to follow Pikmin from a distance and can distract an entire squad as a result. They move around in swarms at high speed, one of the fastest of any known mandiblard. They have no form of offense but can move quickly, taking any attacking Pikmin with them. Once they come across any nectar, they will consume it and grow in size. They can also hide under plants, like Pikmin. Most swarms average seven individuals per group. Swarming Sheargrubs are only active during the day, emerging from under the ground at daybreak and returning to the point they initially emerged to burrow back underground at nightfall.
When they spot a salvageable object, such as a fruit, pellet, treasure, or carcass, they will jump and sit on top of it, weighing it down and thus making it require more Pikmin to carry. The larger a Swarming Sheargrub is, the more it will weigh.
While they can be an annoying hindrance, they are easily defeated like any other type of mandiblard. However, once a single member of a swarm is harmed, the rest will disperse and flee at very high speeds. It's advised to call all Pikmin back at this point, as they will attempt to chase the fleeing Sheargrubs, only to end up getting themselves lost.
In fanon games
Below this point is where users place their version of the Swarming Sheargrub.
In Pikmin: Dimensional Breach
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| Scientific name | Unknown | ||
| Family | Mandiblard | ||
| Attacks | Weighs down objects | ||
Swarming Sheargrubs return in Pikmin: Dimensional Breach, in the Perplexing Tropics. They retain their characteristics from Pikmin 3, distracting Pikmin and fleeing at high speeds when threatened. They sit atop salvageable objects, and can even do so to piles of fragments, making the next fragment require more than one Pikmin to carry. They can not dismantle bridges or climbing sticks.
Notes
Olimar's notes
- “Swarming Sheargrub. Himeagea mandibulosa gula. Mandiblard family. This species of sheargrub has taken more after the Pikmin in terms of mannerisms, behaving in a more openly social manner. Unlike base sheargrubs, the Swarming Sheargrubs are omnivorous, and although their mandibles are unable to pierce Pikmin, they will latch onto anything from a pellet to the corpse of another creature to even the planet's native fruits, attempting to leech fluids and nutrients from the object. They also are incredibly fond of nectar and will engorge themselves on it whenever possible. Unique among mandiblards, Swarming Sheargrubs do not partake in dismantling stick-based constructs made by the Pikmin, but their feeding habits make them just as annoying as their stick-chewing counterparts.”
Louie's notes
- “The gooey internal structure of this species is exceptionally sweet and fatty, making it perfect for insect-based desserts. A favorite recipe of mine is to stir the innards of the Swarming Sheargrub in a pot with nectar and milk, and simmer until gelled for a heavenly pudding rivaling the food of the gods themselves!”
Sagittarius' notes
- “Unlike their base counterparts, Swarming Sheargrubs are best kept in a pen instead of an ant farm; their underground dens are simply pockets for them to take shelter from the night. Any type of food will suffice for feeding them, as long as it is moist enough for the sheargrub's mouthparts to absorb nutrients and fluid from.”
Libra's notes
- “The creatures' iconic emerald shade makes it perfect for wear inspired by the majesty of a grassy spring meadow. Since they usually travel in swarms, harvesting enough material for multiple gowns is an easy enough task. The bigger problem is capturing a swarm of these little guys.”
Charlie's notes
- “These little guys are no threat. If only the Pikmin would stop getting distracted with them and pay attention to this haul, we could--hey! Get off of that pellet!”
Derrick's notes
- “One would think that because Swarming Sheargrubs are harmless and come in swarms, they'd be just as good for testing as Female Sheargrubs, but in reality, the swarming variety is far too fickle for experimentation. They may not have sharp, piercing mandibles or wings, but they'd much rather lounge on important equipment than participate in an experiment, and their skittish nature makes capturing or testing hostile creatures on them one of the most infuriating things about this planet. Thankfully, their eyeballs serve as a decent good-luck charm, for protection against considerably less predictable misfortunes.”