Sandshell Strider

The Sandshell Strider is a species of sturdyshell that lives under sand dunes.

=In fanon games=

In Pikmin Evolution
The Sandshell Strider, or simply the Sandshell is a species of sturdyshell appearing in Pikmin Evolution. They are large, tortoise-like creatures with brown and orange shells and bright blue eyes. They are found mainly in the Bleached Dunes though they also appear in a few dens as well. They are found underneath the titular sand dunes of the Bleached Dunes, with them needing to be dug out in order to be freed. To tell which dunes contain Sandshells and which dunes don't, look at how small clouds of sand burst from the tops of the larger dunes, as that is the indicator of where they live. The Sandshell, once dug out, is actually not a hostile foe, as it's purely an herbivore that eats seeds and roots and not plant-like creatures like the Pikmin family. It is however grumpy and often performs tantrums as it walks across the desert dunes before digging into a spot to rest once again. The reasoning for this is the clumps of sandstone on its shell, as that is causing it discomfort. To make it less perturbed you should help it clean said sandstone off. Its shell is large enough to be walked on and durable enough to survive any major blow from even the weight of Alloy Pikmin's thuds. However Alloy Pikmin are still the best type to use when cleaning the shell of this creature as if you don't clean it in time the Sandshell will spin around and scatter your entire Pikmin army across different places, meaning you need to gather them before chasing this giant turtle down. So by that logic having a Pikmin type that instantly shatters said sand is very helpful, however, that also means you can't harvest them as they are worth quite a lot of sparklium. Once all the sand tiles are removed the Sandshell is very grateful and digs away revealing a crystal carrying pristine glass, a very rare material used in several recipes used to upgrade multiple buildings in your settlements. Afterwards the Sandshell Strider will dig back into the ground, content with the help it received from your squad. Overall despite the massive build of this reptile, the Sandshell Strider is ultimately a gentle giant deep down if you can help it.