Burrowing Snagret

The Burrowing Snagret is an enemy in the Pikmin games and the boss of White Flower Garden in Pikmin 2. It is a splice of birds and snakes, and a member of the Snavian family (Snavian being a combination of the words snake and avian, avian meaning "bird-related"). They remain underground for the majority of the time, surfacing only when approached by Pikmin or a Captain. Every few times it emerges, the beast gets stuck with only its head above ground, giving the player an opportunity to attack without fear of losing any Pikmin. When above ground, it attempts to eat Pikmin one by one until it is sufficiently damaged, at which point it burrows back underground.

When killed in Pikmin 1, Burrowing Snagrets explode into many pellets; in Pikmin 2, a dead Burrowing Snagret leaves behind its head to be returned to an Onion or the Research Pod.

Sometimes this creature and the Pileated Snagret may remain alive with what appears to be little or no health.

Locations
Their only locations in the first game are The Forest of Hope, and The Final Trial on Challenge Mode (Pikmin 1). In Pikmin 2, a Burrowing Snagret is the boss of White Flower Garden, found on sublevel 5, and many are encountered throughout Snagret Hole; one is even guarding the entrance in Awakening Wood. Another is on sublevel 4 of Hole of Heroes, and yet another guards the Pink Menace in the Valley of Repose. Burrowing Snagrets are the most common boss-class enemies in Pikmin 2, having eight different in-game occurrences outside of Challenge Mode.

Burrowing Snarrow
In the in-game Piklopedia, the information provided speaks of a creature called the Burrowing Snarrow, this creature having never been seen in any game.

Reel Notes
The bluish hue of its feathers distinguishes it from the burrowing snarrow.

Olimar's Notes
The majority of snagret species lie in wait to ambush and capture prey, with a body type perfectly adapted to such sudden strikes. It violently attacks small, surface-dwelling insects. Distributed across a relatively wide range, subspecies of snagret suited to the varying soil conditions have emerged, making the snagret the most geographically represented species besides the bulborb. Visually resembling the burrowing snagret is the burrowing snarrow, the range of which partially overlaps with the snagret's range. While the two may appear similar, when pulled from the ground they can be distinguished by the presence or absence of tail and wing markings.

Louie's Notes
Slice the serpentine torso into thin medallions, skewer on a metal rod with Hocotate onions, and barbecue over an open flame.

How to kill
In Pikmin 1, they are extremely hard to beat without losing Pikmin if thrown at the head, as they have very high health and are larger than in the second game. In Pikmin 2, defeating one is an easier task because of its lower health; even so, it remains a good idea to use Purple Pikmin.

If you are cautious, it is easy to take advantage of the fact that sometimes, the beast will not fully emerge, getting stuck. Attack when this happens and run away when it does not, and you should kill the Burrowing Snagret without losing any Pikmin. With quick, accurate throwing, however, this is not necessary to secure a deathless battle: throw many Pikmin at its head as soon as possible and the Snagret should die before managing to swallow any of the Pikmin it may have snatched up from the ground.

Captains
It is not possible to defeat a Burrowing Snagret without Pikmin.

Cameo

 * A Burrowing Snagret is seen as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Its description is as follows:

''A member of the snavian family with a birdlike head and a snakelike neck and body. An underground dweller, the snagret makes sudden strikes aboveground to capture surface-dwelling prey. It uses its beak to scoop up daily nutrition and can snatch up three Pikmin at once--a relatively small amount made deadly by its strike speed. No one has ever seen its tail.''

Trivia
The Burrowing Snagret can been seen in a beta video of Pikmin 1, where it appears to have a light or white body.

Pikmin:Redemption
These are even more common than in Pikmin 2, with eleven appearances outside of Challenge Mode and fifteen appearances including Challenge Mode.