Sporcula

The Sporcula is an enemy introduced in Pikmin X: Deep Freeze. It resembles its distant relative, the Puffstool, but is purple in color and has a mouth with two fangs. It scuttles from place to place on its two long legs, and when it sees the Pikmin, it will hop after them. Unlike the Puffstool, which uses spores to attack, the Sporcula can eat Pikmin to turn them into Mushroom Pikmin. Gobbling up ten Pikmin with each bite, some of the Pikmin will be eaten, but most will be regurgitated as angry Mushroom Pikmin.

=In other games=

In Pikmin: Wide World
The Ravenous Twistool is a sporovid that appears in Pikmin: Wide World. They can be found squatting in a neutral position, completely still and close to the ground to appear as a normal mushroom. They often hunt in small groups, sometimes accompanied by Mushroom Pikmin. When leaders or their Pikmin approach, however, a Ravenous Twistool will quickly jump up, turn to face them, and clumsily scamper towards them to close the distance, where it will attempt to bite leaders and eat Pikmin. It can eat up to three Pikmin in one bite, and most of the Pikmin it catches in its mouth will be converted into Mushroom Pikmin and then promptly regurgitated. However, leaders and Captmin will simply be bitten and nothing more. Mushroom Pikmin that are found alongside a Ravenous Twistool or converted by one will not attack one another, even if a Mushroom Pikmin is thrown at one of the creatures.

Ravenous Twistools are small, squat fungus creatures. They have a purple cap with curved, dark purple stripes at its backside, a gray body, and have a pair of long, slender legs which they use to awkwardly yet swiftly hop around. Their legs are striped at the knees. Ravenous Twistools also have a pair of curved, purple antennae on top of their cap, towards their front, that taper to a point, and below them is a mouth containing a pair of small, white fangs. Their mouth is black, and they lack a tongue.

Although they pose a great threat to Pikmin populations not only because of their movement and eating speeds and because they can convert what Pikmin they don't actually eat into Mushroom Pikmin, Ravenous Twistools are easily defeated. They can be quickly taken out by swarming them, but they can be killed instantly by throwing a Pikmin directly on top of them. Should Mushroom Pikmin be present, be sure to either put them out of their misery or purify them using a dose of black nectar. Upon death, a Ravenous Twistool will yield. Aboveground, its corpse can be taken to either the Dolphin Lander to gain or the Master Onion to gain five Pikmin seeds. Underground, its body can be taken to the Lander Pod to either gain or be stored to later gain five Pikmin seeds from the Master Onion, but only if the cave is exited using an escape geyser.

Olimar's notes

 * "The ravenous twistool is unique among sporovids for its ability to eat Pikmin, corrupt them into Mushroom Pikmin, and then regurgitate them, rather than simply showering them in spores. It is a vicious and deceiving predator, lying in wait for unsuspecting prey to pass by before suddenly attacking. Even a single specimen can overwhelm an entire group of Pikmin by eating them and spitting out Mushroom Pikmin to assist it in battle."

Shacho's notes

 * "I'm sure people back on Hocotate would love stools or footrests modeled after this mushroom. My only concern is that someone knows what the creature is actually like..."

Marie's notes

 * "Taming one of these little guys is relatively simple, but training them to not bite everyone and everything is the real problem. Of course, they don't bite hard, but sometimes they may get a bit overzealous and try to eat you. If that happens, it's best just to flail around until it spits you out. Perhaps that's how it knows to spit out Mushroom Pikmin?"

Louie's notes

 * "Makes well for a cheesy stuffed mushroom dish and yields many leftovers. Just be sure to remove the spores in the creature before filling it!"

Dolphin Lander's notes

 * "Ravenous twistools can sit so still, they look like ordinary mushrooms, but with horns. It doesn't help that their legs further improve their convincing disguise."