Bug-Eyed Crawmad

The Bug-Eyed Crawmad is a crawmad that possesses distinctly large eyes protruding out of its head through eyestalks. It resides within its burrow, which can have several entry points, and partially emerges from the one closest to any Pikmin or leaders that approach. When they get too close, it will lunge out of its hole towards them, grabbing up to ten Pikmin at once, almost instantly devouring them. The only way to harm the creature is to damage its eyes, as sufficiently harming them both will cause the creature to flip over in pain, exposing its raw underbelly.

=In fanon games=

In Pikmin: Decayed Leaf
The Bug-Eyed Crawmad  is a returning enemy in Pikmin: Decayed Leaf. The boss retains its signature appearance, but that doesn’t mean it's still an easy boss; in fact, the Bug-Eyed Crawmad is a very chaotic one. The Crawmad's den is a gaping hole surrounded by mud. If approached, the Crawmad will appear, signaling the fight.

The Bug-Eyed Crawmad will carefully watch Pikmin and leaders before priming its attack and lunging forward, grabbing up to 15 Pikmin in each pincer. It will then drag them back to its hole, and eat them over the course of a few seconds. Along with this, the Crawmad has a few other abilities. One is the Crawmad burrowing into its den and pulling out a large ball of mud to throw at its prey. The mud can scatter Pikmin and stun leaders, leaving both open for a follow-up attack. Another attack is the Crawmad digging up mud and throwing it all around itself like rain, after a brief preparation period. The mud will choke any Pikmin type touched by it. The Crawmad's main weakness is its eyes; damaging them causes them to become red before imploding. If both eyes are popped, it will flip over, revealing its belly for attack. After a bit, it will flip back over and burrow back into its den to reappear moments later or relocate to another den entirely.

There are a few quirks with the Bug-Eyed Crawmad's arena. Sometimes, there may be up to 5 dens it can burrow around to gain an advantage over its assailants. Sometimes, a Hermit Crawmad can be found in the arena, in their own small den, and up to 3 Hermit Crawmads may join the fight. If one Hermit Crawmad dies, its body will slowly sink into the mud or fade away, another live Hermit Crawmad appearing 30 seconds later. The Hermit Crawmads will stop appearing after the Bug-Eyed Crawmad dies.

In Pikmin: The Winds of Light
The Bug-Eyed Crawmad appears in Pikmin: The Winds of Light as the miniboss of the Lost Isles. The strategy against it is the same as in : attack both of its eyes until they turn red and it flips over, rendering its underside vulnerable. When its health is below one-quarter and sunset is near, it can summon a swarm of Female Sheargrubs and Hermit Crawmads. Upon defeat, the beast spits out a treasure.