Firesnout Beetle
- For the larval form featured in official games, see Firesnout Larva.
| Firesnout Beetle | |
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| Enemy | |
| Family | Lithopod |
The Firesnout Beetle is a species of lithopod that spits fire.
In fanon games
Below this point is where users place their version of the Firesnout Beetle.
In Pikmin: Antarctic Survival
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This article or section presents information pertaining to Pikmin: Antarctic Survival, a fanon game created by A Friendly Amprat. |
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Adult Firesnout Beetles do not appear in the base Pikmin: Antarctic Survival game, but they are mentioned. Scoria's deceased parents were both Firesnout Beetles. They are described as being smaller than other lithopod species, like how the Firesnout Larva is smaller than other lithopod larvae. They are apparently family-oriented creatures that travel in herd families led by both parents, and they have powerful fire breath and a defensive armored shell, though their toughness is much lower than that of the Armored Cannon Beetle.
There are plans to incorporate a Firesnout Beetle character in a future Antarctic Survival DLC content pack, though this character and its stats have not been made yet.
User versions
Below this point is where users place their version of the Firesnout Beetle.
A Friendly Amprat's version
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| Scientific name | Granignis ictum (adult) | ||
| Family | Lithopod | ||
| Attacks | Breathes fire | ||
The Firesnout Beetle is the adult form of the Firesnout Larva. Firesnout Beetles are a smaller species of lithopod known for their fiery abilities and pack structure. A Firesnout Beetle is not nearly as large as other adult lithopods, being much smaller than an Armored Cannon Beetle and only about the size of a Red Bulborb. Despite their small size, Firesnout Beetles are quite dangerous, as they are able to exhale a large stream of fire comparable to that of a Titan Blowhog. Though their defense mechanism is quite powerful, the creatures are not nearly as resilient as other lithopods. The shell of a Firesnout Beetle is strong enough to deflect Pikmin attacks, but it is brittle and offers little protection from larger creatures. Repeated blunt force impacts or the explosion of a bomb rock can break the shell of a Firesnout Beetle, exposing the creature's abdomen to attack. Firesnout Beetles do eventually recover from this damage, as the creatures shed their shells about once a month, and then develop a new, intact shell after a day or so. However, a Firesnout Beetle caught without a shell is at a disadvantage for some time, until it sheds its shell and recovers.
To compensate for their smaller size and weaknesses, Firesnout Beetles are known to travel in groups. A Firesnout Beetle mating pair will remain together for life, and they will raise all of their larvae to adulthood, only splitting up into separate groups once the larvae fully mature and find mates of their own. Firesnout Beetles fiercely protect their own, as both the larvae and adults are able to shoot out large volumes of fire, which is a powerful defense when multiple Firesnout Beetles are attacking at once. A roving herd of Firesnout Beetles typically travels with one parent in the front of the pack, the other parent at the back, and the group of larvae between them. Alternatively, Firesnout Beetle larvae may climb onto the backs of their parents and be carried around by them, with a Firesnout Beetle adult commonly having up to three of its young on top of its back at once.
Firesnout Beetles engage in nomadic lifestyles, roaming areas in search of food and water. Though they typically keep moving like this, a herd of Firesnout Beetles is known to stay in the same area for a prolonged period of time if one parent is injured, to give it time to recover. Firesnout Beetles will also look for a place to settle for a while in the late autumn, looking for somewhere safe and warm, such as a cave or the inside of a hollowed-out tree. Firesnout Beetles will move into these areas in late autumn, and will lay their eggs in these safe places in the early winter. During the winter, one Firesnout Beetle adult will typically go out foraging for food to bring back to the nest, while the other one stays put and protects their eggs and larvae. Once the winter is over, the Firesnout Beetle eggs will begin to hatch, and once all eggs have hatched the Firesnout Beetle herd will leave their nest and resume wandering and roaming as a group in search of food.
Firesnout Beetles are surprisingly intelligent and social insects, and have been known to interact positively with many other creatures. Firesnout Beetle herds will often cross paths while roaming, and the creatures are known to interact and greet each other. Two or more groups of Firesnout Beetles may combine into one group for some time, and they will hunt and share food together, though their paths will diverge eventually as they split back into their own individual groups. Firesnout Beetles are even known to form symbiotic relationships with other types of creatures, such as Pyroclasmic Slooches and Red Pikmin. Firesnout Beetle herds will sometimes travel along with a group of Slooches, and the two species will be quite friendly to each other. More rarely, a Firesnout Beetle pack may group with a swarm of Red Pikmin. Firesnout Beetle packs have been observed where one Firesnout Beetle parent has a red Onion on its back, and the other parent has a swarm of Red Pikmin riding on it. This is quite rare, as most Pikmin are scared of Firesnout Beetles and will avoid them, and only Red Pikmin have been observed interacting with Firesnout Beetles in this way.
Though they are friendly toward many other creatures, Firesnout Beetles do not get along well with other species of lithopod. Armored Cannon Beetles and their larvae are known to attack and kill Firesnout Beetles that enter their territory, as the rocks fired by these lithopods are easily able to crush firesnout larvae and break through the protective shells of adults. Firesnout Beetle groups can defend themselves against Armored Cannon Beetles using their fire, but they will often be overwhelmed by Armored Cannon Beetle rock attacks, as these rocks can travel a much greater distance than the fire attacks of Firesnout Beetles. Horned and Decorated Cannon Beetles will similarly attack and kill Firesnout Beetles, and these lithopods as well as Armored Cannon Beetles are actually the main predators of Firesnout Beetles, besides some large grub-dog species. Arctic Cannon Beetles and their larvae are also hostile toward Firesnout Beetles, though Firesnout Beetles will almost always come out victorious in these situations, as Arctic Cannon Beetles are very vulnerable to fire.
Firesnout Beetles are completely incapable of harming Red Pikmin, as these Pikmin are immune to their only form of attack. Adult Firesnout Beetles are well-protected from the attacks of these Pikmin as well, as Red Pikmin are not able to break through their armor. If a leader is attacking a Firesnout Beetle, Red Pikmin are best used due to their fire immunity, but they also have difficulty harming Firesnout Beetles. In order to defeat a Firesnout Beetle, it is best for a leader to first shatter the creature's shell, either using an explosive such as a bomb rock, or by using blunt force impact, such as rolling or falling boulders from the surroundings, or alternatively repeated Rock Pikmin or Purple Pikmin impacts, which will crack and eventually shatter the creature's shell and expose it to attack. If none of these methods are available, a Firesnout Beetle's blowholes can be clogged, much like with many other adult lithopods. However, this is much more difficult compared to most lithopod species, as a Firesnout Beetle has five blowholes rather than only one, and Pikmin must be thrown into all five of them in quick succession before the creature overheats and opens up its shell.
The backside of a Firesnout Beetle is often incredibly fiery, and only Red Pikmin can be thrown onto it to damage the creature without catching fire. However, if the Firesnout Beetle's shell is destroyed rather than simply forced open, the creature's back will begin to cool, and will be cooled enough for all Pikmin types to attack about a minute after the armor was destroyed. The Firesnout Beetle's back is bright orange and emits smoke and flames, but once it cools it stops smoking and fades to a dull orange.
Firesnout Beetles can be found in most warm areas, wandering around in the open. In cooler climates and especially during winter, Firesnout Beetles will instead be found in hidden nests, where they protect their larvae and eggs. Some Firesnout Beetles are found in underground areas, but this is much rarer, as these are generally surface-dwelling creatures.