Skeeter

Skeeters are giant enemies that are introduced in Super Mario 64. They appear in a few of the 3D Mario games. Like real water striders, they usually skim on the surface of water. Their name comes from "water skeeter," one of many alternate names for water striders.

Skeeters have had distinct designs throughout all four of their Super Mario series appearances, though their abilities have remained largely the same. In addition to skating on water, they can also walk on land, though they move a bit slower.

Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS
In Super Mario 64, Skeeters appear frequently in Wet-Dry World, where one is seen on the entrance painting. They are found floating aimlessly on the water, and appear as big cyan-colored pond skaters with yellow suction cup-like webbed feet and vermillion-colored antennae on their backs, with bulgy eyes. They can be defeated by most methods of attack, and release three coins upon defeat. They can be lowered onto platforms, where they will slowly skitter about and home in on Mario if they see him. If hit, Mario will lose two health points.

In Super Mario 64 DS, Skeeters are now blue, and their yellow webbed feet are slightly larger, and also cover their ankles; the antenna on their head is red instead of vermillion, and they have black eyes that are now positioned flat on their face, instead of bulging out. Skeeters now also appear in Dire, Dire Docks, where five of them can be found. Their other attributes remain unchanged from the original.

Super Mario Sunshine
Skeeters reappear in Super Mario Sunshine, where they are referred to as Blue Spiders or Pondskaters. They are found exclusively in the lake of Bianco Hills. When jumped on, Mario propels upward to a height rivaling the Rocket Nozzle. They are also resistant to F.L.U.D.D., as spraying them only makes them stop moving for a short while. The only way to defeat them is to bring a Yoshi onto a lilypad and eat them.

Super Mario Galaxy 2
Despite not appearing in the previous game in the series, Skeeters reappear in Super Mario Galaxy 2, with an overhauled appearance. They now have a flat, purple body without an antenna, and first appear in the Cosmic Cove Galaxy. They always home in on Mario, and can be stomped for a coin or hit with a spin to release three Star Bits. They also appear in Starshine Beach Galaxy and Throwback Galaxy.

Mario Party 3
In Mario Party 3, a completely static Skeeter can be seen in the background of Woody Woods. A large mechanical Skeeter is one of the vehicles in Ridiculous Relay.