Fire Piranha Plant

A Venus Fire Trap (also called a Fire Piranha) is a variety of Piranha Plant that can shoot fireballs, and some have the ability to fire three at a time. They come in either green or red varieties. Venus Fire Trap is a play on the name of a real life carnivorous plant, the Venus Flytrap. The Venus Ice Trap is the polar opposite of the Venus Fire Trap.

Super Mario Bros. 3
In their first appearance in Super Mario Bros. 3, Venus Fire Traps appear as common enemies in most worlds. Their attack pattern basically consist of them hiding in Warp Pipes, much like regular Piranha Plants, and when Mario approaches they would rise from their hiding place and spit an unstoppable fireball in his direction. The only way to defeat them is by using one of the many power-ups available in the game. There is also an another variety of Venus Fire Traps that can spit fire two times in a row.

Super Mario 64
They also appear rarely in Super Mario 64 in Tiny-Huge Island and Bowser in the Sky, where they are drastically smaller than their previous appearances (or, in the case of the Huge part of Tiny-Huge Island, larger). They would attack by appearing suddenly, then blasting a small fireball before disappearing. They were easy to defeat; if Mario punched one, it would simply pop and leave a coin behind. Larger versions appeared in the same game where they were just as large as Super Piranha Plants. They attacked the same and could be defeated with a single punch.

New Super Mario Bros.
In New Super Mario Bros., Venus Fire Traps attack and behave in the same way as in Super Mario Bros. 3. They can be defeated with a Fire Flower, Starman, Shell Dash, or by Mega Mario or Luigi.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, their behavior is the same as in New Super Mario Bros. and can be defeated in the same way as last time, however they can also be frozen via Penguin Suit or Ice Flower, as well. They first appeared in 1-3. Venus Fire Traps can also be helpful to Mario and the others. They can be found in dark caves where there are no Glow Blocks. However, the fire these enemies spit can light up a small amount of the room, often revealing secret pipes and pits. A Yoshi can swallow the fireball or the Venus Fire Trap itself to be able to spit a fireball out. The fire still hurts Mario however. Super Venus Fire Traps also appear in this game who are similar to Super Piranha Plants; they are much bigger and take three fireballs to destroy. The fireballs they spit are also larger. Yoshi can also swallow the fireballs, then spit them back out at enemies.

Super Mario 3D Land
Venus Fire Traps appear in Super Mario 3D Land. However, their appearances have changed: they are now brown with orange spots and they slightly resemble Fiery Dino Piranha's skin palette. Some leave behind a Fire Flower when they are defeated by Mario.

New Super Mario Bros. 2
Venus Fire Traps returns as well in New Super Mario Bros. 2. However they return in their appearances from its New Super Mario Bros. prequels, red and white spots. Super Venus Fire Traps also appear in the game.

New Super Mario Bros. U
Venus Fire Traps also reappear in New Super Mario Bros. U. They behave and look just like in their New Super Mario Bros. prequels. also there is a new species called Venus Ice Traps. In this game, Venus Fire Traps are always facing up while not spitting fireballs.

DiC Cartoons
Venus Fire Traps made several appearances in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3. Piranha Plants with fireball exhaling abilities similar to Venus Fire Traps also appeared in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! though referred to as a Magic Piranha Plant. In the Super Mario World television series episode "Fire Sale", Kootie Pie kidnaps Mama Fireplant, a Venus Fire Trap from Dome City, and takes her to her ice castle to warm it up.

Nintendo Comics System
In the Nintendo Comics System story "The Fish That Should've Gotten Away", a giant green Venus Fire Trap appears among the large group of monsters attacking and chasing Mario.

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
In Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Venus Fire Traps once again appear as common enemies and have the same attack pattern as in Super Mario Bros. 3. This game is the only one in which they have spikes on their heads.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong
They appeared rarely in Mario vs. Donkey Kong, in only Donkey Kong Jungle and Mystical Forest. They look similar to the Piranha Plants' look in Super Mario Sunshine, but have no leaves. They usually appear when Mario is climbing a vine or a ladder, spitting fire at him has he walks by. They are invincible, and don't have teeth.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis
They are common enemies in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis. They aren't seen commonly in tubes, usually only in the boss fight of Pipe Works. They use their fire breathing ability, and have only one fire ball, keeping their mouths open until they get their fireball back. They are invincible in this game. Two may eat each others fireballs, as if they were playing catch.

WarioWare series
In WarioWare: Twisted!, Venus Fire Traps with their Super Mario Bros. 3 sprites appear in the microgame Super Mario Bros. 3-Lift, as one of the enemies who try to attack the player.

Mario Kart DS
In the track Mario Circuit there are two Venus Fire Traps in Warp Pipes that will spit fireballs at the racers.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Venus Fire Traps, under the name of Fire Piranhas (Fire Piranha Plant in PAL version), make their Paper Mario series debut in Paper Mario: Sticker Star. They appear in Rugged Road and Rumble Volcano. They look like regular Piranha Plants, but will eventually start spitting fireballs at Mario as he nears them. In battle, Fire Piranhas can either spew a fiery gas towards Mario or spit out a fireball at him.