Croctopus

A Croctopus, as the name suggests is an octopus-like enemy found underwater in Donkey Kong Country. These creatures attack Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong by spinning their sharp, poisonous tentacles at any passers by. Their tentacles are even fatal to the Kongs' ally, Enguarde the Swordfish. Purple Croctopi move in fixed patterns around blocks of coral reef, while in the level "Croctopus Chase", several blue Croctopuses chase the Kongs for a long stretch.

Although Croctopi don't appear in Donkey Kong Land, the game does feature a single stage which features several Nautili, which, according to the game's instruction manual, are called "Nemo".

The main difference between a Croctopus and Nemo, is that a Croctopus doesn't actually chase DK and/or Diddy, but simply follows a set path. The Nautilus, however, actually follows DK and/or Diddy.

Several Croctopi can also be seen in the comic "Donkey Kong Country" published in Club Nintendo, one of them attacking Diddy and Donkey Kong and their ally Enguarde.

Trivia

 * Croctopus is a portmanteau of "crocodile" and "octopus".
 * The color scheme of a Croctopus is similar to that of the extremely poisonous blue-ringed octopus.
 * Several octopi, similar in appearance to a Croctopus, appear in the game Banjo-Tooie, in the level "Jolly Roger's Lagoon".
 * In the Game Boy Advance remake of Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble, a boss named Kroctopus appears. Despite the similar name, Kroctopus is extremely different from a Croctopus: it is large, green, has three eyes, and crab-like claws on the end of its tentacles.