Prongo

Prongos are Goombeetle-like enemies that appear in Super Mario 3D Land, named after the word prong. These enemies have a large, metallic blue box object with golden spikes sticking out along the sides and the top. The spikes have orange markings surrounding them. The metallic blue box covers the majority of their body, except their green feet and yellow underside. Prongos have small red eyes that peer through a hole in the metal box covering them.

Prongos appear in later levels of normal worlds, but become common enemies in the Special Worlds. When a Prongo spots Mario or Luigi, it will run after them like a Goomba. If the Prongo gets close enough, it will dive and try to headbump the player, similar to Spiked Goombas from the Paper Mario series. If the Prongo misses, it will become stuck in the ground due to its spikes, leaving it open for attack. This also makes it the only possible time to defeat it with a fireball from Fire Mario or a boomerang from Boomerang Mario. After a few seconds, the Prongo will free itself from the ground and continue its pursuit of the player.

Prongos cannot be defeated when they are upright, except with the use of a Super Star. Tail whips will flip a Prongo over, making it vulnerable to any attack.

Super Mario 3D Land

 * European Website Bio: "Prongos have a spike growing out of their head, so don't jump on them whatever you do! You'll just have to find other ways of dealing with them..."