Piranha Creeper

Piranha Creepers are a variant of Piranha Plants that debuted in Super Mario 3D World. They are purple Piranha Plants with generally long, spiked stems. They usually appear in jungle themed levels, such as Piranha Creeper Creek and Deep Jungle Drift.

Piranha Creepers often live in holes in walls both on ground and underwater, but some even live in Poisoned Water and, like normal Piranha Plants, in Warp Pipes. They snake along the ground and even in the air in various patterns, going to and from their living spot. Some of them are found sleeping unless they are attacked, after which they pause before moving back to their previous position and resuming their rest. Their heads turn from purple to blue with green spots in this state.

To defeat Piranha Creepers, the player must attack the heads of the Piranha Plants to make them back up and smack against their living spot. A Ground Pound or dive attack with the Cat Mario power-up will knock them back further than a regular jump. Tapping on a Piranha Creeper's head on the will send them back to their hole, but they cannot be defeated in this way; the final hit must always be landed by one of the player's attacks. The player will be hurt if they jump on the stem of a Piranha Creeper, but a stomp from the player using Cat Mario's Lucky Cat form will defeat them instantly. Piranha Creepers release three coins upon being defeated. Unlike most enemies, Piranha Creepers are not defeated when the player touches the Goal Pole.

Piranha Creepers return in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, having the same functions as Super Mario 3D World.

In Mario Party: Star Rush, players need to jump over Piranha Creepers in Jump to Conclusion.

In Mario Tennis Aces, sleeping Piranha Creepers are found in the background of Petey Piranha's battle.

Trivia

 * In the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack in Minecraft, Shulkers are replaced by Piranha Creepers. Lilacs were also changed to resemble Piranha Creepers.