Cataquack: Difference between revisions

'''Cataquacks''', also called '''Paihanas'''<ref>Bogenn, Tim, and Doug Walsh. ''Super Mario Sunshine'' BradyGames Official Strategy Guide. Page 6.</ref>, '''Piahanas'''<ref>Bogenn, Tim, and Doug Walsh. ''Super Mario Sunshine'' BradyGames Official Strategy Guide. Page 103.</ref> or '''Pihanas'''<ref>Hodgson, David S J, Bryan Stratton, and Stephen Stratton. ''Super Mario Sunshine'' Prima's Official Strategy Guide. Page 19.</ref>, are duck-like enemies that first appear in ''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]''. They are known for violently catapulting [[Mario]] or other characters into the air. Blue Cataquacks are said to become nervous when confronted by strangers, but never want to harm them; however, a red variant called '''Chuhanas'''<ref>Bogenn, Tim, and Doug Walsh. ''Super Mario Sunshine'' BradyGames Official Strategy Guide. Page 6.</ref> or '''Red Cataquacks'''<ref>Averill, Alan, and Jennifer Villarreal. The ''Super Mario Sunshine'' Player's Guide. Page 63.</ref> will harm any strangers that are in their way. Their name may be based on the words ''catapult'' and ''quack'', referring to their behavior and appearance (similar to a {{wp|duck}}), respectively. Cataquacks, like [[Plungelo]]s, resemble [[Wiggler]] segments, and are further connected by their similar location and Japanese names. Enemies with similar functions, called [[Heave-Ho]]s, appear in ''[[Super Mario 64]]''.

Cataquacks make their debut in ''Super Mario Sunshine'', where they come in red or blue varieties. They walk aimlessly on the beach, but when they sense [[Mario]] nearby, they charge at him until he gets far enough away from them or they reach a ledge or water. If they make contact, they will use their beaks to forcefully hurl Mario into the air. This can be both helpful and harmful; Mario can sustain damage if he lands on the same ground from which he was launched, but can also reach platforms and coins he otherwise could not with normal jumps. Blue Cataquacks cannot damage Mario unless he touches them directly, but red ones can damage him through their catapult. If swarmed by Red Cataquacks, Mario may become trapped in a loop of catapulting and suffer a large amount of damage.

Normally, Cataquacks are immune to all of Mario's direct attacks, but when sprayed with [[F.L.U.D.D.]], they will flip over and become stunned. During this time, Mario can get a coin by jumping on them, which will cause them to sink into the ground. If he sprays a stunned Cataquack, they will remain stunned for a longer time. When sprayed over sand, they will sink into it without having to jump on them, but Mario will still need to do so if he wants the coin. Cataquacks can only be defeated by eating them with [[Yoshi (species)|Yoshi]], catapulting them into the air with the outburst of a nearby [[Dune Bud]], or luring them towards water while using the [[F.L.U.D.D.#Hover Nozzle|Hover Nozzle]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz7gCXSJmJs Super Mario Sunshine - Killing every Cataquack in "The Watermelon Festival"]</ref>  

Blue Cataquacks tend to be rather lazy, and will fall asleep if left undisturbed. According to a [[Noki]] on [[Gelato Beach]], Red Cataquacks are new to the area.<ref>"''Watch out for the red Cataquacks! Seriously! They can hurt you. They only appeared on this beach recently.''" — '''[[Noki]]''', ''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]''</ref> As the player progresses through Gelato Beach's episodes, the number of Red Cataquacks and Cataquacks in general increases, while the number of Blue Cataquacks decreases. By [[The Watermelon Festival|Episode 8]], only one Blue Cataquack remains, sleeping atop a palm tree away from the beach. In this episode, Red Cataquacks swarm most of Gelato Beach, increasing the difficulty of bringing the watermelon to the [[Surf Cabana]]. If the watermelon hits a Cataquack, it is thrown upwards and destroyed when it hits the ground, leaving a coin behind.  

In ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'', the blue variety of Cataquacks reappear in the [[Gold Leaf Galaxy]] and the [[Beach Bowl Galaxy]]. Mario uses them to fling him to high or out-of-reach places. [[Honeybee]]s are seen to keep them as pets, fencing them in. In this game, they can only be defeated by luring them into the water, where they will vanish, but reappear shortly after (along with [[Koopa Troopa]]s, they are the only enemies that respawn). If Mario [[spin]]s their tail or [[Ground Pound|ground pounds]] near them, they will flip over and be stunned for a few seconds. Unlike in ''Super Mario Sunshine'', Cataquacks are completely harmless due to the game's lack of falling damage. Additionally, these Cataquacks will jump and give out an excited squeak before chasing, rather than immediately pursuing Mario. They have a very slight redesign in that the yellow circles on their sides are now a defined ridge rather than simply a pattern, lessening the resemblance to Wiggler segments.