Small animal
- This article is about wildlife from Super Mario Odyssey. For the animal friends from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, see Animals.
| Small animal | |||
|---|---|---|---|
    Squared screenshots | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario Odyssey (2017) | ||
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Small animals[1] appear in Super Mario Odyssey as interactable creatures that are naturally skittish and defensively run away a short distance if Mario or Cappy are near. Their behavior does not change even if Mario approaches them slowly or is in a captured form. Doggedly chasing one eventually causes the small animal to disappear in a puff of dust, leaving a collectible coin behind. They otherwise appear idlily moving in an area, often slowly.
Though not as behaviorally complex, they parallel the small birds in the same game. They are found throughout the earthbound kingdoms and represent four different species of animal, complimenting their respective kingdom's environment. Like many other creatures in Super Mario Odyssey, small animals are of realistic designs. Like small birds and fish, all four appear in the Mushroom Kingdom once Princess Peach and Tiara return to Peach's Castle. The four small animals are as follows:
- Chipmunks, striped rodents found in the forested portions of the Wooded Kingdom. They forage for seeds and sit upright while idling, but run away on all fours. They resemble Siberian chipmunks, the only chipmunk species found outside of North America.
- Rats, dark-furred rodents found in the Metro Kingdom, most often within back alleys and around bins. They forage and run away on all fours, often disappearing at the corners of buildings. They occur in the Underground Power Plant. The rats resemble Asian house rats and black rats.
- Geckos, terrestrial lizards found in the Sand Kingdom and the Deep Woods of the Wooded Kingdom. They have banded backs and orange sclerae. In the Deep Woods, their bodies reflect light as if covered in water. While largely unmoving while idling, geckos rapidly shift their bodies from side to side when they flee. This emulates the Carrier's constraint that impacts the locomotion of real-world lizards. They do not closely resemble any one real-world species of gecko.
- Crabs, decapods found in the Lake Kingdom and Seaside Kingdom. They are the only small animal that occurs on land and underwater. While idling, crabs gesture as if foraging for food or stretch their claws skyward. The crabs in the Lake Kingdom are pink, and the ones in the Seaside Kingdom are yellow. The right claw is larger. They run away sideways, like real crabs. Though they do not resemble any one real-world species, they are most similar to Brachyura. Crabs have made prior appearances in the Super Mario franchise. Their behavior in Super Mario 3D World is most similar to the small animals and may have influenced their conceptualization.
Gallery
Artwork of a chipmunk
Artwork of chipmunks
Model of a gecko
Artwork of a yellow crab in the Seaside Kingdom
Screenshot of a pink crab
Screenshot of a yellow crab
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References
- ^ Sakai, Kazuya, kikai, Rachel Roberts, and Jenny Blenk, editors (2019). "Cascade Kingdom". The Art of Super Mario Odyssey (First English Edition). Milwaukie: Dark Horse. Page 85.
