Things I've noticed about the Peckish Aristocrab!
So, you guys know about the Peckish Aristocrab, right? That weird, crustacean-crabby-onion thing in Pikmin 3 and 4? I've always found it really cool, but I've been pondering on that thing for a while now. Because it doesn't really make sense to me that between Pikmin 3 and 4, it's appearance just.. changed so much. So I've tried to figure a few things out.
In Pikmin 3, it has an extremely large, crystalline claw and a smaller claw on its other side. What are those weird articulations between each ''segments'' of the claw, though? Are they sediments? Real flesh? And what about the claw itself, that seems to regrow so fast if broken? Here's what I think.
Peckish Aristocrabs hatchlings spend a lot of time in the ground, and since they get nutrients from it, it also determines their claw's molecular structure and general shape. Typical example of environmental adaptation! It seems most of their nutrients come from their pairs of legs which could be interpretated as ''roots'' in a real plant.
Don't trust me yet? Take a look at this- (And yes, I'm aware of how cursed this looks.)
This is what the.. egg (?) of a Peckish Aristocrab is supposed to look like, if Pikmin Garden's right. Looks very similar to onions, huh? These creatures' whole lives revolve around the hunting grounds they're on, and one of my theories is that depending on where they're located, their claw and general body colors will change a lot. The Peckish Aristocrabs located in the Garden of Hope have a much, darker appearance because the ground is much more nutrient-rich and azote-filled, which is perfect because it helps them camouflage anyways. Their claws are also significantly more solid as it seems crystallization is much more common in that area. I wouldn't be able to tell you why, but it seems things can just.. crystallize, in the Pikmin world. Props to Calcified Crushblats, I guess?
Meanwhiles, the ones in Pikmin 4 have a much lighter appearance that helps them fond in with their environments. Since they hunt on the sand, which isn't exactly known for its nutritional value anyways, plant or not (Believe me, I tried sand. Not good), they get most of their energy and nutrients from their preys. Their claws are much lighter (and this would explain why any type of Pikmin can break their claws in 4) because it's much harder for them to form a solid one when there's basically nothing in the ground to get sediments and whatnot from.
Pikmin 4's Aristocrabs are pretty much juste LITE versions of those in 3. If we ever get a Pikmin 5, I bet we're gonna get another version of those quirky little crabs. And while we're here, I'm just throwing this idea out here;
Ever noticed how the Grubchucker shares similar color patterns to Aristocrabs? Since there's one in the Serene Shores.. I wouldn't be surprised if they were both affected by their environments. Maybe they're more similar than we think. But anyways, this post is just an excuse to justify why they changed the Peckish's Aristocrab appearance, just a bunch of theories.
