Squiddicus
Concept artwork fromDonkey Kong Country Returns
Species	Octopus
First appearance	Donkey Kong Country Returns (2010)
Latest appearance	Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (2025)

Squiddicus is an enemy that first appeared in the gameDonkey Kong Country Returns and itsNintendo 3DS andNintendo Switch ports. He is a giant, light orange octopus with spikes and suction cups on his arms, reminiscent of akraken, an enormous mythicalteuthid sea monster from Nordic folklore. He has large white eyes with black pupils and darker orange wavy patterns on his head. In these games, he only appears in the levelStormy Shore as the main obstacle. Squiddicus later appears in the gameDonkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and its Nintendo Switchport exclusively in theSea Breeze Cove levelIrate Eight.

History[edit]

Donkey Kong Country Returns (3D /HD)[edit]

Squiddicus inDonkey Kong Country Returns

For the majority ofStormy Shore, Squiddicus only appears in the level's background, where he is seen destroying a ship. Near the end of the level, Squiddicus will attack theKongs by blocking the way with his arms, which will cause them to lose a heart on contact.Donkey Kong andDiddy Kong can avoid the arms by jumping over them, and must jump between sides when in thegreen surface segment. Squiddicus will also use his arms to break certain platforms after a length of time. In this game, Squiddicus cannot be defeated by any means. Upon reaching the end of the level, if the Kongs do not launch from the barrel to theSlot Machine Barrel, Squiddicus will raise one of his arms into the air, threatening to crush theBarrel Cannon the Kongs are in. If his arm manages to destroy the Barrel Cannon, the Kongs lose alife.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze[edit]

Squiddicus as seen inDonkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

InDonkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and its Nintendo Switchport, Squiddicus is first and only encountered in the levelIrate Eight in the game's fourth world,Sea Breeze Cove. In this game, he is much larger in size than before. In the early stages of the level, Squiddicus' silhouette briefly appears in the background during several tremors. Squiddicus first appears directly in the area with theDixie Kong Barrel, where he uses his arms to tear down part of the cave. His arms still cause the Kongs one heart of damage on contact. The octopus also produces ink which rises from the bottom of the screen and causes the Kongs to lose a life instantly upon contact. Squiddicus cannot take damage during the first part of the level. At the end of the level, the Kongs must detach and drop hanging land mines to damage Squiddicus by launching them at him, before Squiddicus attacks and causes the Kongs to lose a life. Dropping all three mines onto Squiddicus will eventually defeat him, causing him to retreat back underwater and allowing the Kongs to reach theSlot Machine Barrel.

Gallery[edit]

• 

  Beach diorama

Naming[edit]

Despite his name, Squiddicus is an octopus, rather than a squid. However, his name is a portmanteau of "squid", a cephalopod mollusc belonging to theTeuthida order, and "Achillobator giganticus", a monotypic species of the dromaeosaurid genus from the Late Cretaceous period known asAchillobator.

Names in other languages[edit]

Notes[edit]

A fossil in Boulder Roller resembling Squiddicus

• At the end of the levelBoulder Roller, a fossil can be seen which resembles Squiddicus, suggesting that he might be part of a species. A large rock also resembling him can be seen at the start of the Stormy Shore level.

References[edit]

• Cephalopods
• Underwater creatures
• Donkey Kong Country Returns characters
• Donkey Kong Country Returns enemies
• Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze characters
• Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze enemies

• Articles with unsourced foreign names