Metroid Database Bestiary

(Pronounced "Ee-wah-tsoo-rara") Small parasitic, worm-like creature that drops from cavern ceilings. These pests time their drops when prey is beneath and latch on to their victims using their powerful jaws and leech out fluids. If it misses, it will use its powerful claw-fins burrow into the rocks to hide before climbing back up the cave wall for another attempt.

Iwatsurara drop from the ceiling in single-second intervals. Although weak, their narrow profile makes them hard to hit, but they are easy to avoid. Although this creature will drop from the ceiling and respawn after it hits the floor, once one is killed, another one will not follow. Drops small Energy Balls.

Unfortunately, this creature was never given a name in the North American release. Twenty-five years later, the Metroid: Samus Returns Official Prima Strategy Guide refers to these creatures as Rock Icicles, which we can only assume was derived from an old Metroid II: Return of Samus strategy guide released in Japan, which refer to these as “Iwatsurara” (岩つらら) - lit. rock icicles - even though they resemble creatures. The Japanese word for stalactite is shōnyūseki (鍾乳石).