Metroid Database Bestiary

Alcoons are slow-walking bipedal Dragons that spend most of their time quietly resting beneath the surface of Zebes. When an enemy is detected in their vicinity, they will leap high out of their subterranean hideaway and upon landing, proceed to spit fiery gobs at their target. While the short wings of an Alcoon don’t allow them to maintain flight, the rhythmic flapping appears to be timed to their expectoration and seemingly helps them move their body into an effective spitting position. The green variety of Alcoons can be found in Crateria, while the red-colored species is located in the hot regions of Norfair.

Alcoons can be quickly dispatched with a single Missile. Attempting to kill them with beams less powerful than the Spazer is impractical, as they can sustain a number of consecutive hits. If the Spazer Beam or higher weaponry hasn’t been acquired and missiles aren’t available, a spin jump attack with a fully charged beam will kill them in one hit. It’s best to maintain a distance, as it's more dangerous to come into direct contact with an Alcoon than it is to get hit by their projectiles. Their long-range attacks aren’t difficult to dodge, as they always spit three projectiles in the same pattern: straight across, diagonally upward, and then diagonally downward.

Alcoons are similar to the “Dragons” that are also found in Norfair and Crateria, although the Dragons more closely resemble Sea Horses and can only swim. Could they be the adult form?