| Bitesize | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| General information | |||
| Universe | Super Mario | ||
| Aliases | Japanese: Baitosaizu (バイトサイズ) | ||
| Classification | Pygocentrus minimus (All Species Wiki Classification) | ||
| Species type | Piranha | ||
| Homeworld | Earth | ||
| Environment | Donkey Kong Island | ||
| Intelligence | Non-sapient | ||
| Biochemistry | Carbon-based lifeform | ||
| Biological information | |||
| Reproduction | Sexual; lays eggs (presumed) | ||
| Locomotion | Swimming via caudal fin | ||
| Feeding behavior | Carnivorous | ||
| Distinctive features | Sharp teeth | ||
| Eye color | Black | ||
| Skin color | Primarily green and red; however also seen in red, green, dark green, blue, and rainbow | ||
| Lineage information | |||
| Related species | Lockjaw, Snapjaw | ||
| Cultural information | |||
| Alignment | Lawful Evil | ||
| Personality | Minds its own business but won't hesitate to bite those in its way | ||
| Organization | Can be found alone or in schools | ||
| Affiliation(s) | Kremling Krew | ||
| Capital city | Poison Pond | ||
| Leaders | King K. Rool | ||
| Sociocultral characteristics | |||
| Scientific taxonomy | |||
| Planet | Earth | ||
| Domain | Eukaryota (Complex lifeforms) | ||
| Kingdom | Animalia (Animals) | ||
| Phylum | Chordata (Animals with notochords) | ||
| Subphylum | Vertebrata (Notochords develop into vertebrae) | ||
| Class | Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fish) | ||
| Order | Characiformes (Characins & their allies — Bones connect swim bladder to inner ear) | ||
| Superfamily | Erythrinoidea | ||
| Family | Serrasalmidae (Pacu, Piranhas, & Silver Dollars — Serrated keel running along belly) | ||
| Tribe | Piranha (Scissor-toothed serrasalmids) | ||
| Genus | Pygocentrus | ||
| Species | P. minimus | ||
| Other information | |||
| Status | Least Concern | ||
| Creator | Rare Limited | ||
| First sighting | Donkey Kong Country (1994) | ||
| Last sighting | Donkey Kong Country 3 (2005) | ||
| Possible population | In Game: 50 (excluding minigame instances) | ||
Bitesize (Pygocentrus minimus) is a species of piranha endemic to the tropical and heavily polluted areas of Donkey Kong Island.
Physiology[]
Bitesizes are similar in physical appearance to other species of piranha and always swim with their mouths agape. They have black pupils. Their dorsal fin is different from other known piranha and is longer, sweeping back a short distance. Bitesizes typically have scale colors similar to a rainbow trout, with a countershading that uses green dorsally and red ventrally. However, a number of other color variations are known to inhabit Funky's Fishing including red, blue, green, dark green, yellow, and rainbow (which shimmers and seemingly alternates between the aforementioned colors.) It is unknown if these varieties are just variant colorations for the bitesize or could be considered to be separate but related species or subspecies, or even if the colors themselves are natural or selectively bred for.
They have no issue with transitioning from saltwater to freshwater and can be found both in the island's freshwater rivers such as in Vine Valley as well as in the coral reefs of the bays around Kongo Jungle. They are resistant to poisons and seem to even thrive in such conditions, as nearly three times as many bitesizes can be found in Poison Pond than any other region on the island.
Behavior[]
Bitesizes prefer to mind their own business and while they are believed to be aligned with King K. Rool and the Kremling Krew, they do not actively pursue any of the Kong apes or monkeys, nor their animal companion, the swordfish Enguarde. It may be that they support the polluting of the island that has occurred in Kremkroc Industries as they are far more successful in Poison Pond than any other region. Even so, they will still bite the Kongs should they get in the bitesizes' way.
While they are perfectly fine swimming alone, they are known to swim in small groups and even in large schools. They may swim past an area or they may patrol a small region, swimming back and forth in an established pattern. Each bitesize seems to prefer their own swimming speed and this makes them unpredictable when judging time to get out of their way, as some may swim lackadaisically slow and others will move at a much faster speed. All bitesize bob slightly up and down as they move.
Habitat[]
Bitesizes are endemic to Donkey Kong Island and have never been recorded as having been sighted anywhere else. They inhabit much of the island's tropical waters, and can be found in areas of Kongo Jungle such as Coral Capers, Vine Valley such as in Clam City, and the region that was decimated by the Kremlings and renamed to Kremkroc Industrics, Inc. They notably cannot be found in all regions, however: They appear incapable of handling colder waters as they are not known to inhabit Gorilla Glacier areas such as Croctopus Chase.
Background history[]
When King K. Rool and the Kremlings first invaded Donkey Kong Island, the bitesizes appeared to side with them, though the allegiance may have been fleeting as the bitesizes did not actively seek to stop the Kongs. Once the Kremlings were defeated this alliance of convenience appears to have ceased as they never helped the Kremling Krew again. The Krew instead began working with other species of piranha from their own home island of Crocodile Isle, specifically the lockjaws and snapjaws.