Croc's pit

Croc's pit is a room in Super Metroid where Samus Aran battles Crocomire, the Mini-Boss of Norfair.

Description
Croc's pit is a long, straight tunnel composed of reddish-purple rock. Small red bushes can be seen growing sparsely. Superheated lava runs throughout the pit, rising and falling in steady Lava Tides; this room is one of the first places where Samus can encounter this hazard. On the right side of Croc's pit, a flimsy bridge crosses over a pool of lava, while Grapple Points line the ceiling. On the left side of Croc's pit, another smaller pool of lava is blocked off by a wall covered with spikes.

Samus enters Croc's pit by dropping through a vertical Green Hatch, which then locks her inside the room. The ensuing battle between Samus and Crocomire is a tug-of-war, where Crocomire attempts to push Samus left into the spiked wall while Samus attempts to push Crocomire right towards the flimsy bridge. The bridge cannot support Crocomire's weight and collapses underneath it, dropping the creature into the lava that melts away its skin.

After the battle, Crocomire swims through the lava (leaving a trail of bubbles) to the left side of the pit, where its skeletal remains break through the spiked wall before collapsing into a pile of bones. Its skull remains in Croc's pit for the remainder of the mission. With the spiked wall destroyed, Samus can exit the room through a Blue Door on the left. It is necessary to go through Croc's pit to travel deeper into the lower reaches of Norfair, where the Grappling Beam can be acquired.

Connecting rooms
A Green Hatch in the ceiling connects to a Pirate-infested corridor. A Blue Door on the left side of the room connects to a chasm, continuing the path to the Grappling Beam.

Inhabitants

 * Crocomire

Items

 * Energy Tank
 * Using the Grappling Beam, Samus can cross the pool of lava on the right side of the room, where an Energy Tank can be found sitting on a pedestal. Alternatively, she can build up speed with the Speed Booster and use a well-placed Shinespark to cross the lava.

Super Metroid Players' Guide
"Your only hope is to drive him back onto the flimsy bridge to the right of his domain. Being such a bulbous creature, the bridge will crumble under him, causing him to fall into the lava pit underneath. No-one, not even Crocomire, can survive."

Trivia

 * Nintendo Power volume 95 only refers to Crocomire as "Croc", which is a shortened form of its name. Presumably, the full name of Croc's pit would therefore be Crocomire's pit.
 * The superheated lava seen in Croc's pit is referred to as acid in Japanese and German guidebooks. The Japanese guide even specifies the acid as hydrochloric acid (塩酸). However, all English media refers to the liquid as lava.
 * There appears to be a row of breakable blocks above Croc's pit that can be heard breaking if fired at with the Wave Beam equipped. Their purpose is unknown.
 * When Samus returns to Croc's pit, Crocomire's skull will have moved significantly to the left from where it fell, so that its bottom jaw is no longer visible (hidden by foreground bushes), and its spine now visible.