Dark Tallon Metroid

Dark Tallon Metroids are enemies found in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes.

Dark Tallon Metroids are Darkling-possessed Metroids that prove very important soldiers for the Ing Horde. They are very durable, but retain the Ing's vulnerability to the Light Beam. Though they can be frozen like standard Tallon Metroids, their dark energy makes it much more difficult to freeze them effectively. Even so, they can eventually be frozen by a charged Dark Beam shot and shattered with a Missile for an instant kill.

Logbook entry
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes: "The Ing are fascinated by Metroids and their connection to Phazon. It is not a shared fascination, as the Metroids will attack the Ing on sight. Recognizing their strength, Ing darklings have possessed a number of Metroids, turning them into powerful soldiers of the Horde."

Trivia

 * In the Phazon Grounds room of the Sky Temple Grounds, there is a swarm of Dark Tallon Metroids, one of which is carrying a deceased Space Pirate Commando. There are two other dead Pirates on the ground here; scans reveal that one of the two Pirates had been drained of its life by a Metroid but still had all of its ammunition, indicating that it was killed by a sneak attack. Scanning the other body on the ground shows that its ammo is gone: the scan says that this one "didn't go quietly."
 * In Metroid Prime 3: Corruption a dissected Dark Tallon Metroid can be seen in the Metroid Processing room on the Space Pirate Homeworld. When scanned it says, "Observations on Metroids native to different planets display subtle variations in biological processes".
 * Though it is not considered canon, one of the designers for Metroid Prime 3, Matt Manchester, wrote some of the text that appeared in the game's scans of the dissected Metroids. Some of it did not make it through however, due to text size limitations. Originally, the text would have said:


 * "Metroids exposed to the Dark Aetherian atmosphere displayed significant changes to their physiology and behaviorial patterns. Exposure resulted in altered cutaneous pigmentation, solidified carapace with superficial dermal striation, emergence of multiple luminescent ocular organs, and two additional cuspidate teeth.
 * Advanced physical durability was observed, as well as more instinctual and aggresive behavioral tendencies. Subsequently nocturnal, Dark Metroid developed a fatally acute sensitivity to solar light.
 * All attempts to recreate this atmospheric transformation have met with utter failure. Test specimens yield a 100% mortality rate.
 * Experiments rarely live more than a few hours after artificial transformation is achieved. Of these rare instances, specimens require complete artificial sustainment. No sentient behavior has been observed in any instances.
 * Failure attributed to unknown variables."