| ! | This is a rare creature/object. It may only be scanned in one or few encounters. |
Ice Shriekbats are Shriekbats adapted to live in the Phendrana Drifts on Tallon IV and in the cold world of Excelcion.
Description[]
Tallon IV[]
Ice Shriekbats' skin and eye are blue in color, but are otherwise visually identical to their regular brethren found in warmer regions of the planet. They attack in the same manner as well, doing an aileron roll as they dive-bomb into anything that enters their territory and explode on impact, releasing high amounts of thermal energy. Their logbook scan states that an Ice Shriekbat is encased in ice, however its appearance suggests it is an extremely thin layer.
They are only found on the dark ceilings in the buildings of Ice Ruins West in Metroid Prime. They disappear permanently once Samus acquires the Thermal Visor, in every version of the game except the Japanese and PAL GameCube versions.[1]
Excelcion[]
In Metroid Prime: Federation Force, Ice Shriekbats have the same basic structure: small hind legs, sharp wings, two mandibles and single eye but unlike the Tallon IV variant, their bodies are covered in spikes that appear to be made out of ice and their eye is much larger to the point of taking up the creatures' entire front. Their attack pattern is the same, though more sluggish.
Another notable difference is the sheer size of the creatures; they are approximately the size of a Mech's torso, therefore towering over Federation soldiers and Samus. It is unknown if this is the natural size of this particular breed of Ice Shriekbat, or the result of exposure to the Amplification Beam.
Similar species[]
Metroid Prime: Hunters features Shriekbats living on the frozen planet Arcterra. They're closer in appearance to the regular and ice species of Tallon IV, but are red and yellow in color.
Curiously, Shriekbats from Arcterra are indistinguishable from those on Alinos, the volcanic world also present in Hunters, and the Scan Visor provides the same information when used on either planet's Shriekbats. All of this strongly imply they are the same species and can tolerate extreme temperatures without the need to develop specific adaptations for each environment.
Official data[]
Logbook entry[]
Ice Shriekbat
Morphology: Ice Shriekbat
Ice-encased ceiling-dweller.
Like standard Shriekbats, these creatures are easily spotted with Thermal Imaging. They roost on cave ceilings, subsisting on insects, reptiles and small mammals. Fiercely territorial, they will dive-bomb anything that wanders near.
Biohazard Containment[]
Specimen Holding
Morphology: Ice Shriekbat
Info >> Native of Tallon IV
Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion: Prima's Official Strategy Guide[]
- Ice Shriekbat
- Found In: Phendrana Drifts
- Recommended Weapon: Power Beam
- "Ice Shriekbats are the frosty versions of Shriekbats. Found only in Phendrana Drifts, treat them like you would Shriekbats. Destroy them quickly or simply step out of the way once they are in the air. To enter them into your Log Book, you must scan them the first chance you get; after you fight Thardus, they will not reappear."
Metroid Prime: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide[]
- ICE SHRIEKBAT
- "You won't have much time to scan the Ice Shriekbat. It lives only in the Ice Ruins West, and will vanish entirely by the time you claim the Spider Ball. When you leap from the stalactite to the roof, look toward the far wall to find four Ice Shriekbats. They live only in Ice Ruins West, but can also scan them in the Pirate Ship at the beginning of the game."
Metroid Prime Official Strategy Guide[]
- ICE SHRIEKBAT
- MORPHOLOGY
- "The Ice Shriekbat is an ice-encased ceiling dweller. Like standard Shriekbats, these creatures are easily spotted with Thermal Imaging. They roost on cave ceilings, existing on a diet of insects, reptiles, and small mammals. Fiercely territorial, they dive-bomb anything that wanders near."
- COMBAT TIPS
- "Ice Shriekbats are similar to the Shriekbats found in the ruins, except they are made of ice. Use the Power Beam to take them out, and remember that early detection of them is critical because they will attack in suicide runs."
Development notes[]
In an early demo of Metroid Prime, an Ice Shriekbat could be found in the Biohazard Containment of the Frigate Orpheon, named Hard Shelled Metaree.[2] The Ice Shriekbat originally being a Metaree coincides with concept art suggesting that the Shriekbats were originally planned to be Skrees. Judging by the early demo name, it is possible the "Hard Shelled Metaree" may have been planned as a more durable or armored type of Shriekbat/Skree, similar to other armored creatures encountered on Tallon IV. This also reflects how a Metaree is an armored Skree. The Hard Shelled Metaree's design differs considerably from the finalized Ice Shriekbat, although its Biohazard Containment model and scan image remain unchanged in the original release of Metroid Prime; both the model and scan image are fixed in Metroid Prime Remastered.
In the final Gamecube version, their internal name is listed as Metaree ALPHA, sharing its internal name with normal Shriekbats. Alpha is a recurring term used for a number of various species throughout the series. The name for the Ice Shriekbat model is Ice Metaree.
Trivia[]
- Although the Ice Shriekbats from Excelcion and Tallon IV share the same name, live under the same environmental conditions and have the same behavior, they nevertheless look different from each other. This may be an example of convergent evolution, in which unrelated organisms independently evolved similar traits. Another explanation is that they share a common ancestor and evolved differently after being dispersed to both planets via a vector such as aliens with space-travelling technology. Both theories are applicable to all Shriekbats encountered throughout the Metroid Prime series.
- The Excelcion variant of Ice Shriekbat bears a strong resemblance to the Ice Shriekbat onboard the Frigate Orpheon from the Gamecube versions of Metroid Prime.
- In Metroid Prime, the Ice Shriekbat's scan is among those that were easy to miss in the original NTSC version on the Gamecube due to being found in a single location and having a limited-time appearance, all of which was further aggravated by their behavior: if the creatures were not spotted in advance, players needed to react quickly and scan them before they exploded, otherwise they'd have to backtrack to several rooms in order to respawn them. Additionally, it is likely some players did not expect a non-boss enemy to completely vanish. Missing the scan would require a second playthrough of the game in order to obtain all logbook entries and unlockables, making the Ice Shriekbat a potential source of frustration for first-time players.
Gallery[]
.png "Phendrana Drifts Screenshot (24).png (1.26 MB)")
References[]
| Shriekbats | |
|---|---|
| Subspecies | Shriekbat • Ice • Bryyonian • Elysian • Urtragian • Phazon • Fire |
| Similar | Skree • Metaree • Cyclaw |
| Diets | |
|---|---|
| Carnivores | Phazon tendril • Ridley • Vorash • Yapping Maw Plants: Bloodflower • Dark Phlogus • Samus Eater • Shrieker • Sporb • Tangle Vine • Tangle Weed • Venom Weed • Zazabi |
| Detritivores | Grizby • Phazon Leech • Parasite (Plated/Ice/Queen) • Sbug |
| Insectivores | Bryyonian Shriekbat • Flickerbat • Gel Ray • Glowing spidervine • Ice Shriekbat |
| Omnivores | Green Kralee • Human • Ice Parasite • Little birdie • Space Pirate |