Snorkel Snake

Snorkel Snake
The Snorkel Snake as it appears in Yoshi's Story
First appearance	Yoshi's Story (1997)
Variants Mr. Eel
Relatives Dragoneel

The Snorkel Snake, also called the Snorkle Fish, is a serpentine enemy that appears in Yoshi's Story. It resembles a large white serpentine creature with green spikes and a large fin for a tail. Its head is a large ball with red eyes, flippers, and a spout for a mouth. Snorkel Snake have smaller variants named Mr. Eels. While identified as a snake in English and an eel in Japanese, it more closely resembles a giant pipefish, particularly due to the mouth. The Snorkel Snake can be seen swimming on the Ocean page, and it is found in a single area of the level Lots O'Jelly Fish, where it waits for a Yoshi to swim nearby. When it spots them, it swims in circles around them, attempting to enclose them within its spiky body; since Yoshis cannot throw eggs underwater, the Snorkel Snake is effectively invincible. However, its body is not long enough for it to make a complete circle, allowing the Yoshis to escape if encircled.

Profiles and statistics

• Website bio: Swimming in circles that grow ever-tighter, The Snorkle Fish is a prickly Yoshi-smiter.
• Shogakukan guide: 「長いからだはトゲだらけ。おまけにあとを追ってくる。なんてこった！」 ("Their long body is covered in thorns. In addition, it will follow you. What the heck!")

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	ウナボン Unabon	Portmanteau of「鰻」(unagi, eel) and「坊」(bon, Japanese affectionate suffix for "boy")
German	Drehwutz	From "drehen" (to revolve)

Trivia

• The Snorkel Snake bears a resemblance to the Dragoneel, which was introduced in New Super Mario Bros. U and also tries to encircle players with its body. The Snorkel Snake's Japanese name, "Unabon," is used as a file name for the Dragoneel, suggesting this resemblance may have been intentional.