Shellcreeper
Shellcreepers, also known as Turtles or Shell Creepers and known as Kame-Sans (or Mr. Turtles) in Japan), is a low-slung, green-shelled turtle that roams the sewers.
Mario Bros.
The Shellcreeper is the first enemy to appear in the game. They come out of the pipes (like most other enemies). Hit it from below to flip it over and then run into it to defeat it. If Mario or Luigi fail to run into it, the Shellcreeper jumps out of its shell (and reveals that it wears shorts), flips its shell over and then continues moving, this time faster than before.
Notes
The Shellcreeper is clearly a conceptual ancestor of the Koopa Troopa. Aside from both being turtles, Shellcreepers also wear shorts when outside of their shells - something the Koopa Troopas started doing in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (in Super Mario World, Koopa Troopas wore undershirts and shorts).
Trivia
- In the remakes of Mario Bros., Spinies replaced Shellcreepers, so new players would not jump on the Shellcreepers, mistaking them for Koopa Troopa's.
- In Mario Power Tennis, Shellcreepers appear on Mario's Classic Court.