The Spore Spawn.
Spores are a unit of asexual reproduction used for survival. Some enemies, usually bosses Samus Aran encounters in the Metroid series release spores, which usually function as a weak attack rather than for reproductive purposes.
The Spore Spawn is perhaps the most notable of these creatures. Its primary method of attack, other than swinging its body, is releasing spores into the air, which fall in a swaying motion. They deal little damage to Samus if she hits them, and can be destroyed for Energy Capsules or Missile Ammo. Botwoon is also known to use spores: when it slithers into a hole after swimming around for a period, it will stick its head out of one hole and spit five spores in a buckshot-like spray in whatever direction will hit Samus.
The ensnared Kiru Giru, due to the Tangle Vines, releases spores much in the same way as Botwoon, however, unlike Botwoon the spores spread in a downward direction, and the spores are released every couple of seconds.
The Nettori plant shares a room with Samus Eater Buds that defend it using spores fired directly at Samus, which serve to knock her into the Samus Eater plants. After the buds are destroyed with significant damage dealt to Nettori, the Eaters begin to spit out pollen of their own, although Samus can avoid it by standing on a raised platform.
Not all spore-using creatures are bosses. The Bloodflower of Tallon IV’s attack is firing acidic spores at anything within a five-mile radius. If the spore were to explode close to the flower, it would kill the creature, a weakness Samus can exploit in her mission.
Finally, spores are an object on the Vesper Defense Outpost, in the Bioweaponry Lab. The Spore Farm object’s scan mentions that it is a controlled environment to grow toxic spores, although they have expired.
Trivia
- On Easy Mode in the Japanese version of Metroid Fusion, the Buds are closed and do not release any spores.
- Blobs released by Blob Throwers are similar.
- Bulls are called "spore creatures" in Metroid: Other M Premiere Edition.
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