Bullsquid

"Just look at those peculiar markings..."

- Black Mesa scientists

The Bullsquid is a bipedal, highly aggressive creature that appears throughout the Black Mesa Research Facility due to the dimensional rift caused by the Resonance Cascade. Bullsquid are able to survive, if not thrive, in environments that are unfriendly or even toxic to humans, including sewers and pools of radioactive, chemical, or biological waste. On Xen, Bullsquids are found drinking from pools of an unknown liquid that has healing properties for humans and Vortigaunts.

Overview


The body of a Bullsquid is vaguely similar in appearance to that of a small Theropod, with two short, muscular legs and a thick tail that tapers to a point. The thorax abruptly joins the creature's head with no neck or other visible separation. A typical specimen stands roughly one meter tall and about two meters in length. Two slit-pupiled, black and glossy eyes are mounted on either side of its head. The tail had a hooked claw at its tip, which explains the large amount of damage caused by the Bullsquid's spin attack.

The Bullsquid's most striking feature, however, is the collection of bright red, tentacle-like protrusions ending its teeth which surround its mouth and allows it to grasp prey. The Bullsquid can also charge an opponent with surprising speed and force; these two attributes are likely the cause of its portmanteau name.

The Bullsquid's overall coloration is roughly comparable to that of a spotted cat: its skin is sandy brown and its upper surfaces has dark spots. The creature's skin appears to be slimy, similar to that of a terrestrial amphibian such as the frog.

Behavior and skills
The Bullsquid has an array of offensive capabilities. They display a very territorial disposition, as they have often been seen attacking other creatures and even members of their own species. They viciously attack Headcrabs, not stopping until all Headcrabs in their sight are eliminated. An example of this can be found near the beginning of the game. When encountered on Xen in Opposing Force and during the Resonance Cascade, however, they do not attack, even when attacked themselves. They are drinking from a healing pool both times, however, so it is likely that they are simply not aggressive while feeding or drinking or that they cannot see the player somehow.

At close range, a hostile Bullsquid will either maul its victim with its teeth, or suddenly spin around, delivering a powerful strike with its tail, often causing a gibbing. At long range, the Bullsquid is able to spit a toxic, bile-colored substance from its mouth. While not particularly accurate or fast, it causes moderate damage, even at very long range.

Behind the scenes

 * The Bullsquid is a reminiscence of a creature originally created by Chuck Jones for Quiver, the "Land Squid".
 * The Bullsquid was originally called "Bullchicken". It is still referred to as bullchicken in the console (i.e. " ").
 * The original Half-Life Bullsquid was to be much more yellow than the retail one.

Half-Life 2

 * Originally, the Bullsquid was to be mainly intended to be fought in the City 17 and Wasteland parts of the Canals. Their skin color was changed to a deep maroon, while another alternate texture made them pale green.
 * Also, Dr. Eli Vance's lost leg was to be explained as the result of a Bullsquid attack during the Black Mesa Incident, and one of the scenes during a plot-reveal scene would have shown Bullsquids frolicking outside a supermarket.
 * In the anon Half-Life 2 Beta texture folder for the Bullsquid can be found a texture file called, which is actually an alternate skin for the Ichthyosaur. It is also signed by Ted Backman and dated 2003, in a stylized signature.

Trivia

 * It is possible that Valve considered including the Bullsquid in Half-Life 2: Episode Two. The finished Antlion Worker displays similar capabilities.

List of appearances

 * Half-Life
 * Half-Life: Opposing Force
 * Half-Life: Blue Shift
 * Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar