Yoshi (species)

Yoshi is a species of dinosaurs. Yoshis have very long, sticky tongues, and can swallow almost anything, even things that are much larger than Yoshis themselves are. Almost everything they swallow is transformed into (or encased in) an egg, which they can throw as a weapon. They prefer fruit, although they can and usually will eat other things, including living creatures. Their noses, taking up half of their heads, can detect fruit buried underground and other strange secrets in Yoshi Story. Even though they have teeth, these are rarely seen or used. While Yoshi himself is depicted as green, other Yoshis in general come in a variety of colors.

Yoshis come in many colors, including blue, red, yellow, brown, orange, pink, purple, dark blue, and, more rarely, black and white. (Black and white Yoshis in Yoshi's Story have the distinct ability to digest chili peppers, which others Yoshis cannot). Generally, a Yoshi's shoe color is dependant on its color: red Yoshis wear blue shoes, for example. In earlier games, different colors of Yoshis had different abilities, like fire-breathing or flying. Yoshis also can make a variety of sounds. In Super Mario World, hopping onto a Yoshi's saddle made a "zip-zoo" or "phwe-phwew" sound — the species’ trademark noise until Yoshi's Story, when the Yoshis (voiced by Nintendo musician Kazumi Totaka) began muttering his name and unintelligible words (such as "gong" and "hup").

Yoshis have a limited social structure, shown in multiple RPGs as living in villages with a few wooden constructions. Yoshis inhabit many areas of the world from the Mushroom Kingdom to Isle Delfino.

In the Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario Advance 4 adaptations of Super Mario Bros. 3, the king in the castle of World seven is transformed into a Yoshi by Ludwig Von Koopa (whereas in the original version of the game, predating Yoshi's invention, the king is transformed into a Piranha Plant).