Dodo Rider Zombie

Dodo Rider Zombie is the sixth zombie encountered in Frostbite Caves in Plants vs. Zombies 2. Dodo Rider Zombies can glide over sliders. The Dodo Rider Zombie will glide whenever it encounters certain plants, like Wall-nuts or Spikeweeds, or a slider. Otherwise, it will proceed normally. A Hurrikale or Blover can kill Dodo Rider Zombie instantly, as long as it is gliding, and a Hurrikale can kill it if it blows the Dodo Rider Zombie back onto a slider (but sometimes it will just change lanes). Dodo Rider Zombie cannot glide if a Tall-nut is blocking its lane, unless it is frozen.

Description
The Dodo Rider Zombie is based on the Dodo bird or otherwise known by its scientific name, Raphus Cucullatus itself, an extinct type of bird that lived until the 17th century. In the game, Dodo Rider Zombie's feathers are colored completely in violet while the face and wings are yellow colored. Its feet are orange and the nails and beak are all black.

The Dodo is ridden by an Imp that wears a brown-colored sweater with white fur linings, brown gloves,yellow socks and shoes and dark brown animal-skin pants. This Imp, unlike Yeti Imp, has a different type of head shape, meaning that he belongs to the Homo Sapiens Neanderthalensis, a extinct human species that lived in Frostbite Caves' time period, as do all the other zombies in this world with the exception of Ice Weasel and the Walrus Zombie from the Chinese version, as they are animals and not deceased human species that supposedly become zombies after their death.

Almanac entry
TOUGHNESS: Dense SPEED: Speedy

Dodo bird with an imp rider. The dodo can flap and jump over barricades as well as troublesome plants.

Dodo Rider believes dodos are the future of transportation. He believes a public dodo-riding system is not only a wise expenditure of tax dollars but would help the vast majority of zombies get where they need to go more efficiently. Everyone keeps telling him there's no future in dodos, but he refuses to listen.

Overview
Dodo Rider Zombie absorbs 24.5 normal damage shots and degrades upon absorbing 9 and 16 normal damage shots before dying at 24.5, and dies in a similar fashion to Zombie Parrots and Zombie Chickens. On land, it moves slightly faster. Small yellow spots appear on the dodo when it degrades.

Encounters
Player's House: Piñata Party

Far Future: Piñata Party

Frostbite Caves: Days 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, Icebound Battleground, and "Electrical Boogaloo" Epic Quest - Step 6

Modern Day: Days 10, 25, 34, and Highway to the Danger Room (portal only)

General
Compared to Seagull Zombies, Jetpack Zombies, and Zombie Parrots, the Dodo Rider Zombie can bypass sliders. However, unlike the three previous zombies that fly, this one will land on the ground for countless times after gliding. Use a Blover or Hurrikale quickly, because Dodo Rider Zombies are a bit harder to blow away than Seagull Zombies. If paired with Hunter Zombies, Blockhead Zombies, Sloth Gargantuars, the Snowstorm ambush, and the frosty wind effect, they can cause massive mayhem on your defenses.

Guacodiles are good ideas to use against this zombie. It is recommended to plant a Guacodile on a tile where a Dodo Rider Zombie will land on so that it will start rushing immediately to kill the Dodo Rider Zombie and some zombies that are about to step on the sliders.

Magnifying Grasses can instantly kill this zombie as long as you have enough sun. The use of the shot to destroy and Blover both cost 50 sun to kill a Dodo Rider Zombie though. Coconut Cannons and Banana Launchers are also very good ideas to destroy this zombie, but keep a Pepper-pult or Torchwood adjacent to them or you will risk having them being frozen before you tap on the Coconut Cannon to destroy Dodo Rider Zombies. It is recommended to have a Sweet Potato to do this though, along with a Hot Potato to prevent it from being frozen.

Split Peas and Starfruits are quite useful once the Dodo Rider Zombie has bypassed the sliders. This is to prevent them from approaching your house.

Dodo Adventure
In this game, you must control a Dodo Rider Zombie safely across the icy waters. First, avoid the Guacodiles that are moving from cave to cave. The part with ice floes is very challenging, as you must have correct timing to jump on one of them. As soon as the first Dodo Rider Zombie has crossed the icy water, two Chompers will appear. Avoid jumping on the tile where a Chomper is standing on or you will lose a Dodo. If you lose all Dodos, the game is over.

Trivia

 * In the Almanac, the phrase "Everyone keeps telling him there's no future in dodos" is an allusion to their extinction due to human hunting.
 * While gliding, Dodo Rider Zombies are slower. Also, when hit by butter thrown by Kernel-pult, they will land.
 * If they land (after getting hit by butter) on a slider, they will change lanes, then will be paralyzed.
 * They can also change lanes on a slider via Hurrikale when it is on the ground, though this does not happen all of the time.
 * Dodos will try to glide over Spikeweeds and Spikerocks, but if they rest, they will take damage.
 * It is one of the few zombies to vocalize, saying "Whoop" when walking on land once every second. It also makes a specific sound before entering the lawn.
 * It is voiced by Adrien Yorozu, the main producer of the game, according to the credits.
 * Its rider is the only zombie riding another that does not appear separately in the whole franchise.
 * The dodo is the fourth bird in the series while the others being Seagull Zombie's seagull, Zombie Parrot, and Zombie Chicken.
 * Out of these, it is the only one that is extinct.
 * It is also the only one that does not get killed by butter in one shot.
 * It also has the largest sprite out of these birds.
 * Imp disappears when this zombie is killed. Also, like Seagull Zombie, Imp does not lose its arm or its head when it is damaged because it does not have a degrade form.
 * If Dodo Rider Zombie is hypnotized and the dodo starts gliding, the dodo will not land. It will keep gliding to the right, and eventually go off screen.
 * Electrocuting a Dodo Rider Zombie will make the player see the Imp and the Dodo share a bone.
 * This implies that both the Imp and Dodo do not have skulls, however, it is unknown how the Dodo can support its head, considering there is no skull to do so.
 * This might be the reason why it cannot release its Imp.
 * Imp Rider is the second type of Imp that cannot be faced on its own, the first being Announcer Imp.
 * When dying, it releases its feathers, similar to the Seagull Zombie, the Zombie Parrot and the Zombie Chicken.
 * Strangely, all of these feathers are yellow, even though majority of the feathers are purple when it is alive.
 * Before it dies from Chili Bean, it will look behind itself, then blow up into feathers.
 * If it eats a Chili Bean, on rare occasions, it will not release gas. It is unknown what causes this, or if it is a glitch or not.
 * It is the second zombie whose Almanac stats were changed, with the first being Pharaoh Zombie.
 * Dodo Rider Zombie is one of the three zombies in Frostbite Caves which are animals, with the other ones being Ice Weasel and Walrus Zombie (in the Chinese version).
 * If shrunken by a Shrinking Violet, since Imps shrink into oblivion, only the dodo will be left. However, the Dodo still functions as usual, and can even eat the player's brains.
 * Dodo Rider Zombie is the only special zombie that got its own costume in the Luck O' The Zombie Pinata Parties.
 * It is the second zombie to use a bird as a mode of transportation, out of the three zombies that use birds as a means of transportation. The first is Seagull Zombie and the third is Bird Rider Zombie.