Spiked Thwomp

A Thwomp is an enemy that was originally from Super Mario Bros. 3 on the NES. It made its way into the The Legend of Zelda series as an identical enemy. Its attack is to fall from a great height and kill anyone below it. The best way to avoid it is to use the Pegasus Boots to dash past them before they fall. Alternatively, teasing the Thwomp by stepping in its path and moving back will cause it to fall. It moves slower on its rise back up. This method gives more time to either move below it or jump on top of it.

Even its tiny cousin the Thwimp made an appearance in the Oracle series, as well as Link's Awakening.

Since Super Mario Bros. 3, Thwomps have become one of the more common enemies in the Mario series. They have appeared in most 3D games including Super Mario Galaxy.