Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
by Newt Scamander (J. K. Rowling)

Published: March 12, 2001
Published by: Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic Press
Originally published: Obscurus Books, 18a Diagon Alley, London
Illustrated by: J.K. Rowling

Facts & trivia:
* On the inside front cover is a bookplate: This book belongs to:” followed by Harry’s signature again. Underneath that is written the following exchange:
”shared by Ron Weasley because his fell apart”
“why don’t you buy a new one then?”
“write on your own book Hermione”
“you bought all those dungbombs on Saturday.you should have bought a new book instead.”
“Dungbombs rule”
* On the title page is a game of hangman between Harry and Ron, who has lost the game. The word, which he didn’t get, was ACROMANTULA. Next to the little stick figure is a drawing of a spider with the words “you die Weasley.” There is also a game of tic-tac-toe and the words “Harry loves Moaning Myrtle.”
* On the index page is written: “CHUDLEY CANNONS” under which is written “write a decent team in my book for a change Weasley”

Abominable Snowman
Another name for the yeti.

Abraxan
A breed of flying horse; the Abraxan is a gigantic, extremely powerful Palomino.

Acromantula
A gigantic black spider (legspan may reach up to 15 feet) with a poisonous bite, the acromantula is an anomaly in the beast / being classification system. While capable of human speech, the acromantula is classified as a beast rather than a being due to its violent tendencies. It is native to Borneo, where it is believed to have been a wizard-bred species, serving as an example of why the Ban on Experimental Breeding was put into effect. Note that all spiders, including acromantulas, fear the basilisk above all other living things.

Aethonon
A breed of winged horse, chestnut in color, which lives mainly in Britain

Ashwinder
A thin grey serpent with glowing red eyes which comes out of magical fires and lives long enough to lay fiery hot eggs in some dark and secluded spot. These eggs, while valued as potion ingredients, are very dangerous. If they are not found and frozen in time, they will set buildings on fire.

Augurey(Irish Phoenix)
Thin and mournful-looking bird somewhat resembling a vulture, greenish-black in color, native to Britain and Ireland. Normally remaining hidden in its nest in brambles and thorns, flying only in heavy rain, the feathers of the Augurey repel ink. Its distinctive cry was once thought to be a death omen, but it is now known that the Augurey’s cry foretells rain. The augurey eats insects and fairies.

Banshee
A Dark creature with the appearance of a woman with floor-length black hair and a skeletal, green-tinged face. Its screams will kill. Seamus Finnigan is particularly afraid of banshees. The Bandon Banshee was supposedly defeated by Gilderoy Lockhart but was actually defeated by a witch with a harelip.

Basilisk(the King of Serpents)
A wizard-bred Dark creature of enormous power, this extremely poisonous giant serpent (up to 50 feet in length) is brilliant green in color with long thin saber-like fangs and bulbous yellow eyes (see more below). A basilisk can live for at least 900 years given an adequate food supply, and as it can eat most vertebrates (including humans), this is not difficult to achieve. The male can be distinguished from the female by the scarlet plume on its head, but basilisks are usually magically rather than normally bred.

Beetle
beetle eyes for sale in Diagon Alley

Bigfoot
Another name for the yeti; the Bigfoot variety lives in the Pacific Northwest of the United States

Billywig
A magical insect, native to Australia.It is about a half-inch long and vivid blue in color. A Billywig’s sting causes giddiness and levitation. For this reason, the Billywig’s sting is highly sought after by Australian wizards. Dried Billywig stingers are useful as a potion ingredient.

Biting Fairy
Another name for Doxy.

Bloodhound, albino
The Ministry of Magic keeps some albino bloodhounds around to be used against Nogtails

Blood-Sucking Bugbear
When roosters were being killed at Hogwarts, Hagrid suspected that the culprit might be a blood-sucking bugbear. See also bugbear

Boarhound – Fang
Hagrid’s pet Fang is a black boarhound, “a large dog, specifically the great Dane, used in hunting wild boars”. He, like Hagrid, looks a lot fiercer than he is. Fang accompanies Hagrid into the Forbidden Forest and also went with Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Draco when they served detention in the Forest. Hagrid told them that Fang is a coward, but this may have been more an oblique comment on Draco’s behavior than the strict truth about Fang. When Harry and Ron followed the spiders into the Forest and encountered Aragog, Fang accompanied with them. When Hagrid resisted arrest late in Harry’s fifth year, Fang was injured in attempting to protect Hagrid, but recovered.

Boomslang
African snake, Dispholidus typus, with extremely nasty venom. The skin, which is mostly green in males and mostly brown in females, serves the snake well as camouflage, and is used for polyjuice potion. Snape keeps boomslang skin in his private stores

Bowtruckle
A small (maximum height 8 inches) insect-eating tree-dweller with long sharp fingers (two on each hand), brown eyes, and a general appearance of a flat-faced little stickman made of bark and twigs, which serves well as camouflage in its native habitat.

Bundimun
Greenish fungus with eyes. An infestation of Bundimuns can destroy a house, as their secretions rot away the foundations. This same secretion, in diluted form, is used in some magical cleaning solutions

Centaur
Centaurs are very mysterious creatures. They avoid Muggles and Wizards alike. Centaurs watch and read the signs in the stars and planets and they do not take sides in the events unfolding around them, which they have foreseen. They prefer simply to observe. The Centaurs have chosen to be considered Beasts by the Ministry and do not take part in governing at all.

Chameleon Ghoul
These ghouls are known to pretend to be suits of armor

Chimaera
Greek: lion’s head, goat’s body, dragon’s tail. Vicious and bloodthirsty. Chimaera eggs are classified as Class A Non-Tradable Goods. Dai Lleweleyn, the famous Quidditch player, was killed by a Chimaera while on holiday in Greece.

Chizpurfle
A magical parasite that lives in the fur or feathers of some magical creatures, and can also infest magical items.

Clabbert
This arboreal creature resembles a cross between a monkey and a frog. Its smooth skin is mottled green. The Clabbert has short horns and a wide grinning mouth. Its long arms and webbed hands and feet allow it to move gracefully through the trees. On the Clabbert’s forehead is a large pustule which flashes red when the Clabbert senses the approach of danger, including Muggles.

Crup
Magical creature that strongly resembles a Jack Russell terrier, except that a Crup has a forked tail. Crups are extremely loyal to wizards and ferocious toward Muggles. They eat almost anything

Demiguise
The Demiguise is a peaceful, herbivorous creature that can make itself invisible. It resembles an ape with large, black eyes and long, silky hair. This hair can be woven into Invisibility Cloaks. The Demiguise is native to the Far East

Diricawl
This plump, flightless bird escapes danger by vanishing in a burst of feathers. Muggles knew this bird as the “dodo” and believe that it is extinct, being unaware of its ability to vanish at will. Because this belief (and associated guilt) has spurred more enlightened attitudes toward the animal world among many Muggles, Wizards have encouraged it

Doxy (Biting Fairy)
The Doxy is a small fairy-like creature that is covered with black hair. They have sharp vemonous teet. Doxies are pests. They can infest houses, taking up residence in the draperies. Removing them requires a good supply of Doxycide. It’s a good idea to have an antidote for Doxy venom on hand as well

Dragon
Dragons, large flying reptiles which breathe fire, are some of the most awe-inspiring and dangerous of all magical beasts. There are ten varieties of dragons in the world today.
Antipodean Opaleye
Chinese Fireball (Liondragon)
Common Welsh Green
Hebridean Black
Hungarian Horntail
Norwegian Ridgeback
Peruvian Vipertooth
Romanian Longhorn
Swedish Short-Snout
Ukrainian Ironbelly

Dugbog
This strange creature looks like just another hunk of dead wood floating in the marshes in which is lives. The Dugbog has finned paws and sharp teeth with which is attacks small mammals. The Dugbog is particularly fond of Mandrakes

Erkling
The Erkling is a small elf-like creature native to Germany. Its high-pitched laugh is particularly entrancing to children, which Erklings like to eat. Erkling killings have decreased dramatically over the last few centuries as the German Ministry of Magic has put in place strict controls over the creatures

Erumpent
This huge African magical beast resembles a rhinoceros. Its horn, which can pierce almost anything, contains a fluid which explodes, destroying what it has hit. Because male Erumpents frequently blow each other up during mating season, the species is somewhat endangered

Fairy
Tiny creatures that look like perfectly formed humans with insect wings. They are extremely vain and quarrelsome, liking nothing better than to serve as decoration. Flitwick decorated his classroom with them and the garden was decorated with them for Yule Ball. Fairies have their own weak form of magic which they use primarily to avoid being eaten by predators. According to Scamander, fairies are held to have very limited intelligence, and they do not use any form of language that humans understand (but see languages).

Fire-Crab
The Fire-Crab looks like a tortoise with a jeweled shell which can shoot fire out of its rear end. It is constantly in danger of being killed for its shell, which unscrupulous wizards will use as cauldrons. The Fire-Crab is native to Fiji, where there is a coastal reserve set aside for its protection. Fifth years, for thier Care of Magcial Creatures OWL, had to demonstate how to feed and clean out a Fire Crab without sustaining serious burns

Flobberworm
A ten-inch, toothless brown worm which eats vegetation, especially lettuce. The mucus it exudes is used to thicken potions. Hagrid, after losing his nerve with the hippogriff debacle, had his third year students raise these for a semester, which was completely pointless as they prefer to be left alone and to do nothing

Frog
Ron has a big one in a tank in his room (was filled with frog spawn before). They also live in the Weasleys’ garden pond. Frogs are used in potion making.

Fwooper
African bird with brightly-colored feathers. The Fwooper song will drive the listener insane and must therefore be sold with a Silencing Charm on it

Ghoul
Ghouls are slimy, buck-toothed, ugly creatures which live in attics or barns of wizards. They are dim-witted and are content to throw things around now and then. Ghouls are relatively harmless creatures who live on spiders and moths. A ghoul lives in the attic of the Burrow, just above Ron’s room. The ghoul makes noises a lot

Glumbumble
The Glumbumble is a magical furry insect. It produces a fluid which causes melancholy. This fluid is used as an antidote for the hysteria which results from eating Alihotsy leaves. Glumbumbles eat nettles.

Gnome (garden)
The gnome is a common garden pest resembling a potato with legs. Gnomes live in gnome-holes underground, where they dig up plant roots and generally cause a mess; their presence is also a dead give-away that a home belongs to a witch or wizard. Every so often, a garden must be “de-gnomed,” which involves grasping the gnomes by the ankles, swinging them around a few times to disorient them, then tossing them out of the garden. Gnomes are rather dim, so when they realize a de-Gnoming is going on, they all come rushing up out of their holes to see what’s going on, making them a lot easier to catch. Crookshanks loved chasing gnomes around the Weasleys’ garden and the gnomes seemed just as much to love being chased

Goat
The bezoar, a stone used in antidotes, comes from the stomach of a goat

Goblins
A race of highly intelligent magical beings who coexist (sometimes uneasily) with wizarding society.

Graphorn
A large, grayish-purple creature which lives in the mountains of Europe. Graphorns have two extremely sharp horns. They are extremely dangerous animals. Graphorn horns are useful for potions and Graphorn hide is even tougher than dragons’ and also repels spells

Griffin
Strange creature with the front body of an eagle and hindquarters of a lion. Griffins are used to guard treasure.

Griphook
Griphook is a goblin working at Gringotts Wizarding Bank. He escorts Harry and Hagrid down below the surface in the cart, stopping first at Harry’s vault, then at vault 713, a high security vault

Hag
Female human-like magical being, but less adept than a witch at disguising herself from Muggles. Hags are what one might refer to as “fairy tale witches.” Hags are wild in appearance, and they have been known to eat children, although at the Leaky Cauldron Harry once saw a hag eating raw liver. Hags can be quite frightening, apparently, since Quirrell had a “nasty bit of business” with one during his year off for first-hand experience in fighting the Dark Arts. Interested parties may also consult Gilderoy Lockhart’s book Holidays with Hags, which probably can be picked up quite cheaply at Flourish and Blotts, Diagon Alley, London, UK these days

Hellhound
Muggle name for the sleepless three-headed dog who according to their mythology guards the gates of Hades. The dog’s name was Cerberus, and the only time when he was ever overcome save by brute force was when the great musician Orpheus sang him to sleep. Hagrid had a huge three-headed dog which he called Fluffy, who now is reported to be living in the Forbidden Forest near Hogwarts.

Hippocampus
A Mer-horse, with the head and forequarters of a horse and the hindquarters and tail of a giant fish

Hippogriff
A flying creature with the head, wings, and forelegs of a giant eagle and the body (including hind legs and tail) of a horse. The eyes are orange, while individual hippogriff colours vary as those of mundane horses do, including black, bronze, chestnut, grey, and roan. An adult hippogriff’s wingspan is approximately 24 feet
Hippogriffs are carnivorous and are extremely dangerous until tamed, which should only be attempted by a trained witch or wizard. That said, hippogriffs can and do live on insects, birds, and small animals such as rats and ferrets. A person wishing to approach a hippogriff should maintain eye contact and should bow first; if the animal bows in return, it can be touched and even ridden. Hippogriff owners are required to keep them under Disillusionment Charms to prevent Muggles from seeing them

Horklump
This garden pest resembles a pinkish mushroom covered with bristles, but is actually a carnivorous animal rather than a plant. Horklumps are the favourite food of gnomes

Horse, winged
Twelve palomino horses the size of elephants pull the Beauxbatons carriage as it flies through the sky. These magnificent animals are very powerful and require forceful handling. They drink only single-malt whiskey

Imp
The imp is similar to the pixie and the fairy. It is about seven inches tall and is colored dull brown or black. Imps live in damp or marshy areas. They have a somewhat slapstick sense of humor and they love to trip people so they fall into a stream. They eat small insects.

Jarvey
Resembling an overgrown ferret, the Jarvey is one of the few beasts that can actually talk. Its speech, however, consists entirely of rude phrases and insults. Jarveys chase gnomes

Jobberknoll
A tiny blue speckled bird which makes no sound until the moment of its death, when it lets out a long scream consisting of all the sounds it has ever heard; their feathers are important ingredients in making potions that affect memory

Kappa
A water-dweller resembling a scaly monkey with webbed hands, a kappa will grab and strangle waders in its pond. According to Snape, the kappa is commonly found in Mongolia, but the Care of Magical Creatures textbook states that the kappa is a Japanese creature

Kelpie
Lockhart once gave Hagrid unsolicited advice on how to get kelpies out of a well. The world’s biggest and most famous kelpie is the Loch Ness Monster, although it is often mistaken for a sea serpent

Knarl
Very similar to a hedgehog, except that the knarl takes offense easily and will wreak havoc on garden plants

Kneazle
This very intelligent cat-like creature can detect unsavory or suspicious persons very well and will react badly to them. However, if a kneazle takes a liking to a witch or wizard, it makes an excellent pet. The kneazle has spotted fur, large ears, and a lion-like tail. Crookshanks is part kneazle

Lacewing fly
These insects are used as potion ingredients. They are small insects with large, transparent wings. Lacewing flies eat aphids

Leprechaun (clauricorn, cluricaun)
A tiny vegetarian creature resembling a little (maximum height 6 inches) green human, the leprechaun is one of the occasional anomalies of the beast/being classification system. Although they alone of the “little people” have the ability to speak human language, they are classified as beasts, and have remained in that category as they have never requested re-classification (although they appear to have made no political statement by this, unlike centaurs and merpeople. They are able to produce a gold-like substance that vanishes after an hour or two

Lethifold (living shroud)
This dangerous beast resembles a half-inch thick black cloak which moves along the ground at night, hunting its prey. It attacks sleeping humans, smothers them, then digests them, all in their bed, leaving no trace at all. The only defense against a lethifold is a Patronus Charm. Thankfully, this frightening creature is rare, only found in the tropics

Liondragon
The Chinese Fireball dragon is sometimes known by this name

Lobalug
A sea creature consisting of a poison sac and a spout, the lobalug is used as a weapon by Merpeople

Loch Ness Monster
The largest known and most famous kelpie on Earth; its favourite form is that of a sea serpent. The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures has been trying to find a way to hide the Loch Ness Monster, who is notorious for showing off for Muggles. Hagrid at one point offered to keep the giant Kelpie in the Hogwarts lake

Mackled malaclaw
A creature of the shore and coastline, resembling a lobster. The malaclaw’s bite gives the victim bad luck for up to a week

Manticore
A sentient creature, capable of intelligent speech but not classified as a being due to its violent tendencies, a manticore has a human-like head, a lion’s body, and the tail of a scorpion. The tail secretes a venom that is instantly fatal to a victim of its sting. A manticore’s skin repels virtually all known charms, so it is extremely difficult to subdue by magic. In 1296, a manticore seriously wounded someone but was let off because no one dared go near it. Hagrid bred the Blast-Ended Skrewt from a manticore and a fire-crab; it is unknown how he persuaded the manticore to cooperate.
Manticores originated in Greece. In the opinion of the Bestiary’s assistant editor, they like the acromantula probably originated as a wizard-bred species specifically created to guard treasures, strongholds, and the like, and serve as an example of why the Ban on Experimental Breeding is so important.

Merpeople
Sentient beings who live underwater in villages at the bottom of lakes and seas. Merpeople speak Mermish, a language which sounds like a horrible screeching noise but which is understandable underwater. They sometimes use lobalugs as weapons. Merpeople are also known as sirens (Greece), selkies (Scotland), and merrows (Ireland). The merfolk who live in the lake near Hogwarts are led by Merchieftainess Murcus.
In 1949, some merpeople caught a hippocampus off the coast of Scotland and domesticated it. Some of the merpeople living near Hogwarts keep grindylows as pets.

Merrow
A Merperson from the lakes and seas of Ireland

Moke
A small lizard that can shrink at will

Mooncalf
A strange creature that lives in a burrow. It only comes out at the full moon, when it dances on its enormous flat feet, sometimes leaving intricate patterns in wheatfields (much to the confusion of Muggles). The silvery dung of the mooncalf, if collected before the sun comes up, makes an excellent fertilizer

Murtlap
A seashore-dwelling rodent native to Britain, this ratlike creature has on its back a growth resembling a sea anemone, which when pickled can be used to promote resistance to curses. The murtlap will attack anyone who steps on it, although it usually eats crustaceans, not people’s feet.
Hermione treated Harry’s cuts after his detention with Umbridge with murtlap essence. Harry later recommended the same treatment to Lee Jordan, who in turn suggested it to the Weasley twins when they were seeking a solution to the problem of the boils caused by their prototype Fever Fudge

Niffler
A black fluffy long-snouted creature which burrows in dirt as if it were water. Nifflers are strongly attracted to anything shiny, so they can be very useful for finding treasure, and are often kept by goblins for this purpose. Native to Britain, nifflers live in lairs up to 20 feet underground and have litters of 6 – 8 young

Nogtail
Found in rural areas across Europe, Russia, and America; a Dark Creature (classified as a demon) resembling a piglet, but stunted with narrow black eyes, a thick stubby tail, and long legs. Nogtails curse farms. A nogtail slips into a pigsty and suckles an ordinary pig; the longer it goes undetected, the longer the curse that falls upon the farm. The nogtail is very fast and difficult to catch, but if chased off the farm by a pure white dog it will never return. See the Pest Sub-Division of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures for assistance with nogtail problems

Nundu
Considered by many to be the most dangerous beast in existence, the nundu is a gigantic leopard, native to East Africa, whose breath carries disease and death. Whole villages have been wiped out by the nundu, and no nundu has ever yet been subdued by fewer than a hundred wizards working together. Compare this with the dragons of the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament in Harry’s fourth year, each of which – an agitated nesting mother – could be stunned by a team of fewer than ten wizards

Occamy
A beautiful, carnivorous creature native to India and the Far East, resembling a winged snake, but plumed, having two legs, and reaching up to fifteen feet in length. As occamy eggshells are formed from pure soft silver, the occamy’s reputation for aggression may be overstated, as most of its interaction with humans probably has consisted of defense of its eggs

Phoenix
Swan-sized bird with gold or red plumage (apart from its golden tail), golden beak, and golden talons. The scarlet plumage glows faintly in darkness, while the golden tail feathers radiate heat to the touch. Phoenix tail feathers are suitable for use as wand cores, while phoenix tears have healing powers. According to Scamander, “phoenix song is magical; it is reputed to increase the courage of the pure of heart and to strike fear into the hearts of the impure”.
Like the diricrawl, the phoenix is herbivorous. Another point of similarity with the diricrawl is that the phoenix can disappear and reappear at will. Phoenixes can carry immensely heavy loads in flight.
The phoenix’s most unusual characteristic is that after its body begins to fail, it dies in a burst of flame, to be reborn from the ashes. This occurs not only on a phoenix’s natural Burning Day, but if the phoenix receives a fatal injury, such as being hit with a Killing Curse.

Pixie
Native to Cornwall, these mischievous creatures are a bright electric blue in colour. They are very rude

Plimpy
A kind of fish, shaped like a ball with two long, rubbery legs and webbed feet. If you happen to spot a plimpy with its legs tied in a knot, you will know that merpeople are around

Pogrebin
These annoying little creatures are native to Russia. They love to follow people around, infusing them with a sense of hopelessness until the human collapses, at which point the pogrebin attempts to devour them. The Pogrebin resembles a grey rock with a small hairy body and it hides by crouching down and pretending to be nothing but a harmless stone

Porlock
Found in Dorset, England and in southern Ireland, this short (about two feet high when fully grown), shaggy creature walks on two cloven-hoofed feet and feeds on grass. Its small arms end in four fingers.
The porlock lives to guard horses and will be found with a herd or curled in the straw of stables, although it is so distrustful of humans that it is seldom seen at all

Quintaped
A highly dangerous carnivore covered in thick reddish-brown hair, having five clubfooted legs and a low-slung body. It has a particular taste for humans.
One of the most dangerous of magical beasts, the quintaped is found only on the Isle of Drear off the north tip of Scotland. There is a fascinating legend about the origin of quintapeds, which involves a feud between two wizarding clans and a poorly thought-out magical attack. The reader is urged to read the full account in a reputable source such as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander. The Isle of Drear has been made Unplottable to protect the unwary

Ramora
Powerfully magical silver-coloured fish from the Indian Ocean, a protected species that in turn is a guardian of seafarers, as the ramora is capable of anchoring ships. It is protected from poaching by international wizarding law

Red Cap
Small, goblin-like/dwarflike creatures, Red Caps love bloodshed, and will attempt to beat to death Muggles lost in dungeons or on battlefields on dark nights. (As red caps can be repelled easily by charms and hexes, Muggles rather than adult wizarding folk face the most danger from them.)

Re’em
Native to the wilds of North America and the Far East, this extremely rare golden-furred giant ox’s blood gives the drinker immense strength. However, since demand far exceeds supply, re’em blood is found on the open market only rarely.

Runespoor
A magical three-headed, snake commonly reaching a length of 6 – 7 feet, coloured livid orange with black banding; native to Burkina Faso, where several forests are designated as preserves for its sole use. The runespoor is unique among known magical beasts for producing its eggs through its mouths. Runespoors rarely live to a great age, as each head contains an independent brain serving a different purpose, and they tend to attack each other. The right head is the planner, the middle head is the dreamer, and the left head is the critic. The planner decides where the runespoor goes and what it will do next, although the dreamer’s visions often lead to a runespoor remaining stationary for days, lost in its imaginings. The critic, the fangs of which are extremely venomous, hisses continually (and irritably), evaluating the efforts of the planner and the dreamer. Often, the other two heads will gang up on the critic and bite it off; two-headed runespoors are not uncommon. The runespoor was once a favorite pet of Dark Wizards, mostly because of its intimidating appearance. The eggs of the runespoor are used for making potions which enhance mental ability. A flourishing black market in the eggs and in the serpents themselves has existed for centuries

Salamander
A small, brilliant white, fire-dwelling lizard that feeds on flame, although it can survive up to six hours outside a fire if regularly fed pepper. A salamander lives only as long as the fire from which it sprang, scampering along burning logs and among the coals, and its colour appears blue or scarlet depending on the heat of the fire in which it appeared. Salamander blood has powerful curative and restorative properties

Sea serpent
A gigantic (can grow to a hundred feet in length), snake-like beast with a horselike head and a long snakelike body rising in humps out of the sea as it moves through the water; found in the Atlantic, Mediterrean, and Pacific Oceans. The sea serpent has received very bad Muggle press, in this case unjustified. Although many Muggle legends have grown up around sightings of the creatures, usually tales of horror and death, in reality sea serpents are harmless; there is no record of a sea serpent ever harming a human. See also the Loch Ness kelpie, which favours taking this form

Shrake
A magically-created species of saltwater fish, found in the Atlantic Ocean, which is covered in spines and which deliberately seeks out and destroys Muggle fishing nets. The first shrake were supposedly created in the 1800s by a group of wizard fisherfolk who had been insulted by Muggles. The shrake, by damaging the nets used by Muggles to fish in that area of the sea, cause no end of trouble

Snails
Poisonous orange snails were for sale in the Magical Menagerie; they could have been streelers

Snidget
A small, spherical bird which can fly with amazing agility, changing speed and direction almost instantaneously. Its golden feathers and red, jewel-like eyes are so prized that at one time the snidget was hunted almost to extinction. The fact that a snidget became such an integral part of the game of Quidditch (and usually died when it was caught) didn’t help matters either. The snidget became a protected species; there are now severe penalties for harming or even capturing one. Snidget reserves have been set up worldwide, and a magical device, the Golden Snitch, has replaced the live bird in Quidditch

Sphinx
Native to Egypt, this human-headed creature has a lion-like body, the capacity for human speech, and an innate love of puzzles and riddles, but due to its violent tendencies it has been placed in the ‘beast’ rather than the ‘being’ category.
The sphinx has been used by wizarding folk for centuries to guard treasure, and is noted for violence when that which it guards is threatened. In the opinion of the Bestiary’s assistant editor, the sphinx is very probably a wizard-bred species rather than a naturally occurring one, given the remarks made by Scamander in his footnote on acromantulas, but we have no definite information on that point.
A female sphinx was stationed in the Triwizard maze both to guard the closest approach to the center and to provide a hint about the last monster guarding the Triwizard Cup. She required an answer to a riddle; once the riddle was solved, she calmly let Harry pass by

Streeler
Giant African snail that changes colour every hour, and deposits a trail of venom as it moves that kills and shrivels all vegetation over which it passes, and which can kill horklumps. It is often kept as a pet

Tadfoal
The young of the Hippocampus is called a Tadfoal

Troll
There are three types of trolls: Mountain, Forest, and River. Troll language supposedly consists of grunting and pointing, but that description is courtesy of the Weasley twins, who were attempting to wind up Percy on the subject of his boss’ linguistic ability at the time. The Mountain Troll is very stupid. It stands twelve feet tall, with gray skin, a lumpy body, and flat horny feet. It exudes a powerfully awful smell, “a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean.” Its nose is full of what looks like lumpy, gray glue: troll boogers

Unicorn
A white (when fully mature) horse-like creature with a single horn on its head. Fourth years study unicorns in Care of Magical Creatures class. Various parts of the unicorn – the horn and tail hair in particular – are used in potions and for the cores of magic wands.

Yeti (the Abominable Snowman, Bigfoot)
Native to Tibet, this tall (up to 15 feet) white-furred humanoid creature may be related to the troll (unlike giants, the yeti fears fire), but as it will attempt to attack and eat any human (or just about anything else, for that matter) that it meets, no witch or wizard has had an opportunity to study a living yeti at close range. Ironically, however, Tibet is one of the most persistent offenders of Clause 73 of the International Code of Wizarding Secrecy due to the number of yeti sightings by Muggles, to the point that a permanent International Task Force is stationed in Tibet to help control the situation

Written by Madika
Last Change of this page: Aug 1st, 2005, 10:39 am

Emma Watson Empire

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them