Chapter One: A.
Name: ABRINE
M.O.M Classification: XXX
Location: Siberia and other cold regions.
Appearance:
The Abrine is a small creature that bears a passing resemblance to the Howler monkey. It is covered in a coarse fur that comes in various shades of grey. It possesses a distinctive hunch, and having no forelimbs, moves around by hopping like a kangaroo.
General Overview:
As mentioned above, the Abrine has no front limbs. Consequently, its neck can be elongated at will, enabling it to grasp objects with its mouth. In addition, its overlarge feet are shaped like a human hand, allowing it some manipulative properties.
In the wild, Abrines are mostly solitary animals, save for during the mating season when as many as fifty of the creatures may gather out in the open tundra. They are usually found in small burrows, under shrubs or even in the open air as they seem not be bothered much by the extreme cold.
Diet:
Abrines are mostly insectivorous, but have also been known to feed on twigs, rats, voles and other such vermin. Even surprisingly large prey such as horses is fair game, once they have been successfully brought down by the creature's powerful scream.
Distinctive Powers (if any):
The Abrine's scream is a powerful weapon and has been known to reach 250 decibels in intensity. As this is more than enough to cause an avalanche, it is utilized as a defense mechanism by the Abrine. While its opponent would be buried by several metric tons of snow, the Abrine's snow repellent fur would enable it to easily escape the confines of the snow-in.
Relationship with Humans:
The Abrine is quite popular as a pet amongst the European Magical Community. The Russian Ministry was the first to prescribe laws in 1903, as regards the sale of Abrines when their popularity began to soar. Other nations were quick to adapt and modify these laws to suit their needs. In Britain, the Abrine carries a CLASS B (Tradable) trade status. Most Ministries insist that Silencing Charms that are regularly maintained, be placed on them before purchase.
Mating Rituals:
This species' mating season begins during the winter solstice and ends, ironically, on February the 14th. The male Abrine first marks out his territory on a frozen lake or a similar locale, by drawing a large shape around it. There are many variations among individuals, but the shape is generally a circle. These patches are then fiercely defended from rival males who may decide that the diagram is better than theirs and try to claim it. The females hop around amongst the males, observing the territorial marks and then choosing the best in their view.
The young are born live after a month's gestation period, and after three weeks of being fed on the mother's milk, are abandoned by the parents who go their separate ways. The new born may stick together for up to a year, before breaking off and starting their trademark solitary lives.
Danger to Humans:
The Abrine is most dangerous when it screams; but as this is easily taken care of with a silencing charm such as muffliato, there's not much to be feared from this ball of fluff. They are truly dangerous only to muggle skiers, whose bumbling attempts at sports might disturb the creature, who will not hesitate to unleash its scream. Indeed, many an avalanche has been attributed to a frightened Abrine, despite many Ministries' efforts to reduce the conflict between muggles and Abrines.
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Name: ACROMANTULA
M.O.M Classification: XXXXX
Location: The forests of Borneo
Appearance:
The Acromantula is a gigantic spider with thick, spiky, black hair all over its body. In addition to its eight legs, it also possesses a pair of pincers that click rapidly when it is excited or angry. Females are generally bigger than the males.
General Overview:
Native to the forests of Borneo, Acromantulas are solitary creatures except for when they have taken a mate. They spin large, dome shaped webs under which they live. The webs aid in the capture of prey and provide some measure of protection from the elements.
The Acromantula possesses near human intelligence and may be taught human speech with little effort. It has been determined that it is almost certainly a wizard created beast, possibly intended to guard wizard dwellings or treasure. Despite its intelligence, the Acromantula is untrainable and is highly dangerous to wizard and muggle alike.
Legend has it that the Acromantula was first created by the Dark Lady, Morgana, as a weapon to be wielded against Merlin. This anecdote has been difficult to prove as the first, official sighting of an Acromantula was in 1794.
Diet:
The beast is strictly carnivorous, feeding on anything it can subdue with its pincers or venom. Acromantulas that have escaped wizard capture seem to prefer human flesh above all else, even going to such lengths as to teach this habit to their descendants.
Distinctive Powers (if any):
The Acromantula has no primary ability per se. But it is immensely strong and it is almost impossible to escape from its webs – even with the aid of magic.
Relationship with Humans:
Aside from ancient stories and tales told around bars, there has never been any proven instance of a wizard successfully befriending an Acromantula. Those foolish enough to try were seized and quickly devoured.
Acromantulas that ministry officials – under heavy guard – have spoken with, professed no great hatred for wizards or muggles. As the beast said: "It is simply our nature that we find humans delicious." The eggs carry a CLASS A (Non-tradable) status, while the venom carries a CLASS A (Tradable) status, despite the fact that it is used in some potions. Consequently, the venom commands a very high price in the market.
Mating Rituals:
Female Acromantulas go into heat once every three years. This can last for up to six months, and during that time, the Acromantula excretes pheromones that have been proven to be potent for distances exceeding twenty kilometers.
One unconfirmed report from medieval times had the writer's Acromantula responding to a female's pheromones from a continent away! In any case, the male that receives the signal is driven by instinct to seek out the female – and hope that he arrives before the golden window closes.
Should he fail to arrive before the female goes out of heat, she will simply devour him and be done with it. But even a timely arrival is no guarantee of the male's safety. Upon meeting with the receptive female, he begins a series of movements which consists of tentatively touching the female, darting backwards and small leaps. This 'dance of death' must impress the female; if she's not, he shall met his end in her stomach.
If the female Acromantula decides that he is a worthy enough partner, they shall mate for up to eighteen hours at a time. Unlike most other spider species, Acromantulas mate for life. At the end of the heat period, the female may lay up to 100; beach ball sized eggs; though realistically, only about ten of them will survive to adulthood.
Danger to Humans:
It cannot be stressed enough just how dangerous this beast is. Should you find yourself facing an Acromantula, you are advised to disapparate at once. The standard spider repelling charm, Arania Exume will not work on the adults who pose the most danger to you anyway. You have been warned.
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Name: ADARAX
M.O.M Classification: XX
Location: Most mountain ranges worldwide.
Appearance:
The Adarax resembles a large goat with a chocolate brown, draping, shaggy fur. Its horns, which can be larger than its own head, are shaped like axe heads, and are made from a highly calcified form of keratin, giving it great tensile strength.
General Overview:
As previously stated, the Adarax is primarily found on mountains and other such high places. Its split hooves have an almost magical ability to cling to the smallest of cracks on the mountain face, allowing the beast to charge up a sheer mountain slope with impunity. Efforts to duplicate this effect on magical footwear have met with failure.
Adaraxes live in herds of up to twenty individuals. The herds are divided into sexes, with the females having slightly greater numbers than the males. The herds do mix up at times such as during the mating season or if a predator such as a Nudu, has been sighted. The kids are usually kept in the middle of the herd formation, while surrounded on all sides by the adults.
Diet:
The Adarax is primarily herbivorous, though they have been known to eat small insects and mammals on occasion. They seem to prefer hardy shrubs to leafy greens when kept in captivity, possibly because those are the things that might grow on a mountain, and have been known to chew cacti with relish.
Distinctive Powers (if any):
Many muggle explorers of the 18th to 19th century wrote about seemingly magical goats that could leap from mountains and land on the ground with nary any harm coming to them. These reports were dismissed by their fellows upon the discovery of the mundane Ibex as mere exaggerations of the truth. It is believed that these explorers might have observed the Adarax, who are truly capable of performing such feats.
Indeed the Adarax are so impervious to harm from blunt trauma that they regularly leap from the mountain side as a means to escape from their less nimble predators. Patient research has revealed that this power is contained in the Adarax's milk which is fed to the kids for about six months. The horns, which are as hard as steel, is able to produce a great concussive force when struck against something, usually their opponents.
Relationship with Humans:
Records show that the Native American people, and Africans were the first to domesticate the Adarax. In fact the great city of Timbuktu, which when Atlantis sank, was the last remaining magical stronghold where wizards and muggles interacted, utilized these creatures as beasts of burden, and through an alchemical process that has now been lost to time, gained the Adarax's imperviousness from a potion made from its milk.
Nowadays, very few people bother to rear these beasts, save for the Avenfroste School for Sorcery and Enchantments in South Africa, and Ilvermorney in North America. Malakins and Murd, the makers of Malakins' Pumpkin Juice, once claimed that one of their secret ingredients was Adarax milk, leading to a spate of horrific accidents known as the Great Leap.
Mating Rituals:
Adarax females go into heat once a year, around the ending of June, up until the beginning of September. The males fight each other for the right to mate, with the overall winner mating with a greater percentage of the females. Very few males die from the mating fights, due to their imperviousness, but predators have been known to attack males that have exhausted themselves from their battles.
The kids are born blind and helpless, about a month after the mating. Within the hour their eyes open and they are able to run around with the herd. After a period of three years, the males join or form their own herds, with the females generally remaining with their mothers and becoming sexually active at age six.
Danger to Humans:
Adaraxes are some of the very few creatures to avoid harming humans, wizard or otherwise, leading many to abuse them for amusement. This high tolerance does have an end, and many an Adarax aggressor has reported to St. Mungo's with grievous wounds that often lead to their deaths.
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Name: AROO
M.O.M Classification: XXXX
Location: Borneo
Appearance:
The Aroo is a small, deerlike creature with brown skin and bright yellow spots. It is hornless, with a tuft of hair generally taking the place of the horns, though this is not true for all populations.
It's alter ego brings to mind a large demon, with scythe like claws and a terrifying visage. Some individuals even possess large, bat like wings.
General Overview:
This extremely rare creature is found only in the forests of Borneo. Intensely shy, the Aroo avoids all, even other members of its species. Consequently, they are almost impossible to study in the wild, and frustratingly little is known about it. What we do know is that every full moon, this shy and gentle creature turns into a hulking, mindless beast that attacks everything in sight, including other transformed Aroos. Research is ongoing to discover what causes this transformation, and whether a permanent solution may be found for similar afflictions, such as the Werewolf. (See Chapter 23 for more details on the Werewolf curse.)
Diet:
Precious little is known about this creature, but it is known that it is a herbivore. What its transformed state feeds on, is unknown.
Distinctive Powers (if any):
Once again, very little is known about the Aroo to be able to make an accurate guess as to its abilities. It is known that the transformed state possesses great strength and that some individuals can fly. Why this is so, is still a mystery whose answer has continued to elude us.
Relationship with Humans:
Up until a few years ago, no one aside from Borneo natives knew that the Aroo even existed. The natives see them as their mortal enemies and utilize several magical items that have proven effective at keeping the transformed state at bay.
Conservationists have made several attempts to bring their numbers up, much to the chagrin of Borneo natives who believe that us Britons are, to use the phrase, off our rockers.
Mating Rituals:
No one has ever seen an Aroo mating rite in the wild. Borneo natives who might have solved this mystery have repeatedly refused to say anything, convinced that giving us any more information will lead to other foolish endeavors by us.
Even in captivity, the Aroo's shyness has repeatedly defied our attempts to understand how these creatures interact with each other. When two members of the opposite sex are placed near other, neither will act like the other exists. But once the observers take their eyes off the scene, even for a fraction of a second, the Aroos will mate at such speed that many believe that they possess latent time warping powers.
Once the observer's eyes are back on them, the Aroos will assume their previous position with the observer none the wiser. The fact that a few months later, the female's belly will start to swell is the only evidence that anything happened at all.
The Aroo has a gestation period of around nine months, but again, no one has seen an Aroo give birth. We have reason to believe that they do it in their transformed state, because one moment you might be watching a quiet and heavily pregnant Aroo. Turn away for a moment and turn back, and you will find a mother and her new born, with the room it was lying in, in ruins.
Attempts to use the muggles' cameras to observe the Aroos have met with failure as the creatures seem to be aware that someone is watching them nonetheless.
Danger to Humans:
Even though the Aroo is a known wizard killer, the fact that it is so rare, actively avoids all contact and is only found in a specific location is what earned it the XXXX classification.
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Name: ASHWINDER
M.O.M Classification: XXX
Location: Worldwide
Appearance:
The Ashwinder is a pale grey serpent with brilliant, glowing red eyes. It is just over one metre long and leaves an ashy trail wherever it goes.
General Overview:
The Ashwinder spontaneously arises from a magical fire that has been left unattended for too long. It lives for only an hour and once formed, will immediately seek out a secluded spot in which to lay its eggs and will thereafter collapse into dust. The eggs, which are a brilliant, searing orange, can reach temperatures of over 300°C and must be found and frozen with a suitable charm before they ignite the building.
Diet:
As the Ashwinder only lives for an hour, it has no need for sustenance, hence it feeds on nothing.
Distinctive Powers (if any):
The Ashwinder possesses no special powers save for its eggs which poses a fire hazard.
Relationship with Humans:
Ashwinders have been a pest to the world's magical community for several millennia. Cave paintings have been discovered, depicting several Ashwinders emerging from a flame and tormenting their hosts. (These paintings were then of course, obscured behind several Disillusionment and Muggle repelling charms and the muggles involved heavily obliviated). And so it seems that as long as the magical world has known about fire and its magical prperties, there have been Ashwinders. It's eggs are a valuable component of Love potions and may be eaten whole as a valued cure for ague.
Mating Rituals:
The Ashwinder has no mating ritual as it does not live long enough to desire a mate, nor those it require one. Even in situations were a homeowner was careless enough to have several Ashwinders running around, they showed no desire to mate with each other.
Danger to Humans:
The Ashwinder possesses no great danger as long as the homeowner is vigilant and keeps count of who is allowed to light a fire. Keep in mind that a magical fire as used in this article, is one to which a magical substance such as Floo powder, has been added. The Qilin is also another magical beast that arises from the magical flame, but that will not be treated here. For an example of the danger of experimenting with Ashwinders, see the Hogwarts Play disaster in The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Revised edition.
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Name: AUGREY
M.O.M Classification: XX
Location: Britain and Ireland
Appearance:
The Augrey is a thin, mournful looking bird, resembling something like a small and underfed vulture. Its feathers are greenish black.
General Overview:
A native of Britain, it is also found in Ireland and parts of Europe. Almost as shy as the Aroo, it nests in brambles and thorns. These nests are tear shaped and the Augrey only leaves it when it rains. It possesses a low, throbbing cry which was once believed to foretell death. The feathers are useless as quills as they repel ink.
Diet:
The Augrey feeds mostly on insects and other such fare. Fairies are also on the menu if it can get them.
Distinctive Powers (if any):
The Augrey can sense the relative humidity of a location and as such can predict with great accuracy, the approach of rain.
Relationship with Humans:
Until quite recently, it was widely believed that the Augrey's song foretold death. Because of this, they were hunted vigorously, though this was an effort in futility as the Augrey's habit of building its nests in out of the way places and with brambles and thorns meant the odds of successfully locating an Augrey was nearly zero.
Patient research, however, has revealed that the Augrey merely sings at the approach of rain and that the hysteria invoked by this species' song was quite silly. The Augrey has since enjoyed a vogue as a home weather forecaster, though many find its almost constant wailing during the winter months to be quite unbearable.
Mating Rituals:
Due to the Augrey's secretive ways, very little is known about its mating habits. Males are frequently seen in the skies during the winter months making loud keening noises. If there is a female around and she is receptive, she will give an answering call that directs the male to her location.
The Augrey lays two to eight, greenish black eggs that hatch in five weeks. The mother looks after the chicks until they are fully grown, usually until they are a year old, before they strike out on their own.
Danger to Humans:
None. Only superstitious people need fear this shy beast.
For more information on the Augrey, see Why I Didn't Die When the Augrey Cried by Gulliver Pokeby, 1824 (Little Red Books).
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