Lesson Eight

The creature from lesson eight I will be discussing is the Dugbog. Dugbogs  live in marches in Europe, North America, and South America. As seen in the above image, they are brown and look like wood drifting in the marsh. Their eyes are brown to yellow and are 12-18 inches long when mature. Dugbogs finned paws are spiked in the males. Males and females have sharp teeth and are omnivores. They love feeding on Mandrakes, but also like fish. Frogs and snakes may also be eaten but are not their favorites. Plants consumed include sea weeds, weeds, and water plants.

Care must be taken when walking in a marsh where Dugbogs live as they will bite your ankles. Their teeth have an abundance of bacteria and bites will often become infected, so immediate cleaning of bites is necessary. Muggle ointments can be used to treat the bites. Moving quickly can help you avoid bites since Dugbogs are so slow. Between the thirty seconds it takes the Dugbog to realize you are moving and the twenty to thirty seconds it takes it to bite, you have a lot of time to get away.

Dugbogs lay black or dark green eggs depending on what their diet has been. Ten to thirty eggs can be laid at once but they are only laid once a year. It takes thirty six days for eggs to hatch, at which time the hatchlings are about four inches long. Spikes on males appear when hatchlings reach adult size at about six months of age. Babies stay with the mothers until they are fully grown. Hatchlings will only eat plants until three months of age when they get their carnivore teeth.

Hatchlings will leave the mother at around six months of age and claim part of the marsh for themself. They will mate with relatives, which is what I found interesting about them. The variety of mutations seen because of this inbreeding is quite interesting. Abnormal size, females with spiked fins, and bright blue eyes are common mutations. These Dugbogs usually die young as they are missing or have multiples of internal organs as well.

Dugbogs are interesting because of their appearance. The natural camouflage is seen in a lot of Muggle creatures, so to see it in a magical creature is very cool. I encountered a Dugbog on purpose in a marsh. I wanted to see how closely they looked to a log, so I went into a local marsh and looking around. I had on a pair of chain mail boots underneath some thick rubber waders in case I missed one and got bit. Of course, I did! The camouflage was too good for me and one tried to latch on to my leg. Thankfully, my layers kept me safe from the teeth. I felt the pinch though and was able to see the Dugbog like I wanted. I was amazed at how much it resemble a drifting log. A very cool experience indeed. Even if I did need to clean the snot out of the two tiny little wounds I did get.

Lesson Six

A very poor representation of a Leprechaun. Why? Read on!

This lesson discussed Leprechauns, or Clauricons. Native to Ireland, Leprechauns do not look like the little fairy man in a hat and green suit that Muggles always visualize. They are about six inches tall with green skin and clothing made of leaves and are capable of human speech. Despite this, they are classified as Beasts, and have never asked for reclassification. They are very mischievous and like attention, which is why they are in so many Muggle stories. They do this by making fake items like gold. This gold disappears after a few hours and is very convincing for two possible reasons. First, it is amusing to the Leprechauns. The second is from Welsh folklore, stating that money will disappear if you tell someone where you got it.

Leprechauns prefer to live in forests and wooded areas in in hollowed out trees or in the tops of trees using sticks, bark, and leaves. Leprechauns are herbivores and prefer Beech and Birch leaves and dislike the leaves of fruit trees. Leprechauns live in families and associate with other families in the area. They mate like fairies and have live young, like imps. Gestation is 18-21 days with 2-5 Lepracorns born. Lepracorns become Leprechauns at 64-68 days of age. At this time, their skin turns from light, spring green to dark, forest green. Females tend to stay in the homes, which is why Muggle lore often has only male Leprechauns in their stories.

The wrong appearance shown in Muggle stories comes from the ability of Leprechauns to change their appearance. They can tell the difference between magic folk and Muggles and will alter their appearance for their audience. Photographs of Leprechauns show up blank and drawings of them are weird because they change their appearance when someone starts. The other magic Leprechauns do is turning smooth stones into gold. They can change the shape and size of the stones, then they are painted to look like gold. This takes 3-5 weeks per stone and is a very timely process. Females do all this work, then bespell the stone to disappear after a set amount of time once it leaves Leprechaun hands.

I find it fascinating the long process Leprechauns go through in order to trick people and get amusement. Three to five weeks for a single piece of false gold is a long time, especially since it just disappears. My first experience with leprechaun gold was on a family vacation. We were on a sort of a creature excursion where a guide took us around the country to different creature habitats and showed us the creatures in their natural habitats. Ignoring the guides endless droning, I turned and saw a twinkling in the bushes. After a few seconds of sightless scrambling, my hands touched something cool and smooth. I quickly dug all the coins out from underneath the bush, making a small pile on the side of the little shrub. Peeking around, I scooped all the coins into my pocket, standing and rubbing my hands together to get the dirt off of them. I was smart enough to know that it was leprechaun gold and would disappear in a few hours or days. However I did know my sister, who had skipped this excursion to lay around in bed and Owl her friends, did not know that. A few hours later, we were back at the little Inn where we were staying. My family and I were playing cards. Eventually, it was down to just me, my sister, and my older brother who was in on my plan and also had a pocket full of leprechaun gold. With a wink of his eye, we started. It began with my brother proposing we play for money, then with him and I starting to lose on purpose. Eventually, the pile of fools gold in front of my sister started to grow and grow, as did her glee. My brother and I went upstairs a bit later with emptier pockets and false sadness on our faces, but a smug grin reserved for each other before we parted ways. The next morning, we were both greeted by a screech of anger. It seemed our sister had discovered the gold she had thought she had won had disappeared! It was not the most sophisticated plan in the world, but it was a fun trick to play on an aloof sister while on vacation!

Lesson Three

The creature from lesson five I will be discussing is the Pixie. Pixies are humanoid in appearance with bright blue skin, electric blue skin, black eyes, three fingers on each hand, and two toes on eachfoot. Despite being able to fly, they have no visible wings. Pixies are native to Cornwall, England and are often called Cornish Pixies for this reason. They are omnivores that eat plants and insects. They prefer beetles over spiders, butterflies, and moths. 

Pixies may seem harmless but are very mischievous. They like playing pranks on people. Neville Longbottom suffered from a typical Pixie prank when he was lifted by his ears and hung on a chandelier by some after Gilderoy Lockhart released them in Defense Against the Dark Arts Class. This, like flying with no wings, is part of their magic. The older the Pixie, the heavier the weight they can lift. In addition to the previously mentioned famous Pixie Incident, another occurred in the 17th century in Cornwall. Dymphna Furmage was kidnapped by a pack of Pixies then spent her life trying to convince the Ministry to exterminate them. She was unsuccessful.

Pixies make a shrill buzzing noise that only other Pixies can understand. Mating occurs after a buzzy discussion. Mating is the same as other mammals and they bear live young after 28-31 days of gestation. Twins have been documented but are incredibly rare, with the last documented set of twins in 1681. Baby pixies mature in 4-6 months and are then ready to breed. Adult Pixies will care for babies for three months, then breed again after babies leave, meaning they have about three babies per year. Pixies will stay with the same pack for their entire life. Mating is not done for life though, simply for convenience. 

Pixies are a bit of a pest to us magical folk. Freezing Charms and potions can be used to get rid of them. Pixies that are Frozen can be caged and moved somewhere else. Make sure to get help before attempting to get rid of a pack, or you may find yourself lifted by the ears and hung on a tree.

I find the Pixie brand of magic interesting. Their immense strength is a lot like Muggle ants that can lift huge loads despite their teeny tiny size. Flying with no wings is also very cool. I encountered Pixies when vacationing in England. I was settling into a room at a hotel and heard a weird buzz from my curtains. I waved my wand at the window to open it up, hoping whatever bug was in there would fly out. It was a mistake. A bunch of Pixies flew in! They were trying to gather some of their pack from my curtains, where they had gotten stuck. Along, I started casting Freezing Charms as fast as I could. Unfortunately there was one of me and a pack of them so I ended up dangling from the light fixture by my cloak. That was how my friend found me, laughing at my own misfortune, 45 minutes later.

Lesson Four

The creature I will be talking about from this lesson is the Niffler. These critters are treasure hunters native to Great Britain but that can now be found all around the world. Nifflers are black with long snouts and four fingers on the front paws and three on the back. Their eyes are large and brown. These creatures are very snuggly and affectionate but may not be the best pets as they go into a frenzy at the sight of anything shiny. They should be kept outside if kept as pets or they will tear things apart and could bite a person in the desire for their shiny jewelry. Goblins like Nifflers for their ability to find treasure deep under the Earth.

Nifflers live underground in burrows called lairs. These lairs can be as far as twenty feet underground with multiple rooms in them. There are community rooms and rooms for individual sleeping. Nifflers are active during the day and sleep at night. Nifflers eat plants and roots found in their lairs. Weeds and shrubs are their favorites but they will avoid flowering plants and poisonous ones. Poison Ivy and Oleander should be removed from yards where Nifflers are kept so they can be safe. They may not eat them but they could brush against them and cause little bald spots. 

Oleander is a flower in shades of white, orange, yellow, pink, and red with five petals. The flowers appear in summer and fall and are very fragrant. Poison Ivy can cause rashes on humans as well so be careful! Don't touch Poison Ivy with your bare hends as the urushiol will make you itchy. Leaves of three, leave them be is the rhyme my mother taught me about Poison Ivy as the leaves grow incluster of three. Leaves are shiny on top and velvety on the bottom. 

It is legal to keep Nifflers as pets but one should make and underground habitat for them beforehand with tunnels charmed to prevent them from being added on to. They will dig under houses and ruin the supports if the tunnels are not charmed so be very careful to charm the tunnels and the Niffler itself. You can provide food like lettuce and the tops of carrots. However they can find food on thir own. Protein tonics can be given to skinny Nifflers to help them gain weight. Wild Nifflers can be tamed but this is not recommended. Baby Nifflers should be bought around six months old so they can bond with you. This makes them want to stay in their tunnels and not leave what you made, which a wild Niffler will try to do.

Nifflers mate for life, find a new mate 3-5 months after their mate dies if necessary. Gestation is 130-190 days so Nifflers only have one baby per year. Older Nifflers have shorter gestation periods. Baby Nifflers, called pups, get weaned at 6 months of age. Nifflers will then life for 15-20 years and breed around age 2. Around 16-18 Nifflers stop breeding as their bodies simply can't anymore.

Nifflers are susceptible to Ringworm, a fungal infection of the skin. This will show up as bald little circles on their skin and can be caught be humans as well. Antifungal treatments like creams and powders can be used to eliminate ringworm. Episkey can also be used. Make sure to wear long gloves regardless of what treatment method you use, otherwise you can get it too.

I think Nifflers are interesting because of their ability to find anything shiny no matter what it is. They will do this even a the ire of their owners. The first time I encountered a Niffler was at my friends house. She had one outside of her house in a Charmed pen when her little sister got mad at her. Some uncontrolled magic took down a part of the Charm and the Niffler came running at me because I had my engagement ring on. I immediately shrieked and stuffed my hand in my pocket, not wanting to lose it to the Nifflers advances. I instead offered up a cheap necklace I was wearing. It felt very tickly to have the Niffler snuffling around me but I felt much better once it had its shiny little trinket and was back in its den.