The Beasts of Fantastic Beasts

Jondee here at Newt’s Suitcase,

There is some info that is only in the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2001) book by J.K. Rowling and new aspects of the beasts in this year’s film. The Harry Potter films had some creatures, but Fantastic Beasts is a magizoologist’s dream. I count fourteen beasts (fifteen including the Obscurus) in the film.  The Chamber of Secrets (2002) had the Whomping Willow, Dobby, Cornish Pixies, the Acromantula, Fawkes, and the Basilisk (less than half of Fantastic Beasts). The book is in textbook form by Newt Scamander with notations by Harry’s friends. It contains the Ministry of Magic classifications of the beasts from XX Harmless to XXXXX known wizard killer. SPOILERS! for those who have not seen the film! The first beast that we see in the film is the Niffler. It is found in Britain and is one of the beasts that Newt does not name. The book says that it likes things that are “glittery”, but not that it takes jewelry, coins, and shiny items to make it’s nest that we see in the film. Also, the book does not note the Niffler’s pouch which it places an impossible amount of it’s loot. So the book has it’s own spin with new facts like the Niffler burrows and has it’s lair twenty feet underground. The Niffler lair in the film is suspended above ground, this may be a variant or just this particular Niffler’s behavior. The Bowtruckle, Newt has named them including his pal Pickett, is more of a creature made of bark than the stick insect-like movie version, again this might be from another variety, it is found in the book from the west of England and southern Germany. It eats insects (which we didn’t see in the film) and attacks people who harm it’s tree.

We also see flying through New York, the Billywig, which is from Australia. The book describes a bite from it causes levitation! Jacob is attacked by a Murtlap which comes from coastal Britain. It feeds on crustaceans and if pickled can give resistance to curses. The film has Jacob’s No-Maj reaction to the Murtlap bite. The snake-like Occamy is from the Far East and India. It is rated at Dangerous level, it has silver eggs, but the book has it only at fifteen feet. The film has the Occamy eating insects and “choranaptyxic”, changing size from massive to tea pot size. The Erumpent is also rated as Dangerous and is found in Africa. The book notes that its hide can repel charms and curses! The musk is something new for the film, very like a real animal. The Demiguise called Dougal by Newt is from the Far East. It’s silvery hair can be used for Invisibility Cloaks! The film adds that it can foresee the immediate future. The Mooncalves which Jacob feeds with pellets, the book does not note where it is found, I guess that it may be found everywhere. They have complicated dances and their “silvery dung” can be used to accelerate growth for magical plants! The deadliest creature in Newt’s suitcase is the Nundu, the lion creature that has a puffy, spiked head, and is from East Africa. It is rated as a “known wizard killer”, Newt says all of his beasts are harmless so maybe this Nundu is tame, it’s breath can cause disease, so maybe this one has lost that ability. The Thunderbird and the Swooping Evil are new creations for the film so Fantastic Beasts needs an updated edition.