COMC-701 Lessons

It Hangs From The Trees

Welcome back once again to Care of Magical Creatures! I just can’t believe that we are already seven lessons into the year. On top of that, I am beyond shocked that we’re this close to completing your education at Hogwarts! Enough of that, though, I have a couple of lesser known creatures to cover today, but they are still just as exciting and interesting as ever. Neither of these creatures are recognized by the British Ministry of Magic, but are recognized by other magical governments and, if you end up on a case in these countries, you may run into them, so it’s important to know about them and how they compare to our classification system. Let’s go ahead and get started if you’re all ready, shall we? 

Leucrottas: Swallowers of Threats

Open Wide

I’m going to kick off this lesson with these gorgeous and magnificent creatures known as leucrottas. This creature has also been referred to as the crocotta, crocuta, and the leucrocotta. For the sake of this lesson, we will simply be calling it the leucrotta to avoid confusion, but you are welcome to call them one of the other names in your assignments and discussions. If they were classified by our Ministry of Magic, they would be XXXX beasts, as this creature is just as dangerous as it is fascinating. Now, looking at a leucrotta at first glance, you would think that this is just a mundane moose with some very intricate horns. I’ve provided a picture for you to see.

Once this animal opens its mouth, however, you can clearly see that this is no ordinary moose (though let’s hope you gathered that from the horns). The leucrotta has an exceptionally large mouth - so large that some might find it quite horrifying. To put this in perspective, magizoologists that specialize in caring for these creatures have to put their entire head and shoulders inside a leucrotta’s mouth in order to brush its teeth. Of course, I absolutely do not recommend you ever try this if you come across a leucrotta. Only highly trained and trusted magizoologists should attempt something like this.

Muggle Folklore

There have been several accounts of “leucrottas” in Muggle literature and folklore, however they look and behave nothing like the creatures we know. These depictions are disregarded in our culture and classified simply as another thing that Muggles get wrong about magic. In fact, some Muggle bestiaries claim that they are the spawn of lions and hyenas, and are said to have the ability to mimic noises they hear. Instead of the many teeth we know they have, these bestiaries say that they simply have one long bone that acts as a tooth. There are, in fact, several different variations of these same accounts with only small varying differences. While they are all indeed wrong, it’s still quite interesting to see what Muggles believe! I’d love to know how a cross between hyenas and lions sprouted horns, but that’s a question for Muggle scientists I guess. I’ve provided a Muggle depiction below, so you can see how ridiculous they look in comparison to the real thing. 

A Little Chilly, Eh?

Leucrottas prefer to live in colder climates, where there are plenty of forests and fresh water. Because of this, they find their home in the upper United States of America and Canada. Since these creatures are covered in thick layers of fur and they are relatively large, it is ideal for them to stay in areas that are quite cold and have regular winters. If it gets too hot, their survival can be threatened. Imagine walking around in a massive fur coat in the thick of summer. It would cause anyone to get heatstroke! During the warmer months, leucrottas like to stay cool by going for a swim in the lakes or streams, though because of their staggering height, averaging seven feet tall at the head, the water often only comes up to the middle of their body, depending on the depth of the water.

It’s What’s on the Inside

Leucrottas are herbivores, though with such large mouths they’ve been known to eat entire shrubs or small trees at once. They graze on grass, but they get most of their needed nutrients from particularly woody plants. This comes in handy during the colder months, as the leafy greens are much harder to find. This is what makes areas like the northern United States and Canada so desirable for these animals.

An adult leucrotta can eat between seventy and eighty pounds of food a day to maintain its magnificent size. This is part of why woody plants come in handy. Imagine the amount of leaves a leucrotta would have to eat to meet that seventy pound food requirement. It’s much easier to meet that requirement by eating the parts of plants that weigh a bit more, like the branches and stems. They are ruminant creatures, meaning that they have four parts to their stomachs and they regurgitate their food and chew their cud, or the partially digested food that is in the first part of their stomach. Their large mouths come in handy for this process. Furthermore, their stomachs can hold about one hundred and fifty pounds of food at once, meaning they have plenty of room to continue eating and processing their food through their compartmented stomachs. 

Cute, but Deadly

If these animals are herbivores, what would earn them an XXXX rating from our Ministry? While it is a generally peaceful beast, it is deadly when threatened. If they feel like they are endangered, they will not hesitate to swallow a predator. If their attacker is larger than they are, they will attempt to swallow their head and suffocate them at the very least, but if it is a smaller creature or human, they will not hesitate to swallow it whole. And before you ask, yes, they have been known to do this to witches and wizards. This is why I said only very advanced magizoologists should work with them, as simply approaching them the wrong way can be considered a threat. Like hippogriffs, you have to show them respect by bowing first before approaching them. 

A Peaceful Magic 

Leucrottas are magical beasts, but their magic is mainly defensive in nature. Some of their most notable magic is located in their horns. They act as “foci” that create a fairly decent sized shield. This is used when they feel they are under attack and their swallowing or suffocating defense mechanism isn’t practical. This is mainly used by female leucrottas that need to protect their offspring. This provides enough time for their calves to escape and find a safe hiding place. 

Along with their horns, these animals have enchanted fur around their necks. This fur strengthens their shield charms, while also acting as a shocking mechanism if someone tries to touch them without their permission. When domesticated by trained magizoologists, leucrottas can have this fur shaved (doing no harm to the animals). When combined with Demiguise hair, it actually can be made into a material used in clothing that contains both the power of invisibility as well as simple defensive charms. It can also be used to line cloaks, providing insulation and warmth.

Leucrottas were, at one point, poached for their horns as these  beautiful,  intricate antlers make for particularly useful wand cores. However, there are now sanctuaries built for these animals and anyone caught poaching them is heavily fined. They can even face time in wizarding prisons for such a heinous crime, as not only is poaching illegal, but the horns are considered a Class B Non-Tradeable Material. With that, let's move on to our next creature.

Sasabonsams: Spindle-Legged Tree Dwellers

The Vampire of Africa?

The sasabonsam, also commonly referred to as asanbosams, is a creature native to West Africa. In particular, in this region the creature is found as far north as Burkina Faso, as far east as Nigeria, and as far west as the Ivory Coast or Cote D’Ivoire. To help you picture this region, I’ve provided a map to the left.  

Sasabonsams have a human-like appearance, but don’t let that fool you into thinking they aren’t something to be afraid of. Though they look like me and you, there are key traits to help you identify them. The first thing to look for is their dark red eyes. They can be so red that at night they appear to glow. The second physical trait to pay attention to is their long legs. Now, most humans have legs that appear proportional to their bodies, with some variation on either end of the spectrum. Sasabonsams have legs that are double the length of their torsos, making them appear very spindle-legged. It also makes them a bit taller than average humans, averaging seven feet tall. I have provided a sketch of the creature below.

Now, you may have noticed another physical characteristic from that sketch:  long canines, or pointy teeth. These teeth are as strong as iron, and are sharper than any chef’s best knife, ripping through flesh with ease. They also have incredibly long nails on their hands and feet that are just as sharp and strong as their teeth. With these kinds of physical attributes, you may already be able to guess what their diet is: meat. 

A Bloody Diet

Sasabonsams are often referred to as vampires because they will completely drain their food of blood before consuming them. Their prey consists of whatever runs into their legs, which usually ends up being larger mammals. Yes, I said their legs. They reside high up in the trees, sitting on the branches, letting their legs dangle beneath them. As animals, or humans, walk under trees, they may run into the legs of a waiting sasabonsam. As they touch the legs, they will be hooked by their long nails and pulled up into the tree to be a meal. When the sasabonsam is finished, they simply drop the body, which then falls at the base of the tree. 

While this sounds incredibly insensitive, this practice has given magizoologists an excellent opportunity to study the diet of sasabonsams. If a sasabonsam is sighted in a tree, magizoologists can summon the bones from the base and analyze them to determine what exactly the sasabonsam has eaten. In a recent study, it was determined that a sasabonsam had eaten several large cats, some deer, and one human. These studies allowed magizoologists to have proof that humans are consumed by sasabonsams, meaning that if they were classified by our Ministry, they would be XXXXX beasts. Remember, this means they are known wizard killers. 

Muggle Folklore

Throughout Ghana, myths of a half-human, half-bat creature with large hooks for feet are told by the Ashanti people. These stories vary greatly, with some describing the creature as having wings, some describing the creature as being all human with a bat-like face, and others characterizing them as incredibly skinny humans with large claws or horns, or as having pink skin. These differences can also be linked to the name used. When using the term “sasabonsam,” the individual is often referencing the creature with wings. If using “asanbosam,” it is referencing the variation that looks a bit more like a human. 

As you can see, these descriptions vary and aren’t at all like the creature I am teaching you about. To start, there are no weird bat-like parts to the real creature. While the creature we are familiar with has long nails, the Muggle version can have large hooks for feet, which it uses to hang from trees while it uses its arms and body to grab prey. I’ve provided four different depictions for you below, each showcasing a different aspect of the Muggle description.

How Are They Different Than Vampires?

Now, I’m sure you are all wondering, with them looking like humans and drinking blood, what officially makes them different from vampires. Now, I know you covered vampires during your Third Year in Defense Against the Dark Arts, so I will not go into too much detail, but do recall that vampires are classified as beings, meaning they can understand the laws given in magical communities. This is something a sasabonsam lacks. Though human-like in appearance, they do not have the mental capacities needed to be a contributing member of society in some way, which makes them a beast because they have no moral compass. They give no thought to right and wrong, and only operate on instinct. However, it is important to note that no attempts have been made by British magizoologists to communicate with sasabonsams because of their nature, and because they have not been an issue in Europe. Out of sight, out of mind I guess… as least to the Ministry. I’m sure the moment one is illegally brought into the country, the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures will be all over trying to learn to communicate with them, but until then, we practice avoidance. 

Can I Touch It?

There is only one documented attempt in the last ten years of anyone trying to interact with the creature. This occurred in 2014 at the Quidditch World Cup. If you recall, we talked about this event last class as well. It was a bit chaotic for lots of creatures. Well, rather than attacking another mascot, the sasabonsams in attendance simply became ravenous at the smell of all the blood spilled from the mascots fighting. Now, I’m sure the next question that comes to mind is why sasabonsams were at the Quidditch World Cup in the first place. The simple answer is that the Nigerian National Quidditch Team uses the sasabonsam as their mascot. Granted, I’m not quite sure what message they are attempting to get across. Maybe that if you fly under them they will capture you and drink your blood as a show of their strength? I’m unsure. Regardless, it isn’t a great mascot. In its blood-crazed frenzy, one of the sasabonsams bit a Jamaican Quidditch player, who later on passed out in the middle of a match from infection. 

But, how did he survive being bit by one in the first place? Why wasn’t he drained of blood and eaten until the creature had its fill? There is one shared characteristic between vampires and sasabonsams: their dislike of garlic. With sasabonsams, if your blood tastes of garlic, they will release you from their grasp before they can finish the whole process, repulsed by your taste. It just so happened that Bailey, the Jamaican Keeper, had scarfed down quite a bit of grilled meat for dinner the night before, all covered in Argentina’s best chimichurri (whose main component is garlic).The consumption of garlic is the only true way to protect yourself from a sasabonsam, if you worry you might accidentally walk into their legs. If you will be traveling in their native range, be sure to check all trees before walking under them for their long legs and nails, which typically are lighter in color than the trees they sit in. However, if you want to ensure you are completely protected, throw some garlic in with your morning eggs or evening pasta, so if they do catch you, you will be released shortly after. 

However, even if you are released, you still have to be prepared to treat the bite. Their bites are incredibly nasty, becoming infected within hours and causing the skin around the puncture marks to turn green. This is because of the cocktail of bacteria that lives on their fangs. They eat a wide variety of things, and they don’t brush their teeth, so any and all bacteria their teeth have touched is now in you. Ideally you should get to St. Mungos as soon as possible, but if that is not an option you will need to allow the bite to swell and then drain it. As it swells, it will fill with pus and infected liquid, and it is important to drain all of that out to allow the bite to dry out and heal. If the bite isn’t drained, it will eventually burst, causing the pus to cover the surrounding area and eat away at the skin, making the wound larger. Obviously, this is not ideal, which is why proper drainage is important. 

Finally, I’d like to end on something I’m sure is still floating around in your brain: how did the Nigerian National Quidditch Team capture and bring these creatures to the Quidditch World Cup? Unlike the Norwegian Team, the Nigerians have discussed how this was possible. Stunning Spells were utilized to immobilize the creature from afar, and then the individuals moved in on the stunned sasabonsams. The creatures were placed in cages with a variety of protective enchantments to protect everyone on the trip. They were then placed in a controlled area at the World Cup, just like the other mascots. So, it is possible to safely move these creatures, it just takes more than one person and quite a bit of planning.

Closing

Well, I think that brings this lesson to an end! Now, I didn’t discuss these creatures to frighten you. I discussed them to prepare you. Before my first trip to Africa, I got a crash course on the sasabonsam just before I touched the Portkey. I went from being excited about my first trip to see African magical creatures to being paranoid about going near trees. I feel it’s better for you to hear about these creatures now, even if you may never see them in person. I am attempting to remedy the mistakes my Care of Magical Creatures professor made, hopefully creating a better prepared generation of magizoologists. As you leave, don’t forget to pick up a copy of the essay prompt that is due before next class. As always, don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about what was covered today!

Lesson content written by Professor Elizabeth Anne and former professor Aurelia Cattercorn

All pictures are found using the Google Images search engine, and belong to their owners. The sasabonsam depictions image was created by Professor Anne utilizing images found through the Google Images search engine and belong to their owners.