TNFG-301 Lessons

Are you my Mammal?

Welcome
Professor Mitchell had what appeared to be a small library stacked up on her desk as the Third Years filed into the classroom.  Surrounding the books was an assortment of medium-sized trinkets of every kind, from spinning tops to Quaffles.  As she proceeded to the front of the class, the professor casually tripped over a ball on the floor, but somehow managed to remain on her feet, as if by magic, and began the lecture.

Introduction
Today we’ve got a rather packed schedule, so I’m going to ask for your utmost attention.  We will begin the lesson by discussing mammals and then I will be giving you a brief introduction to body systems.  We will also be learning two, yes two, transformations today, Snufflifors and Lapifors, so I hope you’re all ready.

Mammals
Mammals are the final animal class that we will learn about. Though we are discussing magical creatures next week, they are not a class in their own right and instead are sorted amongst the others. Now, mammals are arguably the most complex of all the animal classes. You yourself are a mammal, along with monkeys, chimps, dogs, cats, elephants, whales, and nearly 5,500 other species. This increased complexity mostly comes from the possession of the neocortex, a part of the brain that monitors sensory perceptions, motor commands, spatial reasoning, and language. This makes mammals some of the most intelligent species on the planet.

In general, mammals are endothermic, or warm-blooded, vertebrates. The features that distinguish them from other animal classes include the possession of hair, mammary glands, and a neocortex. All but five species of mammals give live birth, another defining feature. Those that don’t are called monotremes and include the platypus and four species of echidnas.  Despite these distinguishing features, mammals still vary widely in appearance, size, habitat, and diet.  They range anywhere from the tiny shrew, at only 3.5 centimeters long and weighing two grams, to the massive blue whale, the largest known mammal, coming in at 30 meters long and 180 tons. Mammals are found on every continent and live in every terrestrial biome.There are carnivorous, omnivorous, and herbivorous mammals, only going to show the incredible diversity of this animal class.

Body Systems
It is important to remember when performing animate transformations that there is a lot going on inside the body that makes a creature act or move or live in a certain way.  There are certain systems throughout the body that control various aspects of an animal's existence, from breathing to eating to reproducing.  They are the basic functions that make the creature live and grow.  Each of these systems is composed of various organs and other body parts that work together to complete the task at hand.  I have some of the major body systems outlined in the chart below along with the incorporated body parts and the purpose of the system in the body.

Some of you might notice the reproductive system missing from this list.  This is because, as crucial as it is to nearly every species of creature, we can not do much to even imitate it when it comes to transfiguration.  Try as we might, reproduction will never be possible with a transformed creature.  

For the systems that are relevant to transfiguration, you don’t necessarily need to focus on every one of these in order to make a near perfect creature.  That said, the more you are familiar with them and the more you consider them while casting, the more life-like your creature will be.  It is one thing to get the outward appearance of an animal “eating,” but without more knowledge of what’s actually happening, these motions may appear faked, like an actor who is trying just a little too hard.  It is also helpful if you want to create a specialized creature, such as one that is very fast or incredibly strong.  Knowing what parts of the body are in charge of these aspects will help you know what to put emphasis on in the transformation.

The Transformation
The first spell we will be practicing is Snufflifors, which transforms a book into a mouse.  Feel free to choose any of the books I have up here on my desk to practice on, though be sure to return them at the end of the lesson! These are from my own personal collection and I would rather not have to replace any of them.  All of the spell information can be found on the chalkboard.

As you may be able to infer from the concentration notes, today I want you all to try to get your transformed creatures to mimic some natural, instinctual behaviors.  The easiest of these, and what I want you to aim for first, is breathing.  To achieve this, you must concentrate on the physical act, but should also keep in mind all that is taking place beneath the skin throughout process and why it is happening in the first place.  Though these aspects, the filling and deflating of the lungs and exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide, aren’t explicitly necessary to create the outward appearance of breathing, the rising and falling of the chest, it makes it slightly easier to achieve and improves the overall result.

The second spell we’re going to cover is Lapifors, which transfigures a medium sized object into a rabbit.  I have a number of objects up at my desk for you to choose from, so feel free to come pick something out when you’re ready.

Your goal for Lapifors is the same as your goal for Snufflifors: try to get your critter to go through the motions of breathing.  If you did well with this task with Snufflifors, feel free to try to go a bit further and get your rabbit to sniff a carrot that you hold out to it.  I have a bucket of carrots up here on my desk if you wish to try this.

Where did this come from? Why do I care?
Lapifors was invented in 1897 by Tansia Tuft, who, if you remember, also invented the Ranafors transformation. Snufflifors was invented by Hesper Black (nee Gamp) in 1889.  She discovered it while experimenting with Gamp’s Law, as she had recently discovered a stack of old notes in one of her grandmother’s chests concerning the topic.

Both of these spells are often used in conjunction with a couple of the spells that we covered last year. Lapifors is often used with the Rabbits to Slippers transformation and Snufflifors with Mouse to Snuffbox. Lapifors also sees use from people looking for a cuddly companion for the night and both have been used for use in animal experimentation to avoid the ethical debate surrounding using live creatures in experiments.

Conclusion
Thank you for sticking with me throughout the longer lesson today! Next week will be your second to last lesson of the year and your final inanimate to animate transformation, so come prepared!

*Mammal image credit: http://www.articlesweb.org/natural-environment/photo-of-mammals-an-overview*
*Body systems image credit: http://www.livescience.com/37009-human-body.html*