Spoiler warning! This article contains spoilers for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. If you haven’t seen the film yet, you should turn back now…
1. Manticore
Deep in the belly of the Erkstag prison lies a horrifying creature that you would be pleased to never encounter… the Manticore. This is the first time we've seen it in the films and it is truly terrifying. Imagine a cross between a lobster and a crab – but giant, with claws that can crush a person, a hard fuzzy shell, powerful jaws and three eyes. As we saw in the film, this creature has a real taste for humans. As soon as your light went out in the prison, that was it, this horrific beast – that had a particular talent for being able to strip flesh from bones and devour a human in a matter of seconds – would get you. Lovely. If the thought of one Manticore wasn’t enough to give you nightmares, there’s also the fact that it produces hundreds of offspring and will feed them the remains of its victims…
2. Baby Manticores
A single baby Manticore might not seem as dangerous as their grown-up counterpart – thanks to their diminutive size. Although, as we saw in the Erkstag, facing hundreds of them at once is a completely different kettle of fish. These little beasts aren’t the cutest of creatures and resemble a prawn or a scorpion. They also have the distinctive, beady three-eyes which sets them apart from non-magical crustaceans. You’d still be wise to tread carefully around these creatures and if there’s one thing we learnt from Newt, if you come face-to-face with a cluster of baby Manticores… you better have perfected your hip swivel.
3. Adult Qilin
We only briefly met an adult Qilin in The Secrets of Dumbledore and in circumstances that went from joyful to tragic very quickly. However, what we did see showed us just how wonderful these reclusive beasts are. You can completely understand why they arguably the most revered magical creature in the wizarding world. Not only do they have a graceful appearance with their iridescent scales, long necks and resemblance to an equine dragon, but they also have incredibly expressive brown eyes which feel as though they can see right into the very core of you. And they can. The Qilin is prized for its innate ability to be able to see into a person’s soul and determine whether their heart is pure.
4. Baby Qilin
We don’t know if there is another magical creature that can rival the cuteness and innocence of a baby Qilin. Who wasn’t moved watching it frolic about with Jacob in the Hog’s Head Inn? Or when it tottered around like a baby fawn with its tufty mane and gangly legs? Or when it looked at anyone with those huge, soulful eyes? We know we fell in love immediately. Just like the adult Qilin, the babies have the ability to perceive a person’s true character and are known to bow to someone with a pure heart – which is why they play such an important role in a certain wizarding election.
5. Wyvern
As Newt lay injured after his run-in with Credence and other Grindelwald acolytes, a strange creature emerged from his case and flew him to safety. That creature was a Wyvern – and it is the perfect example of why you should never judge a book by its cover. This two-legged beast is rather hard to pin down, as its appearance is constantly changing. At first, it looks rather like a Dodo, except for its long, feathery tail and short stubby wings, that don’t seem to be capable of flight. However, this magical creature can fly and undergoes a rather dramatic transformation when it takes to the skies. It blows up like a pufferfish and floats like a balloon while rapidly flapping its wings like a hummingbird. There’s more. While it is flying, it changes yet again by deflating its body as its wings expand exponentially. And if that’s not enough, its tail can also grow incredibly long and carry objects that are much heavier than itself – including a whole Magizoologist.
