Jennifer's essay on Hippogriffs

A much admired, yet highly dangerous mythical creature is the hippogriff. In the Muggle world, this animal is a myth because of its appearance, but also because of its parentage. Legend has it that a hippogriff was born with a strange set of parents, a griffen and a horse. These are very unlikely pairings because in the magical world the griffin and the horse are mortal enemies. The griffin, Persian as lion eagle, is a magical creature that has the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. While a horse is just that, a regular four legged hourse. Therefore, many people reason that it is impossible for a griffen and a hourse to mate and produce a hippogriff. Wizards, however, know better and know that hippogriffs do indeed exist. Hippogriffs are native to Europe but have expanded all over the world. Some wizards have even tamed and train hippogriffs as pets. This should only be done by highly expert trained wizards. Hogwarts, itself has over a dozen hippogriffs on its grounds. Yet if a wizard chooses to keep a hippogriff, the Ministry of Magic states that all hippogriffs must be under the Disillusionment Charm regularly so that Muggles won't spot them. This also applies to Winged Horses. Hippogriffs can live on plants and insects. Yet they are carnivorous by nature and are known to eat ither animals such as rats and ferrets.

A Hippogriff's appearance can be quite terrifing at first. It is a creature with the head and legs of an eagle. It also has the large wings of an eagle which aids it in flying. The hippogriff's wingspan is about 24 feet for an adult. The hindlegs and tail however resemble those of a horse. The colors of the hipogriff resemble those of a regular horse. The colors vary from black, chestnut, bronze, and grey.

The are certain procedures that must be taken when handling a hippogriff. Eye contact is very important during this process. You must first approach the creature slowly while maintaining complete contact the entire time. Sudden movements spook the creature. You must then slowly bow and wait for the hippogriff to bow back. If it does, that means you are allowed to touch it or even ride it. If not, you must slowly move away because hippogriffs are quick to attack. Overall, hippogriff are very interestingly dangerous creatures of the wizard world.



Sorces- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippogriff, Yahoo images, harry potter lexicon