COMC-701 Lessons

Out of Style

Welcome to the third lesson of Seventh Year! It also happens to be the beginning of your last year-long project. For this project, I would like you to learn more about the history of magical creatures, and in turn, the creatures that are no longer with us. For this project, we will be investigating extinct creatures. This is a project that always makes me feel a bit sad, as we will likely never see these creatures again in this lifetime. However, I feel it is important not only to understand the creatures that are currently being discovered, which we studied last year, but also the creatures that didn’t pass the test of time. In understanding why these creatures went extinct, hopefully we can prevent others from sharing their fate. 

Of the four creatures we are covering today, one has already been discussed and the other three are covered in The Monster Book of Monsters, a book that covers dangerous creatures of all eras. It is important to note that some of these creatures were only recorded due to being included in these types of books. Others we have some information from living individuals, such as memories or preserved documents recording their existence. 

The Katsigali

To begin, let’s start with the creature that we’ve covered previously. As discussed during Year Five, Lesson Eight, the Katsigali was a magical breed of goat very similar to the modern day Boer goat. This is by far the oldest extinct species we will cover, as there were no records of this creature existing after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in roughly 500 CE. 

The Katsigali was an herbivore, grazing on whatever vegetation was nearby. Based on the historical record, they also seem to have been fed whatever table scraps families had, because they were willing to try anything. Like the mundane goat, the Katsigali had a gestation period of 148 to 152 days, or around five months. They typically had two kids at a time, but there were recorded instances of triplets. These kids were gold in color, gaining their brown head hair after their first year of life. The shade of brown varied, but ranged from blonde to brunette. Their horns began to grow at ten days old, eventually reaching full size anywhere between two and three years of age. 

As a very interesting fact, the Katsigali is partially responsible for the existence of unicorns today. From documentation, we know that a male Katsigali was once bred to a female horse, and because of their complementary chromosome numbers, they were able to create an offspring that could reproduce on its own. From there, it just took time and evolution. Katsigali are also responsible for the magical component of unicorns, but unfortunately we don’t understand the magic Katsigalis possessed due to the ancient Greeks and Romans not realizing they were magical creatures. Based on stories that included the creature, they appeared to have the ability to heal themselves to some extent because there was mention of wounds disappearing hours after injury. We also know that Katsigali offspring started off a fawn or gold in color before transitioning to the white bodies after several days. This is a trait they passed on to unicorns, which, as we know, are born gold and then become silver later on in life before taking on their adult coats.

But just how did this animal go extinct? The first nail in the coffin came after the fall of the Greeks to the Romans in roughly 146 BCE.  They became a rare species after the fall of the ancient Greeks to the Romans, and the few left were taken by the Romans. While they continued to breed the species, they did not actively cultivate the population, so the Katsigalis’ population never grew to what it once was, causing the species to die out when the Romans themselves were conquered. Because there is no record of the Katsigali’s existence after the fall of the Roman Empire, it is presumed what few creatures were left perished.

The Limax

The Limax was a terrestrial, carnivorous beast with four arms and a snake-like lower body, while the top half of its body resembled a bony fish. It had a hammer-shaped head, leading many individuals to think it was created, in part, by using a species of shark called the hammerhead. It was considered incredibly dangerous due to its aggressive nature; it commonly held at least two weapons in its hands, usually axes and daggers. They were made from wood and stone found in their environment, so these weapons were incredibly unique to its maker and user. 

Limax were found throughout England, mostly inhabiting forested areas. Locals told stories of steering clear of the streams so as to avoid them. The Limax’s body camouflaged well with the ground along the river, ranging anywhere from brown to green in color, and it kept its head under the water. Should someone step on its body without realizing, its head would snap out of the water, immediately attacking the individual. It did have the ability to breathe on land as well as underwater, which was beneficial in many ways. Not only could they keep their head under water for long periods of time in wait for prey, they could also survive out of water during seasonal droughts or when bodies of water were frozen in the winter.

At one point in the early 1900s, their populations began to decline. While no one was tracking their populations the way the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures does today, individuals that lived in the area noticed they weren’t seeing the creatures as often. Eventually, people discovered that the Limax were at war as a species. Individuals going into forests to hunt found them brutally attacked by their own kind. This could be distinguished because of axe marks on the torsos of the individuals found. It is not known why this occurred, but several theories have been posed over the years. 

First, because we are incredibly unfamiliar with their social structure and hierarchy, it is possible that an individual rose up to become the “alpha” or “leader” of the species, but was unpopular. Those that disagreed were killed by their own kind, and this type of turbulence might have caused violence to break out among the species as a whole. Many argue that this theory is unlikely, simply because the entire species disappeared, not just one group of individuals. It also would’ve meant that all populations of the species communicated in some way, or were close enough to communicate, as the news of the new alpha would need to spread. 

There is the possibility that a disease crippled the groups one by one. As a population grew too small to support the remaining individuals, the survivors might have moved to try and join another population. This would allow the disease to pass between these geographically isolated populations rather quickly, essentially killing off the species in a relatively short time span. However, this theory doesn’t explain why they would be killing each other, unless they simply killed those that appeared to be infected to try and halt the spread of the disease. However, this would require some complex thought on their part, which we otherwise have no evidence of.

There is also the possibility that the populations were killed by wizardkind, who then recorded it in their history differently. This wouldn’t be the first instance of something like this occurring. Negative encounters with the Limax might have risen, or perhaps the individuals living near them were simply worried for their children, their livestock, or even themselves, but it is likely that if humans were the cause of the Limax’s decline, it would have been caused by a significant event or action. 

The Nazzle Mumph

Next we have a much smaller creature. The Nazzle Mumph is a breed of Cornish pixie that went extinct in the late 1800s. There were very few differences between the Nazzle Mumph and the Cornish pixie, but just enough that the Cornish pixie had an edge to outlast the Nazzle Mumph. Both were found in England, though the Nazzle Mumph had a slightly larger native range that also included Ireland and Wales. In terms of appearance, one way to distinguish between the two is that the Nazzle Mumph had a potbelly, or a protruding fat deposit. Additionally, the Nazzle Mumph has wings, and the pixie does not. Both shared the brilliant blue appearance, large ears, and stood about eight inches tall. The Nazzle Mumph, unlike the Cornish pixie, has wings. Notice the comparison pictures below. On the left is a pixie, and on the right is a basic sketch of a Nazzle Mumph. 

The two differ even more when analyzing their actions and personalities. While we know the pixie as a jokester, the Nazzle Mumph often had much more sinister intentions. Their goal was typically to harm the individual in a severe way, with fatalities reported on numerous occasions. Take a look at the following article from The Daily Prophet in 1854, when a group of Nazzle Mumphs in Diagon Alley covered a woman in Bubotuber pus. With these actions, the Nazzle Mumph would have been classified as XXXX by the Ministry of Magic. 

As you might have noticed from the article, shops were banned from selling Nazzle Mumphs in May of 1854, but that didn’t seem to stop some of them. This was not the first, or the last, attack of this nature by these creatures, which is what initially caused the ban. It took another several months for the ban to be properly enforced, as the Nazzle Mumphs became popular on various black markets. Even with a ban in place, attacks were still reported. This caused a mass extermination effort by the Ministry of Magic. By 1890, 99% of Nazzle Mumphs had been killed. In part of the efforts, the creature was branded as simply the Nazzle Mumph, rather than the Nazzle Mumph pixie. This was to ensure it was not confused with the Cornish pixie, which people were rather fond of at the time. Though this is not the case now, Cornish pixies never caused as much mischief as the Nazzle Mumphs did, and looked quite good in comparison. 

Nazzle Mumphs were strictly insectivores, eating large beetles and spiders. If you recall, the Cornish pixie is omnivorous, eating insects and plants. This protein-heavy diet, and the presence of wings, made Nazzle Mumphs much stronger than Cornish pixies. While it was common for a group of Nazzle Mumphs to carry someone off as a group, one could easily carry a grown man on its own, allowing them to complete their pranks easily. Overall, the Nazzle Mumph is a creature that was only in the spotlight due to the harm it caused, and if it wasn’t for that, we might still see the creature today. 

The Valcore

Finally, we have the Valaore, a magical creature native to Spain. It is best described as a massive humanoid creature (with reports of them averaging more than eight times the height of a human) with an oversized head. Small, blunt horns sat atop their skulls and they had skinny arms and robust legs attached to their torsos. It is for these reasons that Valcores were seen in an uncanny light. Imagine seeing an incredibly tall human, but with a head a little too large, arms a little too thin, and legs a little too thick. It makes for an odd mental picture, doesn’t it? Take a look at the picture below. This is a very rough sketch of what the creature looked like, but is also one of the most complete images we have today.

Valcores are believed to have been carnivores, often attempting to eat any humans they caught. They were incredibly strong, with documentation of them pulling trees out of the ground. It’s likely they ate other large mammals, like deer or goats the majority of the time, as very few instances of human consumption were recorded. 

The creature is well-documented through the end of the fifteenth century and into the early sixteenth century upon the death of King Ferdinand II, at which point all traces of the creature vanished with the King’s death in 1516. What documents we do have show that the Valcore was a rare creature to begin with. At the population’s largest, there were fifteen individuals, though some scholars feel it is likely only the creatures around the castle or nearby villages were counted, meaning there might’ve been other individuals further away. Population counts were some of the only documentation we had of the creature, so with the discontinuation of them, we struggle to understand how the population might’ve changed after 1516. 

With that long-winded history lesson coming to a close, let me get to the meat of the first theory as to why the population declined after documentation stopped. Magizoologists argue that with the royal family appearing to lose interest in Valcores, villagers may have begun killing them, worried about their safety if the monarchy wasn’t paying attention to the species anymore. With the early documentation of the creature, that likely made the common people feel safe, as the monarchy was keeping track of the populations and could help keep the villages safe. But, if the monarchy wasn’t doing that anymore, the common people took their safety into their own hands. 

The second idea is that the population died out from natural causes, and thus there were none left to be counted. With such an allegedly small population, a species-specific disease could easily wipe out the entire population in a matter of days to weeks, depending on the type of disease and how quickly it spread. If indeed, at the largest, there were only fifteen individuals, this scenario is very likely. 

Additionally, there is also the possibility that they ran out of resources. With such a small population, it is likely that the carrying capacity, or the number of organisms an environment can support without degradation, was low to start with. When considering the size of the Valcore, they likely needed plenty of resources to meet their caloric needs. They could have been consuming the mammals in their area too quickly for the mammals to reproduce, causing their food sources to dwindle. With not enough food, the Valcores would eventually starve. 

Finally, there is a theory that remains controversial in the community. Some magizoologists feel that documentation by the monarchy ended because they decided to kill all of the Valcores they had been documenting. While there is no evidence of this, some magizoologists argue that there wouldn’t be evidence of a massacre if the government didn’t want to advertise it. Like any government, it could’ve been swept under the rug as something they weren’t proud of, but it’s likely that evidence of that would’ve been found by now simply because of the documentation kept regarding the creature. It is for that reason the majority of magizoologists don’t consider this option, but some do still throw it out there every now and then when discussions of the Valcore come up.

It is likely that a combination of these, disease, and running out of resources played a part in their extinction. While the monarchy was concerned enough to keep track of them in order to protect their ruling family, there is no documentation stating they hunted the creatures, but perhaps the commoners did if the monarchy stopped documenting them. Maybe a disease spread through the population, wiping out the few individuals that were left. Or, maybe they reached carrying capacity in their environment and starved. Personally, I believe there was a combination of factors at play, but I have presented all of the theories so you can decide for yourself. 

Closing

There you have it! Four creatures that all died out during our history: one disappeared into the night with the fall of an empire, one disappeared from unknown causes, one disappeared due to forced extinction, and one simply vanished when the documentation ended. If you’re like me, this information probably caused you to feel a number of emotions, from sadness to anger, depending on the creature and the theory presented for their demise. But remember that we must learn from our mistakes, which is why I am sharing this information with you today. 

With that note, we will end class today. You have an essay to complete to start off your year-long project, meant as preparation for a much larger task later in the year, so be sure to grab a copy of the prompt on your way out! Next class, I will be teaching you about some fascinating serpents, so be warned if you have ophidiophobia, or a fear of snakes, it might be best to take a Calming Draught before coming to class. Until then, enjoy the nice weather around the castle and remember to be studying for your N.E.W.T.s!

Lesson content written by Professor Elizabeth Anne

All pictures are found using the Google Images search engine, and belong to their owners. Daily Prophet image made by Professor Anne using images found using Google Images and belong to their owners.