Magical Magic Creature Spotlight: Acromantula

[sweettalkeress.livejournal.com]

So, for my first fantastic-beast spotlight, we have:

Acromantula

MOM classification: XXXXX (and then Harry goes on to add a bunch more X’s...)

So, yeah, it’s basically a giant venomous spider- or a black tarantula, more accurately. The females are larger than the males, just like with most spiders (sorta makes you wonder if they ever eat the males, but that wouldn’t explain Aragog- maybe it’s the near-human intelligence).

Anyway, it originated in Borneo and is believed to have been originally bred to guard treasures. Evidently this used to be normal practice for Wizards until breeding new species was made illegal. Right.

Oh, and of course, there’s the obligatory nod to the Harry Potter books: “Rumors that a colony of Acromantula has been established in Scotland are unconfirmed confirmed by Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.”

Comments

[oryx_leucoryx]

We have evidence the book underwent updates between editions - the first edition was published in 1927, Aragog was released into the forest in 1943. But how did no other students run into the spider colony in 50 years? Or did they all get eaten up?

[sweettalkeress.livejournal.com]

Aragog is revealed to have had a mate. We don't know what happened to her, though, because she's never seen in the story.

[oryx_leucoryx]

Aragog's mate was Mosag, Hagrid introduced her to the forest because he thought it was a good idea.

[dracasadiablo.livejournal.com]

Hagrid is truly a menace.
And now I think Centaurs are insane too. If I remember correctly, in the books Centaurs consider Hagrid a friend and respect him.
You have to be crazy to respect the lunatic responsible for a Acromantula colony in the forest you live in.

[sweettalkeress.livejournal.com]

It's just another one of those things that Rowling never thought through, I guess. If there are so many Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest then how come we almost never see them? They only ever appeared in that one segment of COA, and get mentioned again in HBP, but other than that, we never really hear of them despite all the times the Trio goes into the forest to get or look at something.

[oryx_leucoryx]

From COS I take it the youngest Acromantula actually inhabit the castle in normal times and only fled to the forest because the basilisk was around? But the larger ones stay in the forest - feeding on what exactly? Because the unicorns and thestrals seem to be thriving. So do they normally restrict themselves to the smaller animals so as to go unnoticed? (Makes me appreciate Peter's courage even more.)

Was the spider in the maze (GOF, third task) an Acromantula? And in DH they invade the castle, but only to capture Hagrid, and then disappear?

[annoni-no.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure the 'spiders flee before it' covered all types of spiders, not just magical ones. While part of the spider exodus might have been composed of baby acromantulae, I suspect most of them were plain muggle spiders, especially since Harry and Ron first spotted them quite a while after the first basilisk strike (acromantulae are supposed to be intelligent).

Some more relevant questions might be how large each nesting is, how quickly the young grow to maturity, how frequently they reproduce, and what foods they are capable of digesting.

We don't have any data on the first three, but the third could be a sticking point. The acromantulae are an artificially introduced species, one that had been deliberately bred by wizards who presumably wanted some control over them, such as what they did and didn't eat. Chief among these would likely be any valuable sources of potion stock they'd been raising in the vicinity. It could be the acromantulae haven't wiped the forest clean of unicorns, thestrals and the like because they just can't digest them, so there'd be no point (especially if they'd made a treaty with the centaurs to help guard their flocks in exchange for better prey).

If I had to bet what the sticking point was, I'd say the level of magic inherent in the creature's body. Unicorns, et al. are potently magical, as seen by their use as potion ingredients and the repeated references to ancient magics imbued directly in their hides. Wizards, on the other hand, don't seem to channel much magic at all unless they are actively casting, and a dead wizard can't cast.

As for the rest of their diet, I strongly suspect cannibalism, especially among the newly hatched, though older spiders will resort to it in desperation. Wizards would want the best and brightest beasties to guard their baubles after all, so why not have each clutch of eggs duke it out as soon as they're hatched, so only the most fit moves on to join the colony proper. It would definitely save on care and feeding costs, and it's not like anyone cares what happens to *spiders.* (/sentient rights fail leaves me bitter)

[sharaz-jek.livejournal.com]

In the original mythology, most centaurs are barbarians with very low alcohol tolerance. What more needs to be said?

[dracasadiablo.livejournal.com]

True.
Should we then see Dolores Umbridge as Deianira or Hippodamia?