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S
Salamander - sea serpent - Short-Snout, Swedish - Shrake - snail - snake - Snidget - Sphinx - spider - squid, giant - Streeler - Swedish Short-Snout
Salamander 
XXX
A small, brilliant white, fire-dwelling lizard that feeds on flame, although
it can survive up to six hours outside a fire if regularly fed pepper. A
salamander lives only as long as the fire from which it sprang, scampering
along burning logs and among the coals, and its colour appears blue or
scarlet depending on the heat of the fire in which it appeared. Salamander
blood has powerful curative and restorative properties
(FB, CS8).
Fred and George once fed fireworks to one
just to see what would happen; it was orange
(CS8). Hagrid once provided a bonfire full of
them for his third year Care of Magical Creatures class
(PA12).
sea serpent
XXX
A gigantic (can grow to a hundred feet in length), snake-like beast with a horselike head and a long snakelike body rising in humps out of the sea as it moves through the water; found in the Atlantic, Mediterrean, and Pacific Oceans. The sea serpent has received very bad Muggle press, in this case unjustified. Although many Muggle legends have grown up around sightings of the creatures, usually tales of horror and death, in reality sea serpents are harmless; there is no record of a sea serpent ever harming a human. See also the Loch Ness kelpie (FB).
Short-Snout, Swedish
XXXXX - Sweden
See Dragons - Swedish Short-Snout.
Shrake
XX
A magically-created species of saltwater fish, found in the Atlantic Ocean, which is covered in spines and which deliberately seeks out and destroys Muggle fishing nets. The first shrake were supposedly created in the 1800s by a group of wizard fisherfolk who had been insulted by Muggles. The shrake, by damaging the nets used by Muggles to fish in that area of the sea, cause no end of trouble (FB).
"shred" +"hake" a fish related to the cod [NSOED]
snails
Poisonous orange snails were for sale in the Magical Menagerie; they could have been streelers (PA4, FB).
snakes
and snake-like creatures
- ashwinder
- basilisk
- boa constrictor - Harry accidentally released from the zoo, frightening Dudley half to death and resulting in a severe punishment from Uncle Vernon (PS2)
- dragon
- Nagini
- occamy
- runespoor
- sea serpent
- c.f. Serpensortia
Snidget
XXXX (the high rating is because of the severe penalties attached to capturing or owning one)
A small, spherical bird which can fly with amazing agility, changing speed and direction almost instantaneously. Its golden feathers and red, jewel-like eyes are so prized that at one time the snidget was hunted almost to extinction. The fact that a snidget became such an integral part of the game of Quidditch (and usually died when it was caught) didn't help matters either. The snidget became a protected species; there are now severe penalties for harming or even capturing one. Snidget reserves have been set up worldwide, and a magical device, the Golden Snitch, has replaced the live bird in Quidditch (FB, QA).
Sphinx
XXXX
Native to Egypt, this
human-headed creature has a lion-like body, the capacity for human speech,
and an innate love of puzzles and riddles, but due to its violent tendencies
it has been placed in the 'beast' rather than the 'being' category
(FB).
The sphinx has been used by wizarding folk for
centuries to guard treasure, and is noted for violence when that which
it guards is threatened (FB).
In the opinion of one of the Bestiary's editors,
the sphinx is very probably a wizard-bred species rather than a
naturally occurring one, given the remarks made by Scamander in his footnote
on acromantulas (FB),
but we have no definite information on that point.
A female sphinx was stationed in the Triwizard maze both to guard
the closest approach to the center and to provide a
hint about the last monster guarding the Triwizard Cup.
She required an answer to a riddle; once the riddle was solved, she calmly
let Harry pass by
(GF31).
Gringotts has been known to
place sphinxes to guard some of the vaults, much to the consternation of
those who want access to their valuables and aren't particularly good at
riddles (DP).
spiders
and spider-like creatures
- The cupboard under the stairs was full of spiders (PS2).
- Ron Weasley's greatest fear is spiders, ever since the twins turned his teddy bear into a giant spider when he was little. He can work with dead spiders as potion ingredients without difficulty, however (CS9, PA7).
- acromantula (FB, CS15, GF31, OP16)
- The fake Moody used three spiders to demonstrate the Unforgivable Curses (GF14).
- giant tarantula (PS6)
- Harry encountered an acromantula in the maze of the third task. He and Cedric defeated it together (GF31, (OP16).
- Spiders the size of saucers infested a dresser at number twelve, Grimmauld Place (OP6).
- The Weasleys' broom shed, where Dumbledore talked with Harry after recruiting Slughorn, is full of spiders (HBP04).
squid, giant 
The largest invertebrate known to Muggle science, the giant squid can grow to 70 feet. Speaking more specifically, at least one giant squid lives in the lake near Hogwarts castle, and seems to be more or less friendly toward the inhabitants.
- the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan tickle its tentacles (PS16)
- lazily crosses the lake (PA22)
- rescues Dennis Creevey (GF12)
- eats toast (GF18)
- swims with students after exams (OP38)
Streeler
XXX
Giant African snail that changes colour every hour, and deposits a trail of venom as it moves that kills and shrivels all vegetation over which it passes, and which can kill horklumps. It is often kept as a pet (FB).
streel (from Irish straoillim, trail along the ground) = Eng. to trail on the ground or float at length; when speaking of a person, to wander aimlessly [NSOED]
Swedish Short-Snout
XXXXX - Sweden
See Dragons - Swedish Short-Snout.
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