Animals

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic hosts an array of fantasy animals as well as more ordinary ones.

Prominent creatures
The following is a list of more prominent creatures featured in the show. Each of these creatures plays a large role in the plot in its respective episode.

Cockatrice
A cockatrice makes an appearance in the episode Stare Master. Fluttershy explains to the Cutie Mark Crusaders that a cockatrice "has the head of a chicken and a body of a snake", and that they are fearsome, dangerous creatures. They have the ability to turn creatures to stone with their gaze. When Fluttershy ventures into the forest, she finds Twilight Sparkle turned to stone. She later confronts the cockatrice, and, while in the process of being turned into stone herself, stares it down and tells it to restore Twilight and her missing chicken, who have been petrified, to normal. Cockatrices are mentioned in legend from antiquity to the middle ages.

Dragon
Other than Spike, two wild dragons have been featured in the show so far, one red and one green. They seem to share the same character model.

In the episode Dragonshy, a red dragon took a nap in a cave at the top of a mountain, emitting a large cloud of thick, black smoke. Twilight Sparkle and her friends were given the task of asking it to relocate, which they successfully accomplished thanks to Fluttershy. Although it never breathed fire, it otherwise resembled a typical European dragon of reddish color. The red dragon had a large hoard of gold and other valuables which he used as a bed. A green dragon appeared in Owl's Well That Ends Well, living in a cave within the Everfree Forest. Spike entered the dragon's cave and ate some of its hoard of gems before realizing that a dragon lived there. The dragon has extensible claws, tail spikes, wings, and is able to breathe fire.

Diamond Dog
The Diamond Dogs appear in A Dog and Pony Show. They kidnap Rarity and force her to find gems for them after they see her using magic to find gems. They tell Rarity they hunt for gems, and take her into their extensive system of underground mines, where some of them serve as guards and attack dogs while others find gems. The three main Diamond Dogs wear jackets and diamond-studded collars, while the guards wear armor and carry lances. They alternate between walking on their hind legs and all fours, their elongated forelegs giving them a gorilla-like appearance.

Diamond Dogs and parasprites are the only creatures seen in the series that have no obvious parallel in classical mythology or the real world, although they share some similarities with Gnolls. They also share minor similarities with the Kobolds of Dungeons & Dragons fame, which were traditionally described as having a doglike appearance and are known to reside in underground caverns. Their mannerisms, particularly their lusting over 'precious gems', bear similarity to the character Gollum from the literature series The Lord of the Rings.

Lauren Faust says the names they were given in the script are Fido, Rover, and Spot, but doesn't remember which ones have which name. Jayson Thiessen, the show's supervising director, later confirmed their names. Rover, the medium-sized dog, is the leader of the trio, while Fido is the large-sized one and Spot is the small, bulldog-like one. Rover is voiced by Scott McNeil, and Fido is voiced by Garry Chalk, but Spot's actor is currently unknown. Their collective name, Diamond Dogs, may be inspired by David Bowie's 1974 album of that title.

Hydra
The hydra resides in Froggy Bottom Bog, and appears in the episode Feeling Pinkie Keen. It has four heads on long snake-like necks and a large, orange, dragon-like body, with only two legs and no wings. It is enveloped in a smelly gas as it rises from the bog. Before chasing the ponies, it gave a threatening roar and licked its lips hungrily. The heads sometimes display different expressions and even laugh at each other's misfortunes.

The hydra shown in Feeling Pinkie Keen bears a passing resemblance to King Ghidorah, an antagonistic monster of Godzilla fame, but with one additional head and the subtraction of wings.

In classical mythology, the hydra, meaning "water serpent", was defeated by Heracles (Hercules) during his labors. It was so poisonous that even its breath and tracks were deadly, and if someone was lucky enough to cut off a head, it grew two more.

Manticore
The manticore has the body of a lion, a scorpion's tail, and a pair of wings. It was encountered in Friendship is Magic, part 2, enraged by Night Mare Moon as an obstacle for Twilight Sparkle and her friends in their journey to find the Elements of Harmony. Similar to Aesop's fable of The Lion and The Mouse, it was calmed when Fluttershy showed it kindness and removed a thorn from its paw.

In classical mythology, the manticore was a Persian creature with a red lion's body, a human-like face, a mouth with shark-like rows of sharp teeth, and a voice like a trumpet. Additional features such as a scorpion-like tail, wings, and the ability to launch poisonous spines at its enemies depend on the story, but have become standard in most modern representations. It has always been considered a man-eater, often leaving no remains, not even bones or clothing.

Parasprite
Parasprites are locust-like creatures that first appear in Swarm of the Century. At the beginning of the episode, Fluttershy encountered a small, cute, bug-like creature. Despite witnessing it consume a basket of apples in seconds, she brings the creature into Ponyville. All the ponies except from Pinkie Pie were unfamiliar with the creatures; Pinkie identifies them as parasprites and starts seeking out musical instruments. Later the ponies discover that parasprites quickly reproduce by coughing up a fuzzy ball that turns into another parasprite.

While they may look cute, they display a ravenous appetite, eating anything in sight many times their size. When they become a problem, the ponies start trying to expel the parasprites back into the Everfree Forest. After several failed attempts, Twilight casts a spell trying to stop the creatures from eating food, however they begin eating wood, fabric, and other materials instead. Desperate to get rid of the parasprites before Princess Celestia's scheduled visit, Twilight Sparkle goes into the forest to consult Zecora, but she merely states that Ponyville is doomed.

"Tales of crops and harvests consumed. If these creatures are in Ponyville... you're doomed."

- Zecora

Shortly before Celestia's arrival, Pinkie Pie appears with a host of musical instruments and marches the parasprites out into the Everfree Forest, passing by her friends and Celestia, who are amazed by the sight.

Celestia, seeing the parasprites and the anxious behavior of the ponies, says that she can't hold her visit because an infestation of some sort has plagued Fillydelphia, and she must see to it.

Pinkie's method to get rid of the parasprites is similar to the German legend about the Pied Piper of Hamelin. The multiplication and ravenous behavior of the parasprites is similar to numerous creatures from multiple sources, including tribbles from the original Star Trek, scarfies from the Kirby television show, the fuzzles from the Smurfs, and scraplets from Transformers Prime.

Sea serpent
The sea serpent (voiced by Lee Tockar) has a long, serpentine body, reminiscent of an Asian dragon, with purple scales, and orange hair, eyebrows, and mustache. He appears in the episode Friendship is Magic, part 2, where Night Mare Moon cuts off half of his mustache, sending him into a tantrum that renders the river impassable. Rarity sooths his tantrum by sacrificing her tail to regenerate his lost mustache through her unicorn magic. In thanks, the serpent offers his body as a bridge across the river. Fluttershy, who is afraid of large dragons in a later episode, shows no fear of the serpent.

Ursa
Ursas are gigantic magical bears with fur that looks like the night sky, who appear in Boast Busters. Ursas are the largest creatures shown so far in the series. The ursa minor is nearly as big as adult dragons, and the ursa major is many times larger still. At the start of the episode, Trixie boasts that she defeated an ursa major that was attacking Hoofington. Snips and Snails go into the Everfree forest with the intention to find an ursa and lead it back to Ponyville, hoping to see Trixie defeat it. They find one and get chased by it into Ponyviile, where Trixie is forced to admit she did not vanquish an ursa and cannot defeat this one. The ursa turns out to be an ursa minor, which Twilight soon returns to its mother, an ursa major, displaying her very powerful unicorn magic.

Ursa Major and Ursa Minor are constellations in the Northern Hemisphere. The ursas in the show have unusually long tails for bears, much like their constellation namesakes.

Other animals
Counterparts to both wild and domestic animals are visible about Ponyville, with probably the greatest variety depicted in the episode Winter Wrap Up. These animals are only shown incidentally, with a small role or appearance.


 * Bat

After being scared in Winter Wrap Up, Twilight Sparkle backed into a den before rushing out again, chased by these flying mammals. In The Ticket Master, a surprised Pinkie Pie squealed about bats on her face.


 * Bear

A Bear makes an appearance in Lesson Zero at Fluttershy 's home. Twilight Sparkle sees the bear apparently fighting with Fluttershy, who is unafraid. It turns out that Fluttershy is giving the bear a massage. Bears had previously been mentioned in Party of One, as part of an elaborate excuse by Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash to avoid coming to Pinkie's party.


 * Bee

Bees make several appearances throughout the series, most often associated with a hanging nest. One such nest hangs from the tree that houses the library Twilight Sparkle lives in. Swarms of bees also assaulted Twilight Sparkle in Feeling Pinkie Keen and Winter Wrap Up. They also chase Rainbow Dash in the Fall Weather Friends.


 * Bird

The show depicts a wide variety of birds living in Equestria. Some take after real bird species, while others, like the phoenix, are mythical creatures. They are prominently featured in episodes one, three, and thirteen. In The Ticket Master, Fluttershy specifically named loons, toucans, bitterns, hummingbirds, buzzards, blue jays, red jays, green jays, pink jays, and pink flamingos. Some birds go south for winter, and are brought back by pegasi during Winter Wrap Up. While birds still lay eggs and raise families, it seems they do not build their own nests, as the ponies are seen building nests for them. It's also likely that they do not find their own food, as Fluttershy is frequently seen feeding animals which are supposedly capable of foraging and hunting for themselves. Fluttershy's claim that animals in the Everfree Forest "care for themselves" in Bridle Gossip lends credence to this theory. Domesticated chickens are seen in Fall Weather Friends and Stare Master.


 * Butterfly

Normally seen fluttering around setting shots in most episodes, butterflies occasionally are used to cover the transition to a new scene. They take a more important role during a flashback in the episode The Cutie Mark Chronicles when a swarm of them caught Fluttershy before she hit the ground.


 * Cow

Cows are a large domestic breed, and many of them are seen living in a barn in Boast Busters. A cow stampede was featured in Applebuck Season, after which one of the cows spoke with Applejack and apologized for the stampede, stating that her skittish friend Mooriella started it after being startled by snakes. The cows speak with a stereotypical Wisconsin accent, referencing the fact that Wisconsin is well known for its dairy production.


 * Frog

Equestria's frogs, which appear in Feeling Pinkie Keen, seem cheerful and silly. Fluttershy decided there were too many in Ponyville's pond, so she transferred some of them to Froggy Bottom Bog. Pinkie Pie claimed to interpret one of the frogs' croaks for Twilight, though it is unclear whether frogs actually speak. Later, one appeared to point the way for Fluttershy.


 * Mouse

Fluttershy cared for a wheelchair-bound mouse in A Bird in the Hoof, who was joined by his loved ones as he wheeled into their hole in the wall of Fluttershy's cottage.


 * Mule

A mule appears in a single shot in the series as a sight gag, in Applebuck Season, when Twilight Sparkle chastises Applejack for being stubborn. Unlike other incidental animals in Equestria, this mule is capable of speech. The mule was able to express the fact that he was not offended by Twilight's statement. When Rarity is mistreated in A Dog and Pony Show, one of her grievances is for being called a mule. She appears to be deeply offended, genuinely or not, for being called a mule, and likens it to being called ugly. He is voiced by James Wootton.

Biologically, a mule is the result of a crossbreed between a horse mare and a donkey stallion. Due to the differences in size between the two species mules do not occur naturally and can only be born if humans intervene. Mules are born sterile.


 * Rabbit

A large number of rabbits are seen in Applebuck Season. They are incapable of speech and seem to require Fluttershy's care for food and shelter. She also organizes an annual rabbit census of newborn bunnies, and keeps one bunny, Angel, as a close companion, going as far as consulting with him about getting the extra gala ticket in The Ticket Master.


 * Miscellanous


 * Beavers are seen in The Cutie Mark Chronicles.
 * Cats can be heard yowling in the background when objects or ponies crash.
 * A pair of chipmunks are seen briefly during the opening sequence of Dragonshy.
 * Ducks are seen in Griffon the Brush Off as Fluttershy leads them across a road and is then knocked by Gilda. They are also seen in The Cutie Mark Chronicles, once again being led across a road by Fluttershy and nearly being hit by Scootaloo on her scooter.
 * Although meat eaters in the real world, a pair of ferrets were very happy to receive a basket of vegetables in Winter Wrap Up. Fluttershy also gives fish to a similar pair, more befitting of their diet.
 * A flamingo is seen on Fluttershy's imagination in The Ticket Master.Fluttershy_pink_flamingo_S1E_03.png
 * Kangaroos, as well as monkeys are seen as wildlife at the Grand Galloping Gala.
 * Leaping fish appear in several episodes. Real fish usually leap out of the water to either bypass obstacles or avoid predators. Fish are seen in Griffon the Brush Off poking their heads out of the water and approaching Fluttershy, who is standing on the shore.
 * Hedgehogs are woken in Winter Wrap Up.
 * A pair of white mice.
 * Pigs are slopped (fed) by the Cutie Mark Crusaders in The Show Stoppers.
 * Fluttershy is seen visiting a den in the episode Winter Wrap Up home to a pair of small porcupines. Once awake, they play out the old gag of poking each other with their quills during a hug.
 * Racoons are seen eating the cotten candy in the first part of the Return of Harmony.
 * Twilight unwittingly wakes a den of snakes in Winter Wrap Up, and later jumps into a tree when Fluttershy awakes a different den of them.
 * Twilight Sparkle ends her failed attempt to help Fluttershy in Winter Wrap Up by encountering a family of skunks.
 * While swimming deep in a local lake during The Show Stoppers, the Cutie Mark Crusaders get chased off by a large squid. Although its one visible eye appeared angry, it wasn't being terribly aggressive and was not attacking the foals.
 * There are two squirrels, in separate dens, awoken during the song in Winter Wrap Up.
 * Once the ice is melted, turtles are seen swimming in a pond in Winter Wrap Up. A turtle can be seen in Griffon the Brush Off approaching Fluttershy as Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash prepare a prank squirting turtle.
 * Worms are featured in Applebuck Season and Dragonshy. Applejack added some earthworms to the "baked bads" she and Pinkie Pie created in the former, and in the latter Fluttershy tossed a trio of worms to a trio of waiting birds and then, because she carried them in her mouth, spat and blushed.

Companions
Not necessarily wild animals, these creatures are the characters' companions:
 * Fluttershy's pet rabbit, Angel.
 * Applejack's working dog, Winona.
 * Rarity's pet cat, Opalescence.
 * Pinkie Pie's pet, Gummy, the toothless alligator.
 * Fluttershy's chickens, one of whom is named Elizabeak.
 * Twilight Sparkle's pet owl, Owlowiscious.
 * Princess Celestia's pet phoenix, Philomena.
 * Fluttershy's hummingbird companion, Hummingway.

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