Animals

Equestria is home to a multitude of fantasy animals as well as more ordinary ones.

Other animals • companions

Prominent creatures
The following is a list of more prominent animals featured in My Little Pony. Each of these creatures play a large role in the plot in any specific Episode.

Dragon
In the episode Dragonshy, when a dragon took a nap in a cave at the top of a mountain, it began putting out an immense amount of thick, black smoke. Twilight Sparkle and her friends were given the task of asking it to relocate, which they (specifically Fluttershy) succeeded in doing. Although it never emitted fire, it otherwise resembled a typical European dragon of reddish color. It used a large pile of gold and other valuables as a bed, which it presumably took with it when it flew off in search of a less disruptive lair.

Diamond Dog
The Diamond Dogs appear in A Dog and Pony Show. They hunt for diamonds and have an extensive system of underground mines, where some of them serve as guards and attack dogs while others concern themselves with finding gems. The three main Diamond Dogs are capable of speech, and they are seen wearing jackets and diamond-studded collars, while the guards wear armor and carry lances. They alternate between walking on their hind legs and all fours, and their elongated fore-legs give them a gorilla-like appearance. In A Dog and Pony Show, a group of Diamond Dogs kidnap Rarity and force her to find gems for them when they saw how she was finding them.

Diamond Dogs and parasprites are the only creatures seen in the series that have no obvious parallel in classical mythology or the real world. It has been speculated that their name being a reference to a David Bowie album might suggest that the identity of He of the Many Names in episode 20 is also a reference.

Hydra
The hydra is shown to reside in Froggy Bottom Bog 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 gives out a threatening roar and licks its lips at the thought of having the ponies as a meal. It is shown to have a seperate personality for each head, with each occasionally being a bit behind in intentions which cause them to be out of sync when roaring or crushed when not seeing what the other heads are doing.

In classical mythology, there was only one hydra (meaning "water serpent"), the Lernaean Hydra, which 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 with a scorpion tail and a pair of wings. It was encountered in Friendship is Magic, part 2, enraged by Nightmare 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



 * Main article: Parasprite

In the episode Swarm of the Century, Fluttershy encountered a small, cute, bug-like creature. Despite its huge appetite, she brought it into Ponyville. Reproducing rapidly (and disgustingly), it took action by Pinkie Pie and a similar infestation in Fillydelphia to avoid having Princess Celestia see the resulting disaster.

Sea serpent
Although it was encountered in a river and should more properly be called a lake or river monster, the sorrowful sea serpent was turned into an obstacle for the ponies pursuing Nightmare Moon by the hacking off of half of his moustache. Very proud of his appearance and cultured in his speech, he was soothed by Rarity in an act that led to her representing the Element of Generosity. It is interesting to note that Fluttershy, who is afraid of large dragons, showed no fear of the serpent.

The serpent generally resembled an Asian dragon in having a long, thin, serpentine body with spindly limbs. It was covered with purple scales and sported a "mane," eyebrows, and the mentioned moustache of an orange color. While thrashing about in the shallow river, it so disturbed the waters as to make it impassible. Once calmed, he offered loops of his own body to serve as a bridge for the ponies to cross on.

Mythological water serpents come in considerable variety and are frequently of immense size. They have been reported living in both fresh and salt water but rarely in rivers, presumably due to the relative lack of space. Most are a potential threat to any animal or person in their territory. Asian dragons, by contrast, are symbols of strength and good fortune.

Ursa



 * Main article: Ursa

Ursas are magical gigantic bears which have fur that look like the night sky. Trixie boasts in the episode Boast Busters about defeating an ursa major who lives in the Everfree Forest. Snips and Snails venture to wake the ursa and lead it into Ponyville in order to see Trixie defeat it. The ursa turns out to be an ursa minor, which Twilight soon restores to its mother the ursa major.

Ursa Major and Ursa Minor are constellations in the night sky, visible from most of the northern hemisphere. They include the constellations known as the Big and Little Dippers, which can be used to help find Polaris (a part of Ursa Minor), the northern star that is closest to a point the Earth's axis current points to. The Big Dipper is also known as the Plough or Saucepan in Great Britain.

Cockatrice
Cockatrices are fearsome creatures that have the head of a chicken and the body of a snake. They have the ability to turn anyone who look into their eyes to stone. One cockatrice appeared in Stare Master, having turned Twilight Sparkle to stone when she was in the Everfree Forest to visit Zecora. When the Cutie Mark Crusaders went to the Everfree Forest to look for Fluttershy's missing chicken, they encountered the Cockatrice but were saved by Fluttershy, who used her intimidating stare to talk down to the Cockatrice and had it turn Twilight and her missing chicken back to normal.

The first references to a cocatrice in the real world appear in the twelfth century and may be based on another mytical beast that preyed on crocodiles or dragons. The cocatrice, however, was born from a cock's egg (the cock, being a male chicken, doesn't lay eggs) and hatched by either a toad or a snake. It's gaze, breath, or touch could kill or turn victims to stone, much like another monster, the basilisk. Unlike the latter, the cocatrice had wings. Weasels were considered immune to a cocatrice's powers.

Phoenix
Phoenixes are majestic creatures that have red and yellow feathers and can live to about a thousand years old. Only one phoenix appeared in the series, mainly owned by Princess Celestia as a pet named Philomena. When Fluttershy believed Philomena was sick, she takes the bird from Princess Celestia to try and heal her. Like all phoenixes, Philomena burns into ashes at the end of her life cycle, but rises from the ashes to renew herself good as new.

In mythology, a Phoenix is a mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, and (according to Sanchuniathon) Phoenicians. A phoenix is a mythical bird that is a fire spirit with a colorful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet (or purple, blue, and green according to some legends). It has a 500 to 1000 year life-cycle, near the end of which it builds itself a nest of twigs that then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live again. The new phoenix is destined to live as long as its old self. In some stories, the new phoenix embalms the ashes of its old self in an egg made of myrrh and deposits it in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis (literally "sun-city" in Greek). It is said that the bird's cry is that of a beautiful song. The Phoenix's ability to be reborn from its own ashes implies that it is immortal, though in some stories the new Phoenix is merely the offspring of the older one. In very few stories they are able to change into people.

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 squeals about bats on her face.

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. A swarm of bees also assaulted Twilight Sparkle in Feeling Pinkie Keen and Winter Wrap Up.

Bird
The show depicts a wide variety of birds liviving in Equestria. Some take after real bird species, while others, like the phoenix, are mythical creatures. They are prominently mentioned in episodes one, three, and thirteen. In the episode "The Ticket Master," Fluttershy 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 don't build their own nests, as the ponies build their nests for them. It's also probable that they don't find their own food, as Fluttershy is frequently seen feeding animals which are supposedly capable of foraging and hunting for themselves. Domesticated chickens are seen in Fall Weather Friends, and Stare Master.

Cow
Cows are also 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, naming her skittish friend Mooriella as the culprit who started it after being startled by snakes.

Frog
Equestria's frogs which appear in Feeling Pinkie Keen seem cheerful, silly, and green. Fluttershy decides there are too many in Ponyville's pond, so she transfers some of them to Froggy Bottom Bog. Pinkie Pie interprets one of the frogs' croaks for Twilight, though it is unclear whether frogs actually speak. Later, one appears to point the way for Fluttershy.



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

Mule
In Applebuck Season a mule appears as a sight gag, when Twilight Sparkle chastises Applejack for being stubborn. Unlike other incidental animals in Equestria, this mule is capable of speech, and so far has yet to show up outside his one scene.

Rabbit
A large number of rabbits is 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 new-born 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.

Miscellaneous

 * Butterflies are mostly seen fluttering around in setting shots in most episodes.
 * Cats can be heard yowling in the background when objects or ponies crash.
 * A pair of chipmunks are seen briefly during the opening sequence for the episode Dragonshy.
 * 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 gives a similar pair more ferret-diet appropriate fish.
 * 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 awoken in Winter Wrap Up.
 * ...as well as a pair of white mice.
 * Pigs are slopped (fed) by the Cutie Mark Crusaders in The Show Stoppers.
 * A den Fluttershy is seen visiting in the episode Winter Wrap Up is the 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.
 * Twilight Sparkle ends her failed attempt to help Fluttershy in Winter Wrap Up by encountering a family of skunks.
 * 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.
 * 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 adds some earthworms to the "baked bads" she and Pinkie Pie create in the former, and in the latter Fluttershy tosses a trio of worms to a trio of waiting birds and then, for having carried the worms in her mouth, spits and blushes.

Companions
Not necessarily wild animals, these creatures are the main cast's companions:


 * Pinkie Pie's pet, Gummy, the toothless alligator.
 * Rarity's pet cat, Opalescence.
 * Applejack's working dog, Winona.
 * Fluttershy's pet rabbit, Angel.
 * Fluttershy also keeps several chickens, one of whom is named Elizabeak.
 * Princess Celestia's pet Phoenix, Philomena