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 Friendship is Magic. Each of these creatures plays a large role in the plot in its respective episode.

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.

The red dragon bears similarities to Smaug, the reptilian antagonist of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy novel, The Hobbit. Like the unnamed dragon from Dragonshy, Smaug is described as a large red dragon that sleeps on a bed of treasure within a tall, foreboding mountain. However, while the dragon from Dragonshy was merely inconsiderate or oblivious, Smaug was actively malevolent and cruel.

The exact lifespan of a dragon in Equestria is unclear, though it may number several hundred years. The fact that Spike was born when Twilight Sparkle got her cutie mark but is still a 'baby' dragon in the present day when Twilight is an adult pony implies that dragons live much longer and mature slowly. Based on what has been shown, adult dragons are reclusive, solitary and unable to even live near pony settlements, this could mean that Spike will eventually become too big for Ponyville (comically, this happened briefly in the episode Cutie Mark Chronicles when Twilight lost control of her powers) and have to leave his friends behind, but that won't be for a long time yet.

Red, green and purple dragons exist in Equestria, which may imply that like ponies, they are found in a wide variety of colours.

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 find gems. The three main Diamond Dogs are capable of speech and 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, their elongated forelegs giving them a gorilla-like appearance. In A Dog and Pony Show, a group of Diamond Dogs kidnapped Rarity and forced her to find gems for them after they saw her using magic to find gems.

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 and Dragons fame, who were traditionally described as having a doglike appearance and are known to reside in underground caverns. Their voices sound similar to Gollum from 'The Lord of the Rings' particularly when talking about their 'precious gems'.

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.

Hydra
The hydra resides in Froggy Bottom Bog, as seen in 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. Each head is shown to have a separate personality, which sometimes gives it trouble when attempting synchronized action.

The hydra in this episode 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, 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, a scorpion's 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 Swarm of the Century, Fluttershy encountered a small, cute, bug-like creature. Despite its huge appetite, she brought it into Ponyville. Reproducing rapidly, it took Pinkie Pie and a similar infestation in Fillydelphia to keep Princess Celestia from seeing the resulting disaster.

It seems the more these creatures eat the more they spit out other parasprites.

Sea serpent
The sea serpent has a long, serpentine body, reminiscent of an Asian dragon, with purple scales. He also possesses orange hair, eyebrows, and mustache. In Friendship is Magic, part 2, Nightmare 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.

Mythological water serpents come in considerable variety and are frequently of immense size. They have been described as 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, and are sometimes depicted as being the guardian god of a specific river.

In the online community the Sea Serpent is often referred to by the unofficial name, Steven Magnet. This being because of YouTube generated subtitles poorly transcribing one of Rarity's spoken lines in the scene ("Your fabulous manicure!") as "Steven Magnet".

Ursa

 * Main article: Ursa

Ursas are magical gigantic bears which have fur that look like the night sky. In Boast Busters, Trixie boasted of defeating an Ursa Major who lived in the Everfree Forest. Snips and Snails went into the Everfree forest, found an ursa, and led it back to Ponyville, hoping to see Trixie defeat it. The ursa turns out to be an Ursa Minor, which Twilight soon returns to its mother, an 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. 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 looks 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 Elizabeak, they encountered the cockatrice but were saved by Fluttershy, who used her intimidating stare to talk down the cockatrice and convinced it to restore Twilight and her missing chicken, who had been petrified.

The first references to a cockatrice in the real world appear in the twelfth century and may be based on another mythical beast that preyed on crocodiles or dragons. The cockatrice, 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. Its gaze, breath, or touch could kill or turn victims to stone, much like another monster, the basilisk. Unlike the latter, the cockatrice had wings. Weasels were considered immune to a cockatrice'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 has appeared in the series: a pet named Philomena belonging to Princess Celestia. Fluttershy believed Philomena was sick, so she took the bird from Princess Celestia to try and heal her. Like all phoenixes, Philomena burst into flame at the end of her life cycle and arose from the ashes completely renewed.

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 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 squealed 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. 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
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. The mule was able to express the fact that he was not offended by Twilight's statement.

In real life, 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 in real life are born sterile.

It's safe to assume that the existence of a horse/donkey hybrid means that there are also donkeys in Equestria, though we have yet to see any in the show, presumably they are also intelligent and capable of speech.

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.

Miscellaneous

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