Acromantula

> "*Spiders. Not tiny spiders like those surging over the leaves below. Spiders the size of carthorses, eight-eyed, eight-legged, black, hairy, gigantic. The massive specimen that was carrying Harry made its way down the steep slope toward a misty, domed web in the very centre of the hollow, while its fellows closed in all around it, clicking their pincers excitedly at the sight of its load.*"
> ― Harry Potter's description of the Acromantulas[source]
>
>

An **Acromantula** was a giant magical species of spider, native to the rainforests of Southeast Asia, particularly Borneo where it inhabited dense jungles. Acromantulas were believed to be a wizard-bred species, designed to guard dwellings or treasure hoards, and were first created before the Ban on Experimental Breeding in 1965. These giant spiders with a taste for human flesh were first spotted in 1794.

## Physical description

Acromantulas sported eight, black eyes (white if blind) and were typically covered in thick black hair, with a leg span that can reach up to fifteen feet. On average, they were the size of a carthorse, though old specimens such as Aragog may grow to 15 feet in leg span.

They possessed a set of giant pedipalps which they used to eat live prey or their own dead kin. Their pincers produced a clicking sound when they were agitated or excited. They also secreted poison when excited. They are sentient, and capable of human speech.

The fangs contained highly toxic venom, valued at 100 Galleons a pint in 1996.

## Reproduction

The female was usually larger than the male, and can lay up to one-hundred soft, wide, beach ball-sized eggs at a time. They usually hatched in six to eight weeks.

## Social Behaviour

In contrary to most non-magical spiders, Acromantulas were social animals, who lived in large colonies consisting of hundred's of their species. These colonies were led by the oldest male and female of said colonies, who were highly respected and met with absolute obedience. The Acromantula Aragog, for example, was able to keep his entire colony from eating Hagrid, despite their instincts telling them to attack humans, because he respected Hagrid as a friend.

Acromantulas were capable of forming emotional attachments to other sentient beings, but only if they were raised well from a very young age. A good example was the friendship between Aragog and Hagrid, with the latter having raised the giant spider from when he was still in his egg. However, this friendship did not automatically extend to people associated with whoever managed to win the respect of an Acromantula nor do other members of a colony automatically treated said person as friend, as they will first and foremost treat humans and other sentient beings like prey. This is demonstrated after Aragog died, the other spiders immediately tried to eat Hagrid, despite him being a good friend to their former leader.

Whenever a member of an Acromantula colony died, their corpse were eaten by the other spiders upon death. This included the leaders of a colony. It was not known if a dead Acromantula will be mourned by other members of its species so it cannot be said for certain if this was a funeral rite or simply a way to acquire food.

The basilisk was the worst enemy of all spiders, including Acromantulas, feared so much that they did not even dare to speak of it, similar to how wizards of Harry Potter's world view Lord Voldemort and used a euphemism in place of his name. It was their greatest threat due to the basilisk's killing gaze and the fact that spiders had many eyes that grant extreme field of view, thus making them highly vulnerable targets.

## Habitat

Acromantulas tend to reside in thick jungles and heavily forested areas, and their webs are large and dome-shaped.

## Acromantulas in the Wizarding World

A colony of Acromantulas was established in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry by Aragog and his wife, Mosag. Rubeus Hagrid originally kept the young Aragog in a cupboard box in the school's dungeons. Aragog was released into the Forest by Rubeus Hagrid at about the time of the 1943 opening of the Chamber of Secrets.

During the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament in 1995, an Acromantula was positioned close to the Triwizard Cup. Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory joined forces to defeat it.

The Forbidden Forest Acromantula colony participated in the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998, when the Death Eaters drove them out of the Forest, and towards Hogwarts Castle. Rubeus Hagrid was captured by the Death Eaters after he was lost among the swarm in his efforts to protect Aragog's offspring.

## Etymology

The name Acromantula has the Greek ακρος (acros/acro), meaning high or "peak," and -mantula, from the English "tarantula." True to their name, Acromantulas are massive arachnids who tend to spin their expansive webs high in tree tops. Despite the names bearing a phonetic similarity to Tarantulas, they appear more like Wolf Spiders and are, in all depictions, araneomorphae.