Antipodean Opaleyes were a breed of dragon endemic to the island of New Zealand. Many considered them to be one of the most beautiful dragons ever. They were known to have pearly scales all over their skin, and they also had glittering eyes without pupils. They had multicolored eyes and shone brightly whenever light fell on them.
Although this breed of dragon native to New Zealand was rarely seen in other regions, dragonologists have confirmed that a significant population migrated to Australia in search of new territory. It was believed that a series of kangaroo killings in Australia was caused by a male Opaleye who had come in search of territory after being banished from its territory by a dominant female Antipodean Opaleye.
Antipodean Opaleyes were also known to be one of the most harmless breeds of dragons who rarely harmed human beings in general unless threatened. Their prey of choice were sheep, and was sometimes known to graduate to larger animals.
What Is An Opaleye?
It is possible that this breed of dragons came to be known as an Opaleye because of its eyes. Antipodean Opaleyes had multi-colored eyes with no pupils and resembled the eponymous gemstones in appearance. Opals when held to sunlight had a similar glow which may have contributed to the naming of these creatures. The Opaleye’s eggs were known to be pale grey and were mistaken by Muggles, who found them as fossils. They would probably be shocked if they realized that these were dragon eggs. By dragon standards, most people in the wizarding world believed that the Antipodean Opaleye was the most beautiful type of dragon ever.
The eyes of the Antipodean Opaleye were pupil-less eyes, and therefore, they looked like they were blind at first sight. The dragon in Gringotts using which Hermione, Harry, and Ron escape in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows looks similar to the Antipodean Opaleye dragons but is not, and its eyes are just multicolored and pupil-less as a result of not being exposed to sunlight at all. It is believed that this dragon was actually a Ukrainian Ironbelly.
The Opaleye’s Habits
The Antipodean Opaleye was considered by many to be one of the most harmless breeds of dragons in the world. It would rarely harm human beings, let alone attack them when unprovoked. However, in the 1970s, there was a possible threat to kangaroos from a particular Antipodean Opaleye, which seemed to have been banished from its territory by a dominant female Opaleye. Although Opaleyes was a very loyal breed of dragons and could sometimes even be tamed, there were exceptions in some cases.
The Antipodean Opaleye mostly depended on sheep for nutrition, as sheep were their favorite food but were known to attack bigger animals sometimes. Opaleyes were known for their very vivid scarlet flame, unlike many dragons, which had a duller hue of colors in their flame.
The Opaleye’s Near Extinction
The Antipodean Opaleye being a rare and very harmless breed of dragons has constantly been under the threat of extinction. It was endemic to the region of New Zealand but had eventually been losing territory because of several environmental factors. Its diet choice of eating only sheep and occasionally straying away from the food chain to eat larger prey, especially during scarcity of food, probably made it an easy target for extinction.
How The Opaleye Was Saved
The Antipodean Opaleyes eventually began to increase in number when a large population migrated to Australia after they seemed to be losing territory to other breeds and species. There was also speculation that an Antipodean Opaleye male fed on several kangaroos in the 1970s after being driven out of its territory by a more dominant female Opaleye.
The Opaleye In The Harry Potter Series
Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, and Ron Weasley used a dragon similar to the Antipodean Opaleye in appearance to escape from the Gringotts Wizarding Bank when they broke in to steal a Horcrux from Bellatrix Lestrange’s vault during their quest to find Voldemort’s Horcruxes. This dragon had eyes similar to the Antipodean Opaleye as it had no pupils and had a slight tinge of several colors sparkling in it. It was later found to be a Ukrainian Ironbelly, and the reason it had an appearance like that was that it had been deprived of sunlight ever since its birth and was trained to guard the vaults exclusively. It was also taught to fear some specific sounds, especially the sound from the instrument that Griphook uses.
In the year 2008, an Antipodean Opaleye was extremely sick when it was under the care of Charlie Weasley, and he sent it along with a few other dragons that were also sick to Rubeus Hagrid. Hagrid took great care of the dragons, especially the Antipodean Opaleye, and it was soon cured of its disease. Hagrid gave some of the scales from the Opaleye as a gift to Lottie Turner. These events were a part of the storyline in Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, which is one of the most popular Harry Potter video games other than Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery.
Addressing the “Dragons are Dangerous” Stereotype
For a very long time, humans have been kind to some animals while downright harsh and brutal to others. Most of the animals that humans have been harsh to have had a streak of being “dangerous” especially predators like tigers and lions. While it is natural instinct to defend oneself from possible harm, a lot of creatures that are considered dangerous are not always so.
For instance, most dragons are dangerous and should be dealt with very carefully. However, the Antipodean Opaleye is a rare breed of dragon that is almost harmless. Although it had most of the traits that other dragons possess, including spitting flames, Opaleyes are known to be very kind and friendly towards humans. The knowledge of Opaleyes and other animals being harmless is important because there are several other species of different animals that are threatened with extinction because of humans believing that they are dangerous and then killing them.
FAQs
What does an Antipodean Opaleye eat?
Antipodean Opaleyes were known to eat sheep most of the time. They would rarely eat anything else. However, there was evidence to indicate that Antipodean Opaleyes would sometimes eat larger animals that were available to them in their territory, especially when sheep were in scarcity. There was also a specific male Antipodean Opaleye that was believed to eat kangaroos in Australia after its territory was confiscated by another dominant female Antipodean Opaleye.
Who would win, Antipodean Opaleye vs Giant Squid?
Although it is a very difficult choice to make between these two creatures since they are both very harmless when threatened, their defense mechanisms would help them fight the other. The Antipodean Opaleye was known to have a vivid scarlet flame which could be very dangerous for anyone who was attacked by it. The Giant Squid being of a much larger size, could strangle the dragon. Since the squid was usually immersed in water, the flame would be very ineffective and therefore, the squid would win this battle.
Which dragon is best in Harry Potter?
There is no one criterion to determine which dragon in the Harry Potter series is the best one. However, the Hungarian Horntail that Harry Potter faces in the first task in the Triwizard Tournament is considered the most vicious and dangerous of all and could be considered the best in terms of fighting ability. The Antipodean Opaleye is considered one of the most beautiful dragons and also the most harmless breed of dragon ever. Therefore, in these categories, the Antipodean Opaleye is the best dragon.