Blast-Ended Skrewts are hybrid rare magical creatures that are known to resemble scorpions and crabs. They are quite vicious and attack if bothered. They are crossbred and are hybrids of Manticores and Fire Crabs. They were first bred into existence by Rubeus Hagrid in the autumn of 1994 at Hogwarts and were eventually used in the maze of the Third task at the Triwizard tournament. Interestingly, the Ministry of Magic never banned the breeding of the Blast-Ended Skrewt probably because it was specially bred for the third task of the Triwizard tournament despite its large size of 10 feet and its dangerous nature.
Blast-Ended Skrewt – Magical Beast Profile
- Color of Skin: Pale
- Eye Colour: None
- Related Species: Manticores and Fire Crabs
- Endemic to: Hogwarts Castle
- Size of an adult: Around 10 ft
- Status: Possibly extinct
- Affiliations: Rubeus Hagrid
- Other names: Bang Ended Scoots, as called by Rita Skeeter
Blast-Ended Skrewt Description
According to Harry Potter, who first saw Blast-Ended Skrewts in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, in his fourth year Care of Magical Creatures class, they looked quite like deformed, shell-less lobsters. They looked horribly pale and slimy, with legs coming out in very unusual places and no visible heads. Around a hundred of them were placed in each crate, each about six inches long, crawling over one another, bumping blindly into the sides of the boxes.
They gave off a signature odor of rotting fish. Every now and then, sparks would fly out of the end of a skrewt, and with a small ‘phut’, it would be propelled forward several inches. The males possessed stingers like scorpions, while the females possessed suckers to suck blood.
A newly born Blast-Ended Skrewt looked very slimy and like scorpions or lobsters. They were about six inches long. However, once the Skrewts grew for about two months, they would become very difficult to tame. They grew around two to three feet long and were extremely ill-tempered. They would now have a grey shiny armor and a massive stinger which made them look like a cross between giant scorpions and an elongated crab.
After a few more months, Skrewts would just grow into a ten-foot-long scary creature and were considered quite dangerous and sometimes even lethal as adults. Their shiny armor helped them protect themselves from most spells. They had a blasting end with a tall tail from where sparks would fly and cause the skrewt to propel forward.
First Appearance in the Harry Potter Series
The Blast-Ended Skrewts first appeared in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when Hagrid started breeding them in the September of 1994. At that time, there were several hundred Skrewts. However, by early June 1995, only one of the Skrewts remained. The class of fourth-year Care of Magical Creatures students were shown these Skrewts and were asked to feed them frog livers.
The first appearance of the Blast-Ended Skrewts takes place in the Care of Magical Creatures class that Hagrid takes for fourth-year students. Hagrid was still figuring out what these strangely bred creatures ate and students too had a hard time figuring out their diet. Despite being in Hagrid’s care, the Blast-Ended Skrewts were the wizarding world’s rarest magical creatures and were pretty hard to figure out. The difficulties of feeding these Skrewts reminded the trio of the time they had to take care of a swarm of mischievous cornish pixies that were let free by Gilderoy Lockhart.
Draco Malfoy goes on to ask Hagrid what the purpose of feeding them is, as a taunt, but Hagrid deflects the question by claiming that this will be answered in the next lesson.
The Blast-Ended Skrewt was a serious violation of the Ban on Experimental Breeding owing to it being a very unique creature of a very dangerous nature. However, going by Hagrid’s reputation for keeping dangerous creatures like the three-headed dog Fluffy and his pet dragon Norbert, it came as no surprise that he was breeding Blast-Ended Skrewts.
Other Appearances and Mentions
Since Blast-Ended Skrewts were specifically bred for the purpose of being kept in the maze of the Triwizard Tournament, along with many other hurdles like the Devil’s Snare, centaurs, and a variety of wizarding world’s rarest magical creatures, they were placed at several spots inside the maze and served as a formidable foe on the way to glory.
Since spells did not penetrate their thick shells, it was very difficult to neutralize them. However, the only vulnerable spot on the Skrewt was its soft underside which was not covered by a shell. Harry used this to great effect and was able to stop a Blast-Ended Skrewt from attacking him by casting the Impediment Jinx on its underside. This could only be achieved by casting the spell at odd angles, which Harry was successful in doing, by aiming through the rear of the Skrewt.
Interestingly Blast-Ended Skrewts do not appear in any Harry Potter film, Throughout the wizarding world of Harry Potter, the skrewts remain a mystery because of how less they are known, and for a short period of time they are bred. Furthermore, skrewts would certainly count as the wizarding world’s rarest magical creature.
Other instances of the Blast-Ended Skrewt appearing in the books include their mention by Rita Skeeter and her request that Hagrid gives her an interview about the “bang ended scoots” as she called them. She intended to publish this in the zoological column of the Daily Prophet, which never came to fruition.
Ron suggested the idea of feeding Dolores Umbridge to a box of starving Blast-Ended Skrewts as a punishment for her mistreatment of Professor McGonagall on the grounds of Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
While discussing the idea of a teenage Dumbledore with Hermione and Ron, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry claimed that this idea seemed very odd, almost like considering the possibility of a stupid Hermione or a friendly Blast-Ended Skrewt.
In the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, located at the Universal’s Islands Universal Orlando resort, Blast-Ended Skrewts are a part of Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. It is promoted as one of Wizarding World’s rarest magical creatures that did not feature in the movies. This ‘new adventure’ is especially popular because Hagrid is one of the most beloved characters in the Harry Potter series and as a new attraction, it is already one of the most popular rides with amazing entertainment experiences to offer guests visiting the Universal’s islands.
Could a Muggle Escape a Blast-Ended Skrewt?
Blast-Ended Skrewts can be lethal and dangerous to wizards themselves. Therefore, it is very unlikely that a muggle could easily escape a Blast-Ended Skrewt. Furthermore, an adult Skrewt is about ten feet tall, which is way larger and more menacing than any adult muggle ever born. Its Blast-Ends propel it further, which is another advantage it has over a fast-running human being. However, the muggles might have an upper hand if they have some help from their technology. For instance, Aragog and his family were pretty menacing to face, and escape seemed impossible for Harry and Ron from their lair in the Forbidden Forest. But it was eventually Ron’s Ford Anglia, a marvel of muggle technology that finally saved them. The same might be the case with Blast-Ended Skrewts.
FAQs
What are Blast-Ended Skrewts used for?
Blast-Ended Skrewts were specifically bred to be kept in the maze of the third task for the Triwizard tournament. They were formidable obstacles owing to their huge size and dangerous nature. Their only weakness was the soft underside that was not covered by the thick silver shell.
Which Slytherin claimed to have been bitten by a Flobberworm?
When Rita Skeeter interviewed the Slytherin fourth-year students about the Care of Magical Creatures class taught by Hagrid, Draco Malfoy claimed that they’ve had a difficult time in his classes because Malfoy himself was attacked by a Hippogriff and his friend Goyle was bitten by a flobberworm.
Are Skrewts in the movie?
No, the Blast-Ended Skrewts never appeared in the movie adaptation of Harry Potter. However, they were very popular in the books because of the mysteries of their creation by cross-breeding Manticores and Fire Crabs, and how annoyed most students are at them during the Care of Magical Creatures class.