The mutts are half human and half lizard, and extremely difficult to kill. They have the extraordinary ability to detect her scent across great distances. They track down Squad 451 in the underground tunnels and kill several members of the squad, including Katniss’ dear friend, Finnick Odair.
Appearance of Lizard Muttations
The lizard mutts are a mix of lizards and humans. Their faces contain several conflicting features which makes Katniss Everdeen speculate that they might also contain some other species in them. However, she is not sure which ones.
The mutts are nearly the size of a full-grown human being and are completely white. They have four limbs and long reptilian tails. Their backs are arched and their heads jut forward. The skin on the bodies of the lizard mutts is taut and covered with gore. They have deadly claws at the ends of their hands and feet, and extremely wide, lathered mouths. They have white skin and sharp teeth.
“They are white, four-limbed, about the size of a full-grown human, but that’s where the comparisons stop. Naked, with long reptilian tails, arched backs, and heads that jut forward. They swarm over the Peacekeepers, living and dead, clamp on to their necks with their mouths and rip off the helmeted heads.”
Katniss Everdeen in ‘Mockingjay’
Characteristics of Lizard Muttations
The lizard muttations are muttations created by the Capitol specifically to terrify Katniss Everdeen. As such, they have been genetically engineered to recognize her scent, which evokes in them a mad desire to hunt and kill anyone in sight.
“For the first time, I get a good look at them. A mix of human and lizard and who knows what else. White, tight reptilian skin smeared with gore, clawed hands and feet, their faces a mess of conflicting features. Hissing, shrieking my name now, as their bodies contort in rage. Lashing out with tails and claws, taking huge chunks of one another or their own bodies with wide, lathered mouths, driven mad by their need to destroy me.”
Katniss Everdeen in ‘Mockingjay’
At the faint whiff of Katniss, the lizard mutts are pushed into a desperate frenzy, and they begin clawing and biting anything and everything in front of them. The desire to hunt is so frantic that if there is no one else that they can claw at or bite, then they will begin biting themselves. At this point, they will no longer distinguish between friend and enemy and will also tear apart Peacekeepers if they are in the way.
The lizard mutts are also designed to instill great psychological fear in Katniss. As such, they are imbued with the scent of white roses, which is a scent Katniss associates with President Snow. As a result, Katniss is fearful each time she smells the lizard mutts.
The lizard mutts are also given the ability to hiss Katniss’ name. This is how she first hears them in the underground tunnels. When they see Katniss, they begin shrieking her name as well. The Lizard muttations are extremely hardy and, therefore, difficult to exterminate. They require more than two dozen bullets or arrows to bring them down. They are extremely powerful and highly lethal, making them some of the most dangerous mutts ever created by the Capitol.
Lizard Muttations in Mockingjay
President Snow releases the lizard mutts into the underground Transfer system when Katniss Everdeen and the rest of Squad 451 retreat underground to avoid detection above ground. After a while, Katniss and the others get some rest in a small room with machines, where Katniss helps Peeta distinguish between reality and imagination. This is when she begins to hear a hissing sound. She slowly distinguishes it to be a word, “Katniss” which is being hissed over and over again.
Peeta helps Katniss understand that these are some sort of muttations designed to kill her. Katniss suggests that they split up, but everyone vetoes this idea. She then distributes the available weapons among each member of the squad.
The squad leaves the room and heads into the tunnel. It is easier for them to figure out the location of the mutts because of the hissing sounds. They figure out that the mutts are behind them, and Katniss decides to continue on her way to President Snow’s mansion.
After covering 3 blocks, the squad hears a flurry of guttural screams resonating through the tunnels. Peeta deduces the sound to come from Avoxes. The Avoxes are targeted by the lizard mutations, and Gale Hawthorne deduces that the lizards will stop at nothing until they reach Katniss.
Katniss suggests that she splits up from the squad once again, by transferring the command of the Holo to Jackson. However, she is downvoted once again. This is when the squad hears the hisses coming from both below them and behind them.
The smell of the lizard mutts then hits Katniss and she is highly bothered by the scent of President Snow’s roses. She begins running onto the Transfer and leading the others away from the smell. Unfortunately, Messalla gets caught in a light pod and his flesh is melted to the ground.
The Lizard Mutts Attack Squad 451
Katniss and the others are caught in a spray of bullets by Peacekeepers in front of them, and the squad begins fighting. However, the muttations are now upon them. Upon smelling Katniss’ scent, the lizard mutts begin tearing apart the peacekeepers with their strong jaws to reach her.
Katniss then fires the Meat Grinder pod to slow down the mutts and then asks Pollux to lead them above ground. Jackson and Leeg 1 stay behind to hold the mutts off. However, they are no match for the mutts, and the mutts soon catch up to Katniss and the others.
Katniss and the squad open fire while they attempt to escape through a manhole above ground. Katniss, Peeta, Pollux, Cressida and Gale manage to escape, while Finnick gets stuck with the mutations. Katniss hears a human cry from the tunnels, and Katniss shines the light from Cressida’s gun down the shaft. She sees Finnick struggling to stay alive as three mutts tear at his flesh.
Katniss decides to detonate the Holo to give Finnick a peaceful death. She says “nightlock” three times and throws the Holo underground, where it explodes killing both the mutts and Finnick. The mutts, therefore, kill Finnick, Castor and Homes.
FAQs
What are the muttations in ‘The Hunger Games’?
The muttations in ‘The Hunger Games’ are genetically engineered creatures that are used in the Hunger Games arena. Created in a lab, these mutts have extraordinary abilities. For instance, jabberjays are a kind of muttation that can record any human conversation they hear. Mockingjays, which become the symbol of rebellion, are the exception, as they are the result of the mating of female mockingbirds with male jabberjays. Some examples of mutations include wolf mutts, tracker jackers, monkey mutts, snake mutts (from the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes), candy pink birds, and butterflies (used in the 50th Hunger Games), etc.
What are the lizard monsters in ‘The Hunger Games’?
The lizard monsters in ‘The Hunger Games’ are muttations created by the Capitol of Panem to kill Katniss Everdeen. The scent of Katniss drives them into a killing spree, making them highly dangerous and lethal. Similarly, the monkey mutts in the 75th Hunger Games (Third Quarter Quell) are highly dangerous with their razor-sharp claws that shoot out like switchblades. The female morphing saves Peeta’s life in the arena by jumping in front of the monkey mutts.
What is the physical appearance of muttations?
Muttations in ‘The Hunger Games’ can take any physical form. For instance, the wolf mutations that killed Cato at the Cornucopia were designed to resemble big wolves with fur resembling the hair color and texture of different tributes from the 74th Hunger Games. These mutts had powerful hind legs and also contained similar eyes to those of the tributes.
What are tracker jacker mutts?
Tracker jackers are genetically modified wasps whose stings cause lumps the size of plums, and the venom causes hallucinations. Gamemakers introduce a nest of tracker jackers, which Katniss (played by Jennifer Lawrence in the movies) drops on the Career Pack, killing Glimmer.
