Griffon

The Griffon is a majestic beast that results from the mating of a lion and an eagle. It is, interestingly, quite larger than either of these creatures and in many other ways greater than the sum of its parts. Griffons have the incredibly sharp vision of an eagle combined with the strength and ferocity of a lion, however they also posess a number of unique powers that neither of their parent organisms posess. Griffon claws change color in the prescence of poison, which makes them excellent goblet material, and griffins have a level of intelligence almost equal to that of a human. Griffons are noble beasts, though fierce, and they will usually only attack someone if they stray into the beasts' territory. However, they loathe horses, and will attack them on sight. Though they sometimes eat equines, Griffons are also known to kill them out of pure spite. It is unknown why this natural hatred exists. Few Griffons are known to put aside this hatred of horses, but when they do, occasionally a Griffon/horse half-breed called a Hippogriff would occur. Because of their unusual combination of parents, Hippogriffs are some of the rarest of beasts. Griffons themselves are also very uncommon, and are usually only found in the Caucasus Mountains and the surrounding area.