Close-up of the head of a Thestral,, Warner brothers Studio Tour, Leavesdon

A thestrals, a fictional horse-like creature from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. The fictional animal has a skeletal body and is unable to be seen by the majority of people; hestrals are an elusive, carnivorous species of winged horse, visible only to those who have witnessed and embraced a death, and described as having "blank, white, shining eyes, " a "dragonish face, " "long, black manes, " "great leathery wings, " and the "skeletal body of a great, black, winged horse"; also described by Hagrid as "dead clever an' useful". They have acquired an undeserved reputation as omens of evil. The High Inquisitor from the ministry of magic, Dolores Umbridge, asserted that Thestrals are considered "dangerous creatures" by the Ministry of Magic, although this might be due to her prejudice against 'half-breeds', as Hagrid is half-giant and is showing thestrals in class. Thestrals have fangs and possess a well-developed sense of smell, which will lead them to carrion and fresh blood. According to Hagrid, they will not attack a human-sized target without provocation. They are capable of very fast flight for several hours at a time, though they usually spend their time on the ground; and they have an excellent sense of direction. The breed is domesticable, given a willing trainer (Hagrid suspects that he has the only domesticated herd in Britain), after which they may pull loads, and make a serviceable if uncomfortable mode of transportation (Harry rides to the Ministry of Magic by thestral in the fifth book with his friends, although half of the group are unable to actually see their means of transport). Hogwarts has a herd in the nearby Forbidden Forest and primarily uses them to pull the carriages that transport students to and from the Hogsmeade train station. They are introduced to Care of Magical Creatures students in the fifth year by Hagrid in the same year that Harry becomes able to see them after witnessing the death of Cedric Diggory, some months after it.