London - Fictional creatures from the world of Harry Potter are to be the centrepiece of a new exhibition at London’s Natural History Museum.
The paid-for attraction, called Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature, will show how invented animals such as the ‘Niffler’ and ‘Demiguise’ were inspired by creatures in the real world.
Among the exhibits will be an ‘Erum pent horn’ from the Harry Potter films and a ‘dragon skull’ from Professor Lupin’s Hogwarts classroom.
The real-life specimens will include a giant oarfish, thought to be the inspiration for many mythical sea serpents. Visitors will be able to ‘compare the camouflage tactics of a jaguar to that of the wizarding world’s Demiguise and the mating rituals of the peacock spider to the wizarding world’s Erumpent’.
The exhibition, developed with film giant Warner Bros, will also feature in an new TV documentary presented by Stephen Fry, who narrated the Harry Potter audio books.
The museum’s Clare Matterson says the attraction, due to open for a seven-month run this spring, will be ‘a captivating experience that will show how the natural world has inspired legends and stories’.
The site teases: "Discover where the real and wizarding worlds intertwine, and how the wonders of the natural world have inspired myths, legends and magical creatures for generations.
Embark on a journey where not all is as it seems, where magical beasts and fantastic animals share abilities and behaviours that allow them to dazzle, attract and escape.
Celebrate real-world explorers who, like the character Newt Scamander™, help us to understand our planet's extraordinary creatures so we can protect them for the future. "
The exhibition will open from May 22, 2020 until January 3, 2021.
Ticket price starts from £10.95 (R210.36).