In the Middle Ages, one could find out information about various animals (real and imagined) in books known as Bestiaries. Mostly based on ancient writers and medieval legends, these books offer some very strange descriptions of beasts. Here is how one 13th century Bestiary – Oxford’s Bodleian Library MS 764 – details the unusual attributes and characteristics of ten animals.
Learn more about medieval animals and bestiaries:
Animals in the Middle Ages: The Elephant
The Beauty of the Bestiary
Preventing ‘Monkey Business’. Fettered Apes in the Middle Ages
Pet Care Advice from the Middle Ages
Animals in Medieval Sports, Entertainment, and Menageries
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