Niffler

"Long-snouted, burrowing creatures native to Britain with a penchant for anything shiny."

- Description of a Niffler

A Niffler was a creature with a long snout and a coat of black, fluffy fur. They were attracted to shiny things, which made them wonderful for locating treasure, but this also means that they could wreak havoc if kept (or set loose) indoors. Nifflers in general were usually harmless.

Students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry learned about Nifflers in Care of Magical Creatures class, an elective that could be chosen in third year.

Nifflers are assigned to Curse-Breakers by the Gringotts Head Goblin to burrow underground in search of treasures hidden in cursed sites.

Description
Nifflers were rodent-like creatures with a long snout similar to that of a platypus and a coat of black, fluffy fur. Native to Britain, they lived in burrows as deep as twenty feet below ground, and produced six to eight young in a single litter.

Nifflers had a pouch on their bellies which held far more than at first seemed possible, like the effects of an Undetectable Extension Charm on a container.

Nifflers were gentle by nature and could even be affectionate towards their owners. However, they could destroy belongings looking for sparkly objects, and for that reason it was inadvisable to keep them as a house pet. It was also implied that they could turn vicious if provoked, as the second Niffler released into Dolores Umbridge's office apparently tried to take a chunk out of her leg.

History
Nifflers were kept by Goblins to burrow for treasure.



Newton Scamander owned a niffler, which escaped twice from his suitcase during his visit to New York in 1926 and tried to rob both the Steen National Bank and a jewel shop of numerous valuables. In 1927, the same niffler produced four offspring each in a different color.

During the 1994–1995 school year, Rubeus Hagrid used them as part of the Fourth years Care of Magical Creatures class. Prior to class he hid Leprechaun gold in the earth in front of his hut. He paired each student with a Niffler and promised a prize to whoever found the most gold. Ron Weasley asked Rubeus Hagrid if they could buy these Nifflers as pets, and with knowledge, Hagrid said his mum wouldn't want one because they wreck houses, but this was not a definitive "no". This means there is a very good chance that wizards could purchase Nifflers. When Hagrid caught Gregory Goyle pocketing the gold, he explained that trying to steal it was pointless, as Leprechaun gold was worthless because it disappeared after a few hours. Ron's Niffler found the most gold, so Hagrid rewarded him with an extremely large slab of chocolate from Honeydukes.

During Dolores Umbridge's tenure as Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Lee Jordan used a Levitation Charm to levitate two Nifflers through her office window to wreck the office. Umbridge blamed Hagrid for it, and this did not help him in the least during her Hogwarts High Inquisitor inspections.

Notes and references
Escarbato Niffler Niffleur Niuchacz Нюхлер Småtler pt-br:Pelúcio