Now, I'm not a herpetologist, *but*...

[Bex]

No: HPFGUIDX 115339


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "nkafkafi" <nkafkafi at y...> 
wrote:
> 
dungrollin asked:
> > 
> > So, Nagini. What is she?  Is she a made-up snake, or can we 
trace 
> > her to a real species?

 
Neri pointed out:
> 
> As someone with formal training in zoology I was most impressed by 
the
> level of your zoological research!
> 
> Just one (not zoological) comment: there is actually no canon that
> Nagini can see through invisibility cloaks, with IR or without it.
> When Harry sees Arthur through the snake's eyes we are told:
>  
> (OotP, Ch. 21)
> "But the man was stirring . . . a silver cloak fell from his legs 
as
> he jumped to his feet"
> 
> Arthur clearly fell asleep on his watch and the invisibility cloak
> slipped to its legs, from which it fell when he jumped to his feet.

Yb:
Ahh, yes, but from OotP:
"he could see objects shimmering around him in strange, vibrant 
colors..."

"a man was sitting on the floor ahead... his outline gleaming in the 
dark."

OotP, AmVer, p. 462
dungrollin mentioned pit vipers being able to see infrared light, 
which would account for the strange vibrant colors. With or without 
the invisibility cloak, there's no way Arthur could have hidden 
from /this/ snake.

~Yb, who needs to do some work.