User:Zoe Johnson/sandbox

What is the creature? It’s black and same sort of size as a miniature pony. It has very thick shoulders, a long, thick tail, and small round ears, bear like movement.

Where does it get its name from? The creature got it name from where it was found: in Houndtor. The whole area is famed for its ghosts and nearby are the ancient dwellings and graves of their time. It has a splendid rock pile that is said by some to have been the inspiration for Conan Doyle’s book ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’.

Where may we find texts or stories which talk about or use the creature as a character? http://www.legendarydartmoor.co.uk/houndtor_beast.htm

http://www.legendarydartmoor.co.uk/hound_tor.htm

Over recent years there have been several sightings of a big black cat in the area. In 2004 one was supposedly spotted about 1½ miles away. Also in this year several hens were killed in a mysterious way. In July 2007 many sheep were found dead over Tavistock way and it did not take long to link their killings with the appearance of the beast. Veterinary post-mortems subsequently suggested that the sheep had died from a dog attack not a savage beast of the moor.