Manticore

Manticores were first mentioned by the Ancient Greeks and Middle East civilizations. They are a Persian creature, but the Greek physician Ctesias after spending several years at the court of Artaxerxes 2 of Persia took these stories back to Europe. It supposedly had the body of a red lion, a human head with three rows of teeth, like a shark, and the tail of a scorpion. The Manticore is also the size of a lion. It is also sometimes depicted with bat-like wings.
Manticores are carnivores, meaning they only eat meat. They devour their prey whole, not even leaving the bones. To kill their prey they use their poisonous tails to paralyze the victim. For some unknown reason all manticores appear to be male, it is therefore unknown as to how they breed, although there is a popular theory that both the male and female genders look the same. As the manticores are too dangerous cryptozoologists can not verify this.
Manticores have now been sighted all over the world, including South America and Indonesia. They seem to have spread worldwide, although most sightings are still in the Persian/Iranian region. Many have made the mistake of thinking the manticore was a man from a distance, as the head was all that was visible. Very few survive an encounter with a manticore, and those that do never wish to go out again. So beware, don't mistake a manticore for a man or lion. You will be very sorry!
For more information visit:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manticore
• http://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast177.htm
• http://www.mythicalcreaturesguide.com/page/Manticore