Bogwoppit

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Bogwoppit is a marsh-dwelling creature of unspecified genus in the book Bogwoppit by English writer Ursula Moray Williams and published in 1978. Originally referred to thus because of its apparently unique status, a whole colony of bogwoppits lives happily in marsh pools at an unspecified location in southern England.

The first known description of a bogwoppit runs as follows:

"...round and black and furry, with large, round, blue appealing eyes and a long furry tail. It had only two legs. These ended in wet rubbery feet with webbed toes, that seemed to join its furry legs like boots at some upper joint. Instead of forepaws it wore feathered wings, like a pair of short sleeves, and a fringe of fur or feathers fell over its eyes giving it a fierce and furtive look. Its tail, of which it seemed supremely conscious since it never stopped swishing it to and fro, was thin like a rat's, but capable of fluffing out and stiffening like a bristle when the creature became startled or surprised." (Moray Williams 1978: 23-24).

It is unclear whether bogwoppits have a mouth or a beak. They eat mainly aruncus woppitus, a rare plant found only in some marshes. They seem to be warm-blooded.

Bogwoppits are intelligent and affectionate, with a preference for mud and marsh-water which gives them a pungent aroma. They can fly erratically using their short wings. They are often bad-tempered, probably due to indigestion from the restricted diet of aruncus woppitus.