Cockatrice

The Cockatrice is a magical beast which resembles a gigantic, rotund chicken with a scaly, reptilian tail. Its gaze is capable of changing living creatures into stone - their eyeballs retain this power even when extracted from the beast, making the cockatrice's eye a useful weapon (albeit one prone to backfire). Cockatrices are not immune from this petrifying effect themselves, and so must be careful to avoid mirrors and other reflective surfaces.

The effect of the cockatrice's gaze can be reversed by imbibing the cockatrice's own ichor, a noxious green fluid which can be harvested from a dead or petrified specimen. Mixing the ichor with orange juice will mask the flavor somewhat, making it less "throw-up-y".

Cockatrice meat is highly prized as a delicacy, particularly when prepared into sausage and used as a pizza topping.

Cockatrices hatch from eggs laid by roosters - according to Dr. McNinja, if one discovers a rooster's egg, one should throw it over the roof of a barn to prevent its hatching.