The Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal is a vicious wild animal from the planet of Traal, known for its never-ending hunger and its mind-boggling stupidity. One of the main features of the Beast is that if you can't see it, it assumes it can't see you. Due to this it has been considered one of the least intelligent creatures in the Universe.
The Vogons "wouldn't even lift a finger" to save their own grandmothers from the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal. The best way to irritate a Vogon is "to feed his grandmother" to this creature.
At the end of the Primary Phase of the radio series, Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, Trillian, Zaphod Beeblebrox and Marvin encounter a shape-shifting Haggunenon in a "carbon copy" form of a Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal. Arthur and Ford hastily escape from the creature, and we later find out that Trillian, Zaphod and Marvin escaped when the Haggunenon shape-shifted into an escape capsule.
In the film the Vogons keep a Bugblatter Beast inside a metal box in order to execute people convicted of crimes such as kidnapping the President of the Galaxy. Trillian is almost fed to it.[1]
Physical appearance
The Bugblatter Beast of Traal can turn its eyes red, green, and a sort of mauve pink[2], and it is said to have a cranial spigot[3]. It asks its victims their names before killing them and carves the names on a memorial outside its cave[2].
The Beast is described (by those who have seen it and lived) as having "Lazero-Zap" eyes, "Swivel Shear teeth", several dozen tungsten-carbide "Vast-Pain claws", skin like a motorway, and breath like a 747 jet.
Appearances
Books
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (mentioned only)
- And Another Thing...
- Star Trek Comic Book - In Memory of the Worthy
Radio
Primary Phase
Secondary Phase
- Fit the Seventh (mentioned only)
TV series
- Episode 1 (mentioned only)
Films
Video games
- Star Trek Comic Book - In Memory of the Worthy