The European Cockatrice can turn anything to stone in one glance. They are also known as a Basilisk. They also have poisonous saliva. The cockatrice has the head of a cockerel and a tail of a snake. You can protect yourself by carrying a mirror with you and reflect the cockatrice's gaze back onto itself or keep a weasel or cockerel nearby. The weasel is the cockatrices arch enemy, but the cockerel's crow will cause the cockatrice to have fits and thrash itself to death.
* photo courtesy of Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide