In West Faerûn, they could be found within the land of High Moor.

In Northwest Faerûn, they could be found within the Delimbiyr Vale.

However, they far preferred to live in warm habitats. These creatures could be found in almost any climate. Manticores were typically known to make their lairs underground or within caves, particularly ones that other races would consider to be very dismal. Though they happy settled for the flesh of most any creature, they preferred the flesh of humans most of all. In the Year of the Groaning Cart, 1267 DR, manticores, along with harpies and perytons, destroyed the city of Lis in the Moonsea region in what was known as the Flying Plague. Often, these manticores would have tails that were similar in appearance to that of a scorpion's stinger. Some manticores had tail spikes that carried lethal or paralytic venom. Manticores were intelligent creatures and often worked beside other evil beings to bring strife and suffering to the world. Manticores were known to be savage man-eaters and allies of evil creatures. It used these teeth to feed upon any creature the manticore could catch, be it animal or human. The mouth of a manticore was full of rows and rows of razor-sharp teeth, similar to that of a great white shark. The coloration of these various body parts was similar to that of their base creature. They were giant beasts with the bodies of lions, the wings of a dragon, the head of a man, and a tail that ended in a mass of deadly spikes.

Manticore dungeons and dragons