Dragonology

Herein shall be uncovered the secrets of the Dragon.

Dragon Evolution:

According to the Laws of Nature, most Dragons would be impossible to ever have evolved on this planet. All creatures (except for the very small such as insects and arachnids) have four limbs. Most Dragons are depicted as having six (four legs, two wings). The Western-style Dragon is always viewed as such. The only actual "possible" Dragons would be the wyverns (two legs, two wings) or the Eastern-style Oriental Dragons (usually four legs, no wings). Are Dragons impossible? Probably. But they are beautiful none-the-less.

WESTERN DRAGONS

European/Medieval Dragon:

This species is the most widely-known of all the Dragons. They are especially renowned for their fascination for hoarding of treasure. Normally depicted as having leathery wings, an arrowhead-spiked tail, spines running from head to tail, usually some horns and of course the ability to breathe fire or some type of acid or venom.

There would have to be at least four different types of Medieval Dragons. They mostly prefer to live in mountains or caverns. Depending on where they live, their scale colorations have adapted to match their surroundings. All of the following types of Medieval Dragons have four legs and two wings.

Mountain Dragon:

The most well-known would be the Dragons who live in the mountainous regions, living in caves surrounded by forests. These Dragons would be quite large - about 40 feet long and colored red, green or black. Their favorite prey would be creatures such as deer, cattle, sheep or goats. I do not believe that these Dragons breathe fire, for fear of burning down their protective forests. No, they probably would spit a burning venom, maybe like a type of extremely corrosive acid.

Desert Dragon:

Next will be the desert-dwelling Dragons. They would be found near any dry, sandy mountainous regions and would be medium-sized, about 25 feet in length. Their scale colorations would vary from pale yellows to oranges and browns in order to camouflage themselves in order to hunt for large lizards and snakes, sometimes flying for miles to search for a decent meal. These Dragons however, would most likely be the feared fire-breathers. If the desert wasn't hot enough for you, wait until you feel the hot breath of an angry and hungry Dragon upon you!

Frost Dragon:

Another type would be those Dragons that prefer the cold, icy regions of the world. They would live most of time in solitude, making a home in an ice cave hollowed out from some glacier or iceberg. The cave would need to be close enough to the water so they could pounce on their favorite prey of penguins, seals, walrus, sea lions and giant squid. They would be like the albinos of the species, white in color sometimes tinged with light blue, pink or yellow. These Dragons would also spray a frozen venom in a mist, and it would be so cold that it would burn your skin to feel like frostbite.

Swamp Dragon:

The Swamp Dragon species prefer the dreary and murky places, where the fog grows thick and close to the ground, and the trees are mostly dead with dried, twisted limbs. They have the ability to hold their breath for an extraordinary amount of time, hiding their entire bodies under the swampy water, waiting for a meal. They would be medium-sized to small, about 20 ft in length with small, ragged-looking wings and membranous skin so thin that you can almost see their skeletal structures. Their colorations are also very dark and drab variations of blacks, browns and greens. They will eat almost anything, preferring to spit their necrotic venom at the victim and waiting to eat it until the flesh becomes vile and rotten.

EASTERN/ORIENTAL DRAGONS

Asian Lung:

There are three different types of Asian Lung, Chinese, Japanese and Indonesian. The Chinese (Imperial) Lung have five toes, whereas Japanese Lung have four toes and the Indonesian Lung have only three toes. These are the only known differences between the three types of Asian Lung.

Most Asian Lung are depicted as having stag-like horns, a furry mane, a feathery tail and long, whiskery feelers. They are extremely adept and agile swimmers, usually found residing in underwater caves or grottos where they hoard pearls, opals and lost treasure from sunken ships. Their coloration is varied and come in a myriad of hues including all blues, greens, yellows and reds. Asian Lung are quite large, measuring over 50 feet in length with a lithe, sinewy body, four legs and no wings. Preferred meals are usually large fish, crustaceans and birds.

Tibetan Dragon:

The Tibetan Dragon is a close cousin to the Asian Lung, and they share many of same characteristics. However, the Tibetan version is thinner and slightly smaller than its counterpart (usually around 40 feet long and also having four legs) and its coloration is predominately red or reddish orange. Also, the Tibetan Dragon prefers high altitudes, living on the open mountain side or in small dens. Its main prey would be mountain goats, sheep and yaks.

Lindworm:

The Lindworm is a more distant cousin to the Lungs, having a similar, lithe and sinewy body shape although this beast only has two legs. Slightly smaller than the Tibetan Dragon, the Lindworm usually grows to about 35 feet long and its coloration consists of mostly light greens and pale yellows. Its preferred habitat is usually desert, brush or scrubland and they like their nests to be just a shallow scratch in the earth. They would enjoy to prey upon camels and wild ponies.

OTHER DRAGONS

Amphithere:

The Amphithere is a Dragon species without legs and is basically depicted as a feathered serpent with wings. The most widely known of these creatures is the Aztec god, Quetzalcouatl. They have frilly feathers in a mane around their heads and a huge plume of golden feathers at the tip of their tail. Most of their feathers would be pearly green or blue and shine in the sunlight. Amphitheres can grow upto nearly 50 feet and have a wingspan of double that much. They prefer to live amongst the reeds of lakesides or offshore islands and prey upon large mammals such as llamas and buffalo.

Drake: Coming Soon.

Faerie Dragon:

The Faerie Dragon is the smallest and the most colorful of all the species. Most of the time they are mistaken for very large butterflies! They have four limbs, long whip-like tails and two elaborately colored butterfly-like wings. Faerie Dragons would grow to about 1-2 feet from head to tail, and can be any color in the entire spectrum of hues. They prefer to live in grassy and lightly forested areas where they munch on mushrooms, insects and berries, sometimes hunting small rodents or birds.

Hydra: Coming Soon.

Knucker:

The Knucker species of Dragon is a medium-sized wurm which usually grows to about 30 feet long and is lithe and serpentine in appearance. They have four limbs for crawling around and they have small, unusable vestigial wings. Their scales are leathery and coloration is usually brown, but sometimes could be dull red or greenish-blue. Their preferred lairs are within a deep pond, underground cavern or old, unused wells. They hunt game such as rabbits and deer, paralyzing them with either a venomous bite or constriction by using its tail.

Sea Serpent:

The Sea Serpent is a most rare Dragon species. Rarely ever seen in the huge expanse of the ocean, very little is known about these creatures. They would be quite enormous compared to the other Dragons of the world, growing up to and beyond 100 feet long! Their coloration would be like most sea creatures, dark blues and greens. They would need to breathe water, perhaps having gills behind a crest in their necks which extends from their head to the base of their tails and it resembles a coral reef. They have four limbs, all ending in webbed feet and a thick tail to help them swim. Obviously, they would feed upon other sea creatures such as fish and sharks, maybe hunting in packs to take down a massive whale.

Wyvern:

The Wyvern is most unlike other Dragons, this one follows the laws of nature, mostly. Perhaps it was the first type of Dragon to evolve, for it has two legs and two wings like birds. They are normally quite large, growing up to 50 feet long and standing about 20 feet high. Their colorations are nothing spectacular, usually a muddy brown, rusty orange or a lime green. They usually prefer warm climates and like to make large circular nests among rocky crags or cliffs. They have a deadly, venomous stinger at the end of their tails which they use to prey upon large animals such as elephants, hippos and rhinos.