If dragons exist, where are they and what are they like?

I don’t necessarily believe that dragons exist but if you take out the fantasy aspect magical creatures that live forever and breathe fire they are not all that incredible. A large winged lizard, as in the case of the European or “Western” dragons, are actually believed to have existed in pre-historic times. The same is true of the Asian or “Eastern” dragons. Large, snake-like lizards with four short legs aren’t all that far-fetched.

I find it quite interesting that dragons appear in cultures around the world that had no possible means of communication with each other.

I believe a likely explanation of this is ancient peoples coming across exposed dinosaur bones and making up stories about how the creatures would have looked alive.

It depends on the species. Not all breathe fire, & not all fly. Those are just the most unusual ones, & more likely to be remembered.

The only thing they all have in common is the fact that they are reptiles.

@Draconess25 What kinds of different species of dragons are there?

Well, there is one species of dragon that definitely does exist, and you can go see it anytime:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komodo_dragon

Incidentally, he lives on the same island as the Hobbits did. So maybe JRR Tolkien was onto something after all…

Go see Sex & the City 2.What you’re looking for lies therein.Word of warning though, it aint a pretty sight.

J.K.Rowling lists at least four: Hungarian Horntail, Swedish Shortsnout, Welsh Green, Chinese Fireball.~ In reality, there is the Komodo Dragon that @Jack79 already mentioned. The Chinese associate dragons with righteousness. Many can’t fly, as @Draconess25 said.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land Do you believe the Hungarian Horntail, Swedish Shortsnout, etc. are real species of dragons or do you think Rowling made them up?

@xxii No, she collected lore from everywhere. I do believe there were dragon like creatures prehistorically, there is fossil evidence of pterodactyls, which have a somewhat dragon-like appearance. The Komodos appear very dragon-like. They’re like mermaids and sea monsters. created by the human mind to fill gaps in real knowledge. The fire-breathing is almost certainly myth, as any creature that burned down it’s habitat would be quickly extinct, a true Darwin Award winner.

There are probably more dragonlike things beneath the ocean.

http://attachments.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=846205&d=1259989514

@uberbatman, dragons aren’t the only “composite creatures” that span cultures. (a composite creature is something that combines aspects from multiple animals—dragons have snake/lizards and bats). Compare the Sphinx, the Lamassu, and al-Buraq from Islamic mythology.

Humans are creative, and we’ve been mixing and matching elements from real creatures for a while.

That said, I’m pretty damn sick of dragons. They’re boring. They are not nearly as interesting as many real creatures that ancient humans had no idea about, such as siphonophores.

@Qingu Good finds and observations. GA

@Rarebear Too many species to list. And I’m lazy. Wyvern, knucker, lindworm….Multiply that by about 1000.

@Draconess25 – Where do you think dragons actually live? Under the sea? In caves? Why haven’t they made themselves known or been discovered?

@xxii Again, depends on the species. They try to make themselves hidden, because why would they want to be discovered? They’d probably be captured, dissected, & thrown in zoos. Or outright killed.

I don’t believe in dragons beyond what people mighta thought when they first found dinosaur bones, I guess. Although I’ve once heard that they slumber for centuries in the bowels of the Earth, and will come out during the Apocalypse, but I totally forgot what myth that’s from.

@Draconess25 If there are about 3000 different species (your math) don’t you think there would be a photo or something?

@Rarebear For most species, there’s only a few left. They’re dying off. A lot of species already have. Pollution, lack of food (it’s hard to hunt when you’re hiding)......And don’t trust my math; I just know there’s more species than I can count on 2 hands.

And how do you know this?

+80 GAs

@Draconess25 Go get ‘em ,girl!! :^D

@Draconess25 Which species are left?

@stranger_in_a_strange_land I think you made a typo. Shouldn’t it be ”go get ‘em, grill!” ? ;)
that’s what I read originally

@Jack79 No, I meant what I said. @Draconess25 understood what I meant. ;oP

@Draconess25 where the hell are you pulling this shit from though? Not getting into it? How the hell can you make a claim like there are some 3000 species of dragons but be offended when asked to back it up with some legitimate proof?

Did you know i have a unicorn living in my back yard?

@uberbatman: Is it an invisible pink unicorn?

@uberbatman I see Klingons orbiting Uranus. What’s the harm?

@KatawaGrey purple, actually.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land none really, its just if your going to make an outrageous claim, one should have facts to back up said claims. Else, what the fuck is the point of this site?

@uberbatman hey! That’s my invisible purple unicorn! Been looking for it all week!

pshhhhh good luck gettin it back. Ive been feeding it the imaginary food from Hook all week and its grown quite fond to me.

@uberbatman The Q’s in the Social Section; a bit less rigorous than General.My Klingon just ate your unicorn. He said it tasted almost as good as roast Targ.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land: Psh, since when do Klingons roast their targs? :P

You guys are scaring her off! @Draconess25 said that most of the species have died off but a few are left. I’m really interested to know which species are left.

Yeah guys, can we avoid mockery or derision? I’m genuinely interested in getting answers to my questions.

@xxii I have given my answer, & I will participate no further in this dicussion. If you would like more in-depth information, PM me.

damn… so i never will get to learn about the species of dragons still around today?

@xxii @Draconess25 I want to know the answer too!

I don’t think @Draconess25 knows the answer yet because she’s making it up as she goes along.