|
[ Return to Mythical Dragon Biology ]
Appearance
In many ways, these look like giant snakes. There are a few differences.
Edward Topsell described them as having eyelids - a trait snakes do not possess.
Some of these dragons also have pig-like bristles. These bristles are noted
in both the East and West.
There is some disagreement about whether such dragons have crests and beards
or not. It seems likely that this depends on the particular species. One
species is described as males having crests and beards and females having
neither.
Lifestyle/Habitat
These dragons have been seen in most of the old and new world.
Diet
These dragons are refered to as carnivores in numerous sources. The meat
of elephants is commonly listed as their preferred food. Pliny (a Greek)
also describes dragon eating lettuce is spring, to cure feelings of nausea.
It is common for carnivores to eat small amounts of vegetation, in order
to gain trace elements not found in the meat. This implies the dragons have
a very standard carbon-based physiology, as they need the same initial products
in order to survive.
Physiology
These are signs that these dragons are cold-blooded. The evidence for this
comes from the comments made about dragons eating elephants. In the Chinese
Shan-hai-king, the Pa snake is said to eject the bones of its elephant prey
three years after eating them. This implies the slow digestion rate of a
cold-blooded animal. It also implies that the Pa snakes do not eat a great
many elephants, or their stomach would fill up in that time.
Pliny describes dragons feeding on elephant blood. He claims that in the
heat of summer, these dragons drank elephant blood because it was cool. This
again implies a creature which cannot regulate its temperature internally.
|