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[ Return to Mythical Dragon Biology ]
Appearance
These dragons have four legs and no wings. Anything else is open to variation. This
group of dragons is the most diverse in terms of appearance and habitat. To the point that
there could be a number of distantly related groups, rather than all being very
closely related.
Lifestyle/Habitat
Due to the variations, a summary is difficult. A few main types will be looked
at:
- European - Land: Heavily built and stocky, these sorts of dragons
are described as living in caves or forests. They seem to like cover and be
land based. This would imply they are ambush hunters, leaping out on their
prey from the cover.
- European - Water: Again quite heavily built, possibly with a protective
shell. Water dragons like Tarrasque tend to be shown with this sort of appearance.
- Oriental: Thin and lightly built. The legs are relatively short and there is
often a flat ending to the tail. Accounts agree that these dragons usually live in water,
both freshwater and saltwater.
This fits with their appearance. The body is streamline, legs short so as not to interfere
in the water and a tail to help power them while swimming.
- Near Eastern: The musrussu is something quite unusual among dragons. It has
long legs and looks like it would be a good runner. Possibly they are hunters, directly
running down their prey.
Diet
The majority of all dragons are described as carnivores. There are some likely variations
here in what sort of meat is eaten. Land European dragons would have easier access to
animals in the forests, such as deer and wild horses.
The water European dragons also seem
to eat large animals, judging from those that have left the water and started attacking farm
animals. They may work as ambush predators as crocodiles do, coming out of the water to
attack animals by the edge. They might also hunt sea-based large animals such as sharks
and seals.
The musrussu, as mentioned before, looks like a runner. It also tends to be shown as a
golden/tawny colour, which could be camoflague in a grasslands environment. Animals
like this often try to sneak up on prey then run out at the last moment.
The unusual one is the oriental dragon. They lack widespread reports of farm animals being
eaten or people being attacked. Fish would be a plausible diet for these dragons. They have
pointed teeth which could belong to a fish eater. They are not the teeth of a herbivore.
Physiology
This type of dragon does not have major physiological hurdles to overcome. The four-footed
animal design is one that is common in the animal world, and can be adapted to many
habitats and niches.
It seems likely that these dragons are endothermic. There are accounts of individuals
with areas of fur. Generally that sort of covering evolves for insulation, which is something
that ectotherms do not need.
Flight
In general dragons without wings are not said to fly. The main exception is the
Chinese lung, which has been known to fly. This would not be easy to explain scientifically
as something that large would lack any way to get airbourne. An alternative is that it
was a case of mistaken identity. As a water creature, they may well be able to jump
out of the wate the way dolphins and whales do today. This could look like flight.
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