| Dragons |
 |
 |
| Dragons are one of the most popular mythical creatures known. Most people think of dragons as fire-breathing, carnivorous monsters. But from what little we know about the species, this isn't necessarily true. In fact all of them are primarily vegetarians and none are actually able to breathe fire. However, all species generate flammable gas and are able to ignite this gas when threatened. Much of the confusion about dragons has resulted fron the fact that several kinds have existed in the past and that early observers failed to distinguish among dragons, snakes, and other reptiles. Nearly all of these were simply referred to as "worms" or "serpents" and were probably greatly shunned. There are several different types of dragons that we know of, the major types include: Lake Dragons, Flying Dragons, and Flightless Dragons. Dragons are incredibly interesting creatures. They are by far the most intelligent of all reptiles and have an incredibly large brain. Dragons have an excellent memory and can remember for decades -if not centuries- the locations of especially good strands of favorite foods. Dragons spend much of their spare time scratching on the walls of their caves, and some of the scratches are clearly pictured representations of their lives and enviroment. Some of the "cave art" that humans have attributed to early man are almost certainly the work of dragons. These drawings are primarily animals that dragons fear, such as elephants and lions. Other remarkable attributes is the dragons sense of hearing. Dragons have the ability to detect low-frequency infrasonic sounds and very high-frequency supersonic noises. The dragons eyesight is limited in that itis adapted to nighttime vision, all dragons arenearly color-blind. They are dazzled by bright lights and unable to respond quickly when exposed to intense lighting. Dragons usually retreat to their weyrs in daylight for this reason. Dragons also have a fine sense of smell. Their tongues are forked like those of snakes and are periodically extended into the air to "taste" for evidence of other dragons or of the proximity of humans. They are known to be able to detect the presence of humans this way from a distance of almost two miles and are therefore usually able tohide before humans come within eyesight. Dragons are very long lived also. Many believe dragons live for thousands of years. Once a dragon has reached full grown, it is not very vulnerable to attack by anything but humans. Dragons grow more rapidly in summer than in the winter, when they are less active. The growth rate of the scales changes with the seasons too. As a result, one can examine a dragon's scale under a microscope and estimate the dragon's age, in the same way that trees can be dates by their rings. Whether you believe in dragons or not is your decision. But they remain in the imagination of young and old alike as magnificent creatures. You never know, maybe that bone you found in the back yard was really a flying dragon once upon a time............ |
| "Among all the kinds of serpents, there is non comparable to the dragon." Edward Topsell, 1658 |
 |