[Dragon Stone Index]

Old sources do not provide enough information to make cast-iron judgements about dragon physiology. As such, this page is much more theory than fact. The theories are however based on old sources. These sources come from a time when the existence of dragons was rarely disputed. In Europe this is the Renaissance and before. A few more modern sources that are clearly a retelling of old sources may be included, as are modern accounts from isolated tribes. Some of the information included is not strictly physiology or anatomy information, but is useful to know in reference to physiology (e.g., diet).

This page splits the physiology information based on what general type of dragon is being described. Many people separate dragons into Eastern and Western types, but this is a classification based on human culture, not on the dragons themselves. Based on the information presented here, it makes more sense to split dragons based on the number of wings and legs they have.

This page is not yet complete.

General Features
Serpent-Dragons (No Wings, No Legs)
Winged Serpent-Dragons (Membranous Wings, No Legs)
Feathered Serpents (Feathered Wings, No Legs)
Biped Dragons (Wings, Two Legs) *Under Construction*
Quadruped Dragons (No Wings, Four Legs) *Under Construction*
Winged Quadruped Dragons (Wings, Four Legs) *Under Construction*

General Features

Venom and Fire
Nearly all the types of dragons are attributed with breathing out clouds of venom, though there are some cases within the types of a venomless individual, or an individual for which it is not stated if they have venom.

Many of the dragons are attributed with a normal carnivorous diet. This reduces the likelihood that the venom is being ingested, as plants are the best source of ingestable toxins. This means that the dragons must have some kind of venom producing mechanism/organ. The only exception to this are some medieval drawings of dragons eating scorpions and snakes. It was a popular view at the time that dragons ate venomous things in order to become more venomous. This does not necessarily mean these dragons stored the venom of such prey. After all, it would take a great number of snakes and scorpions to keep enough venom to produce clouds.

Some of those that do not breath venom breath fire. This is likely to be an adaption of venom breathing. Igniting a flammable cloud of venom could be a useful skill for scaring predators, prey and rivals. As time went on, the venom would evolve to be more flammable, perhaps losing its toxicity. Some proof of this idea comes from accounts of oriental dragons breathing fire. It is said that dragons could either breath clouds of moisture or fire. Possibly the 'venom' cloud in both ignitied and unignitied forms.

Draconite
Draconite is the dragon stone. In Western culture this is a precious stone, said to be found in the head of a dragon. The Chinese also had references to precious stones from dragons. Dragon were said to have a pearl under their chin. In the Sun Kwang-hien a blue object with lines was found in front of the dragon's horns. Perhaps another form of dragon stone.

The dragon pearl was said to aid a dragon in flying. The western dragon stone was also said to have magical properties. For those that believe in magic, this is the most likely contender for the source of a dragon's magical powers. For those that do not believe in magic, possible the stone had something to do with the dragon's breath. In flame breathers, it may have acted to ignite the vapour, or it may have acted to filter the vapour in some way. It would be dangerous for the dragon to store strong venom all the time. Having a mechanism to filter out excess water just prior to releasing the venom, would allow it to be stored at a much more dilute level.

Serpent-Dragons

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.

Winged Serpent-Dragons

Appearance
Most accounts say these dragons are small. Their wings are membranous, like a bat.

Lifestyle/Habitat
They are nocturnal, and tree-dwelling. There are reports of them migrating into Egypt. They are preyed upon by Ibises. They are found in Egypt, Arabia, and India.

Skeleton
Herodotus describes seeing the skeletons of winged serpents. He says they have a spine and ribs like a snake.

Physiology
Several sources describe the damages of the urine and sweat of these dragons. It is said to putrefy human flesh on contact. The urine and sweat of an average animal contains harmful waste products, such as urea. Possibly these dragons are eating something poisonous, such as poisonous plant material, and excreting the poison through urine and sweat.

Feathered Serpents

Unlike their Asian/African counterparts, these winged serpents do not have membranous wings. The wings are feathered, like a bird. They appear to be forest dwelling, and are found in South America. There are possible sightings of them in Egypt, as seen in some Egyptian art. However, there is little independent evidence of this, so the feathers may have been a purely symbolic addition. There is much less recorded information for these dragons, than for Old World dragons. As such, it is hard to make any statements about physiology. Anatomically, they are probably very similar to the Old World winged serpents, apart from the wing structure. The wings are likely to have a very bird-like internal structure.