Few mythical beasts loom larger in the human imagination than the dragon.
No matter what form these scaly creatures take or which folklore they come from, legends
are almost always more captivating when they include these fantastical monsters.
But what might the biology of a ‘realistic’ order of dragons look like?
Classic books like Dragonology and fictional documentaries like Discovery Channel’s Dragon
Special have entertained this hypothetical idea in the past.
I won’t deny I read and watched both these series when I was younger more times than
I can count… but I’ve always been looking for more scientific takes on these mythical
creatures.
Enter Draconology — a meticulously-detailed spin on the concept that imagines dragons
as a parareptilian offshoot which emerged millions of years ago, and have survived until
the modern day.
The project was created by the artist VikasRao, and I have links to his work in this video’s
description.
His Draconology series is unbelievably comprehensive, imagining the genetics, behavior, taxonomy,
habitats, and even feeding habits of countless dragons inspired by cultures the world over.
So, for this entry into the archive, let’s make our own dragon documentary, and explore
the awesome fictional science of Draconology.
The World of Draconology is set on an alternate Earth, which saw the formation of a few additional
landmasses and the evolution of numerous creatures that only exist in folklore on our own planet.
Chief among these are the Draconimorpha — a branch of parareptilia which includes Sea
Serpents, Wyrms, Bird-Dragons like Griffins, Drakes, Wyverns, and what he calls ‘True
Dragons’ — all of which are extremely well-realized, and we’ll be covering in
this video.
First up are the sea serpents, or the Thalattophidia, an order of aquatic draconimorphs that are
a sister lineage to their land-dwelling cousins.
In the words of the author, the evolutionary origins of sea serpents are as murky as the
waters they inhabit, but it seems their ancestry dates back well over two-hundred million years…
and thanks to this alternate earth having slightly different mass extinctions, some
still roam the seas today.
In wetlands, rivers, and estuaries throughout this world’s version of Europe, you may
encounter a Knucker — a long, eel-like serpent with sharp, slicing teeth.
Averaging around 16 feet, or five meters in length, the Knuckers are actually on the small
side for a sea serpent.
The author imagines their flippers have a high degree of muscular development, allowing
them to pull themselves onto land — similar to seals or sea lions.
In mythology, the term ‘Knucker’ was a common name for a water dragon — with a
version of the term appearing in the 10th century epic poem Beowulf.
Moving further out to sea, to the waters of the Northern Atlantic and Pacific, the Northern
Sea Orm glides through the waters.
Reaching almost sixty feet, or 18 meters in length and weighing well over a ton, these
creatures aren’t built for speed, but for foraging in the ocean depths.
The long tendrils on its snout, known as barbels, contain nerve endings that help Sea Orms detect
vibrations made by swimming prey.
The animal’s head is also somewhat crocodilian, and has a similarly formidable biteforce that
aids in crushing its unlucky prey.
And in the depths of the ocean, leviathans lurk.
The two largest sea serpents are the Tiamat and the Jömungandr — examples of abyssal
giantism that get their names from ancient Mesopotamian and ancient Norse mythology,
respectively.
And these legendary titles are well deserved, for the largest of the Jömungandr have reached
lengths of 82 feet, or 25 meters — with the largest Tiamat not far behind at 68 feet,
or 21 meters.
The author imagines these species are able to withstand the frigid depths thanks to a
network of heat exchangers and a thick layer of blubber, which has allowed them to dive
deep enough to feed on organisms like giant squids.
In our next category we have the Wyrms — long, wingless, quadrupedal draconimorphs.
In many real-world cultures, dragon myths don’t feature winged, fire-breathing monsters
but serpentine beings often associated with water or earth: which this group takes inspiration
from.
In the forests of East and Southeast Asia, the wide-ranging Great Wind Wyrm move through
the canopy.
Although they lack wings, this species is able to glide from tree branch to tree branch
by flaring out its ribs and undulating its body in a serpentine motion.
Such behavior is not dissimilar from the rib-powered flight of real-life Draco Lizards or the incredible
gliding techniques of paradise tree snakes — both of which are incredible animals I’ve
touched on before in other entries.
Another amazing creature dwells in various regions of North America — the Greater Banded
Uktena.
At 14 feet, or 4.5 meters, it’s one of the mightiest species in its family.
The Uktena pays respect to the horned serpent motif that appears in the oral history of
numerous indigenous cultures — in particular the Cherokee people.
Able to produce venom from a specialized gland in its upper jaw, the Uktena is similar to
a real-world horned viper: one of the deadliest snakes alive today.
Our third category are the amazing ‘bird dragons,’ or Orinthodraconia.
This diverse order includes numerous mythical creatures you might be familiar with.
In West Asia, North Africa, and Southern Europe, for example, you can find the Common Cockatrice
— a unique, opportunistic forager that will eat just about anything.
In conventional mythology, cockatrices hatch from a chicken egg that was incubated by a
toad.
Here, the author imagines the myth comes from a behavioral quirk of these reptiles to lay
their eggs in burrows dug out by certain species of burrowing toads or lizards.
Pretty clever!
A strikingly tall Bird Dragon is the Giant Kirin, a heavy, flightless draconimorph so
tall it could look a giraffe in the eye.
These unique, brightly colored organisms are actually inspired by mythical chimerical creatures
in various East Asian cultures, and have gone by numerous similar names.
And the final member of the Bird Dragons are the Griffins — a family so diverse they
require their own separate section.
Called the Gryphonidae, these offshoots have a superficial resemblance to birds, but their
‘feathers’ are in fact epidermal scales that have evolved into fur-like Coelofibers.
In the forests of Atlantis — another fictional island landmass — you need to stay on the
lookout for the Atlantean Giant Alke.
These species are the heaviest of the Griffin family, to the point where they’ve given
up the ability to fly.
Giant Alke are also hypocarnivorous, meaning their diet is mostly comprised of plants rather
than meat — similar to many species of bears.
Soaring over the ocean with a wingspan similar to that of an albatross, the Southern Axex
is one of the smallest members of the Griffin family.
These creatures are opportunistic scavengers, primarily feeding on carcasses and filling
an ecological niche, almost like a sea-going vulture.
In this scene from the North Pacific, a Northern Axex — a close relative of their Southern
cousins — feeds on the washed-up body of a Right Whale… which a Great White Shark
has also laid claim to.
And the final bird-dragon we’ll be examining is the Lemurian Giant Axex — the largest
gryphon species, though not quite as heavy as the Atlantean Alke.
Standing over six-and-half feet, or two meters tall, the Atlantean Alke is a Griffin that
feeds in shallow waters, with a feeding ecology similar to storks or herons — although the
Alke reaches far greater sizes.
In our next category, we have the drakes, or Therosuchia.
These heavyset, flightless draconimorphs are closely related to what the artist terms ‘true
dragons’ (which I’ll get to in a bit).
The author imagines most Drakes are semi-aquatic, growing to gargantuan sizes feeding on vast
schools of fish.
The largest species, the Titan Drake, is a giant among giants, reaching lengths of up
to 52 feet, or 16 meters and weighing over 9 tons — making them proportional in size
to a T-rex.
Out to sea, the swift Makara has become even more aquatic, growing a long tail fluke to
aid in pursuing prey under the waves in coordinated pods.
On occasion, makara will even attempt to catch their distant cousins, the sea serpents, as
you can see here in this high-speed underwater chase.
While the Makara are fast, most species of sea serpents have better endurance — making
this a tight race for survival.
And now we’ve arrived at an amazing category of flying draconiformes, the Wyverns, or Volanosauria,
an order that is famous not for breathing fire but for being venomous.
At first glance, these flying reptiles seem to resemble our next category of true dragons
more than the Drakes or Bird Dragons, but they’re actually more closely related to
certain Wyrms.
On various island chains, the Greater Frogmouth Wyvern flits among the trees, feeding on small
birds and reptiles.
Although capable of flight, Frogmouth Wyverns’ wings, like the wings of most Wyverns, lack
the air-sacs that allow true dragons to achieve lift off despite their far greater sizes.
As a result, Frogmouth Wyverns have stayed relatively tiny, not much larger than a crow.
And no, despite their name, frogmouth wyverns aren’t imagined as being related to actual
frogs.
In the Amazon rainforest, the much larger Peacock Wyverns also achieve flight, with
wingspans of over five feet, or 1.5 meters.
One notable trait of this species is their lethal venom glands, which produce a deadly
fast-acting neurotoxin.
Peacock Wyverns also possess bright, flashy colors much like real-world peacocks to attract
mates.
And the largest Wyvern in this fictional taxonomy is the New Guinean Giant Wyvern, apex predators
whose wingspans get close to ten feet, or 3 meters in length.
Like most Wyverns, these creatures also possess potent venom, enabling them to hunt animals
many times their size.
Impressive as these creatures are, however, true dragons can grow far larger…
Before we discuss the category of what the artist calls true dragons, however, I need
address a misconception I’ve often seen online regarding the difference between Wyverns
and Dragons that I might be… a bit too passionate about.
I’ve often heard people claim that any Dragon with two legs is automatically a Wyvern, which
— okay, obviously both dragons and wyverns aren’t real, so who cares.
But if we’re going off mythology as a precedent, this division is far from universal.
The numbers of limbs ‘dragons’ in medieval manuscripts have are all over the place — despite
the misconception that dragons always had four legs and two wings and wyverns always
had two legs and two wings.
Though Wyverns usually had two legs, Dragons in myth often had any number of legs, and
yet could still be identified as ‘dragons.’
If myth is your basis, I think a better distinction is that Wyverns, unlike Dragons, usually couldn’t
breathe fire.
The notion of a hard division between dragons and wyverns based on legs alone is a very
recent and subjective one.
So, if you want your dragons to have four legs, awesome!
But if you want them to have two, that doesn’t ‘automatically’ make them wyverns.
And again, all of this is made up.
Okay, back on track…
At last, we’ve come to the fire-breathing Eudraconia, called ‘true dragons’ in this
taxonomy.
(Who you’ll notice have two legs, and yet aren’t wyverns.)
Among the ranks of these dragons are the large, fire-breathing behemoths you’d expect, but
also smaller, more specialized species.
The Green Dragonet, for example, is a diminutive dragon that, isolated on the Solomon Islands,
had adopted a curious diet of raw fruits.
Despite being smaller than some wyverns, the Green Dragonet still counts as a true dragon
thanks to the brachial air sacs on its wing… and because it retains the fire-breathing
abilities of its larger cousins.
Near the rivers and wetlands of the fictional landmass of Lemuria, the gargantuan Lemurian
Dracolisk is on the prowl.
Despite having a wingspan of 44 feet, or 13.5 meters, the Dracolisk spends much of its time
patrolling the water’s edge looking for food, and has actually taken up an ecological
niche not unlike a hippopotamus — if hippos were carnivores and could fly and breathe
fire, that is.
But how do the dragons of this world breathe fire?
The author imagines the process begins internally, starting by combining endogenously-produced
pyrooric compounds in a specialized “reaction chamber” located in the throat.
The creatures then forcibly expel this mixture outwards, producing a powerful jet of flame
— almost like a biological flamethrower.
The most impressive fire-breather of all is the Eurasian Mountain Devil, a megafaunal
predator with a wingspan of almost 50 feet, or 15 meters.
These beasts hunt by divebombing prey from above, ending the hunt with a quick burst
of fire.
In build, the Eurasian Mountain Devil almost reminds me of some modern reconstructions
of pterosaurs, although this dragon is larger than even the mightiest of that extinct group.
In the skies, the Mountain Devils are unmatched — as you can see one here scaring off two
Griffin with a jet of ominous flame.
A truly intimidating creature…
You can find more species and scientific details on VikasRao’s site using the links below.
I’d like to give a special shout out to Ernesto Marrero, who, I believe, was my nineteenth
subscriber, and the first person ever to give me a suggestion for a video, back when I was
averaging less than ten views an entry.
His request was for a video on dragons, and I feel it’s only right I finally delivered!
So, thank you Ernesto — it’s because of you and fans like you that I make these videos
in the first place!
And as always, thanks for watching.
If you enjoyed this entry, please lend your support and like, subscribe, and hit the notification
icon to stay up to date on all things Curious.
See you in the next video.