- [Voiceover] In the forests of Southeast Asia,
high up in the treetops, a mythical creature lives.
It turns out dragons are real.
So I have to call a biologist.
- [Voiceover] I'm Anthony Russell,
from the Department of Biological Sciences
at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada.
- [Voiceover] We're talking
about a species of flying lizards.
- [Voiceover] So it's called Draco Volans,
which means flying dragon.
- [Voiceover] Okay, these flying dragons,
they are a little different
from the dragons we see in movies.
For starters, they're small.
- [Voiceover] They are, they are.
- [Voiceover] Only about eight inches long
and they don't breath fire.
But, they do fly.
In a way.
They're gliders, which means they
have control of their descent and trajectory,
but they don't have any power in it.
- [Voiceover] For every one foot they go down in
vertical distance, they'll be able to travel six feet along.
- [Voiceover] And that's because
they don't actually have wings.
- [Voiceover] They're actually modifications of the ribs,
so they're nothing to do with the legs and arms.
- [Voiceover] Evolutionarily speaking,
this has helped the lizards survive.
They can escape attacks and they have a broader living zone.
So they might not be dragon dragons.
- [Voiceover] Though sometimes people name things
because it's more dramatic effect.
- [Voiceover] Well they're still incredible lizards.
Actually, no, you know what?
I'm still gonna call 'em dragons.