Meet the Dragons: They are Real!

Recently a lesson about reptiles went off on a tangent. The kids and I unearthed something fascinating: dragons are for real. Will wonders never cease! There is none of the large-scale, fire-breathing, damsel-napping drama but the resemblance of these animals to the dragons’ artwork we looked at is uncanny. There are dragons that fly and there are those with other astonishing characteristics that are as fascinating as the legendary dragons we see depicted by the media.

It all started when we were working on an assignment on reptiles. One of the kids piped up asking if dragons are reptiles because they look like scaly lizards with a long, snake-ish neck. We looked at the dragon images as we debated about how to classify a dragon. There is also their resemblance to dinosaurs that one can’t ignore though some information suggests dragons existed way before the dinosaurs. But as we delved into the world of reptiles and dragons, we found a few of them!

“The Lego Dragon” by Trey Ratcliff is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Komodo Dragon

First up was the Komodo Dragon, a monitor lizard found in Indonesia. It can grow up to 10 feet and weigh up to 330 lbs, making it the largest lizard alive on earth today. This muscular reptile is as intimidating as a dragon should be and it is a patient predator. It is not just its unforgiving claws and teeth that a prey should be worried about.  Its saliva is full of bacteria that cause blood poisoning!

“The Komodo Dragon” by Adhi Rachdian is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Flying Dragon 

It is amazing to watch these flying dragons in action as they glide down to escape a snake. They are found in South East Asia and their wings are not really wings but skin folds. They glide not fly but it is as close to a mythical flying dragon as it can get. Cooler still, their tails help them steer their way across trees. They can glide as far as 30 feet.

Bearded Dragons

Also known as pogona, a name that is less exotic than bearded dragons, these babies make neat pets. They are rather tame and while they don’t breathe fire, they do have a distinctive feature. It is not just the spiny ‘beard’ that puffs up when they are on alert. They change color. They are darker in the mornings and as the day goes on they change color to become lighter. They are found mostly in Australia.

“Bearded dragon” by Frank Paul Silye is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Sea Dragons

At first glance, sea dragons look more like sea horses than dragons. But then if you consider Eastern lore, dragons are also water creatures. Their snout, tail and wing-like fins are less like sea horses and more like dragons. Also known as leafy and weedy dragons, they are found mostly around Australia.  They are a protected species.

“Day 39: Weedy Seadragon” by Chris Smith is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Frilled Dragon

Yet another species that calls Australia its home, the frilled dragon is best known for the frill around its neck that looks similar to an Elizabethan collar. It is skin that hangs in pleated folds under its neck. The dragon unfurls it to scare away potential enemies. Apart from this line of defense, there are no other tricks up the frilled dragon’s sleeve except to turn tail and make a run for it.

“Dragon on a pole” by davidfntau is licensed under CC BY 2.0

There’s nothing like a dragon to liven up a lesson on reptiles. It made us wonder if the legendary dragons we hear so much about were based on these tinier replicas of them that assumed gigantic proportions. Or if over the ages, these dragon doppelgangers are the only memory of magnificent beasts that actually existed.