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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
