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Galejro β€” Imperial Coast Gull

#coast #dragon #gull #imperial #sea #wyvern
Published: 2016-11-14 01:08:01 +0000 UTC; Views: 598; Favourites: 17; Downloads: 5
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Description Let's do something completely out of the barrel A small line of drawings of dragons. I've recently learned that dragons ACTUALLY EXISTED, in 2015 the discovery of Yi Qi raptor fossil in China confirmed that when raptors began their evolution towards birds a splinter group actually evolved bat wing membranes instead of feathered wings of birds. For reference: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yi_(dino…

So yeah, this is my take on how dragons would look like if they actually were to exist and (from what you just read) probably existed. Let's get nerdy:

Taxonomy & origin:
Dragons would evolve only from the proto-bird group of raptors beginning to evolve flight. The wyvern splinter group would simply evolve all-finger membrane method used by bats. This is confirmed by the idea of convergent evolution (Evolution tends to be limited in the amount of solutions to particular issues and so animals tent to re-evolve certain body parts like beaks, or eyes, or tentacles or echolocation etc.) So basically a dragon would be a different strain of raptors.

Visuals and anatomy:

In my opinion a dragon would only be a wyvern and only small, no bigger than a chicken. Why? Because it's a double specialist. In nature life evolves to specialize. There is a reason why T-rex is terrestrial and has big legs, and a bat is a flying animal and has big winged arms. It's because animals always want to make their lives easier. If you walk good you'll live by walking and this will make your arms redundant. So will it make your legs redundant the more easier flying will be. So an animal that is just as good at walking as it is is flying is a rare case that usually just picks one road. That is unless it's an opportunist. Dragons would be scavengers, small predators, and way below in the food chain. They would have to make best of what they encounter. So being as mobile in the air as in ground would only benefit an animal as such, it would be the only evolutionary reason for an animal to upkeep a double specialization.
The size is also another way to upkeep the double specialization. Small and light animal will have less trouble to evolve enough muscle power and wingspan to lift well muscled and developed legs. Another thing is the wyvern anatomy. An animal that is double specialist, let alone a flying one would have to reduce it's weight. Hence the tiny size, but that alone can't keep it aloft if it has more than 4 limbs. Moreover, evolving an extra set of limbs is extremely rare, again referring to the idea of convergent evolution, for vertebrate animals having 4 limbs and a tail is an unbreakable optimal tendency. Downy fur feathers would cover them since their sleek bodies would loose heat fast. Also because these would be mostly nocturnal animals.

Abilities and powers:
The only thing closest to breathing fire that nature has ever evolved and probably will evolve is Bombardier Beetle boiling water spitting. Two chemicals perfectly neutral while separate create a fast exothermic reaction making a boiling hot spit. But I think only a few species of dragons would use this. It's expensive in terms of nutrients and materials and takes space & weight, something a flying animal would avoid. If anything it would be a self-defence mechanism. These animals would find a lot of use for venom though. Membranes are fragile so any way to reduce damage when killing a struggling victim would be useful.

Behaviour:
A mostly nocturnal but some cases daytime animal spending it's time searching the under brush for small lizards, insects and basically anything to eat. Flying would not be a means of hunting, but long-range relocation, fast escape route, speed enhancement, only occasionally a means to hunt airborne prey. Annually roosting in groups or individually dependant on species.

Natural Environment:
Most likely tropical and mild. Flying membranes are heat radiators, they are poor winter tools so dragons in Europe N.America or Asia would hibernate through the winter or migrate to tropical lands. They are also very weak to sun UV light so nocturnal lifestyle seems more useful. But they could well live in forests during daytime.

Reproduction:
Same as birds. Since they evolved from dinosaurs they are far from the social bat colonial lifestyle and would not roost and share food as a group. They'd probably make nests in secluded locations and take turns feeding and caring for young.


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Comments: 4

little-brujah [2016-11-14 18:46:32 +0000 UTC]

Cool work

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Szymoonio [2016-11-14 13:25:12 +0000 UTC]

dinosaurs xp

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red227 [2016-11-14 02:13:47 +0000 UTC]

was going to make a joke on wyverns vs. dragons but you had to start actually using the term, let me have my dumb jokes

dumb joke aside, nice work.

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Galejro In reply to red227 [2016-11-14 11:10:51 +0000 UTC]

Vyverns are good eats nerdskitchen.pl/wyvern-wings-d…

What's the difference between dragons and wyverns? Dragons ain't got Wi-Fi connection XD

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