Dragon
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Few creatures of folklore and mythology conjure up the mental images of the dragon. Also known as wurm, wyrm and firedrake, these mercurial creatures pervade almost every pantheon of classical mythology and have become an integral inclusion of an entire genre of fantasy literature. Descriptions of the beast's benevolence vary from the playful Puff (of Peter Yarrow's song) to the sinister Smaug in J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit". Babylonian legends portray the Queen of Darkness as a multi-headed dragon - Tiamat. Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty features a battle between Prince Phillip and the evil Maleficent and the Germanic myth "Die Nibelungen" climaxes with the battle between Siegfried and the giant Fafnir, who has transformed himself into a wyrm in an effort to become more frightening. Physical characteristics of dragons also vary but several consistencies are usually present. The beasts are typically depicted as huge lizards, larger than elephants on average. Long fangs are generally accepted as are twin horns of varying length. Western cultures generally include large bat-like wings giving the dragon the capability of flight. But eastern dragons, usually wingless, use a more magical means of flying. As well, eastern dragons tend to be more snake-like in nature, albeit with front and rear legs. Most dragons will be covered in scales, although there are some with a leathery skin. Coloring ranges the entire gamut of the spectrum but red, green, black and gold appear to be the most common. It is also generally accepted that most dragons are magical creatures in nature and have the ability to breathe fire (as a weapon). Some dragons may have a modification in this breath weapon (frost, lightning, gas) but this appears to be purely a fabrication of fantasy role-playing games and the myths they spawn. A genus of extremely large, long-lived, winged lizards. the species Draco should not be confused with any of their lesser cousins, including the false dragon, or wyvern (Pseudodraconis) and the drake (Ophidio draconis), or their distant relatives, the winged serpents. True dragons constitute the most advanced race of lizards known, far surpassing other orders in size, intelligence, and lifespan. Habitat, appearance and lifecycle vary widely between the five major species of dragon, which are divided along geographical lines. The five species have therefore been named the European, Near and Middle Eastern, Indian and Oriental. There are many terms used to refer to dragons, and incorrect terminology is often applied. Wyvern, hydra and firedrake, in fact completely different species, have all been mistakenly used. Common names include: orms, worms, wyrms, serpents, flying-serpents and winged snakes. Specific types of dragon include Peluda (a furred dragon that spits water), Tarasque, Guivre and Gargouille (another water-spouting dragon), one of which nearly destroyed Rouen in 520 AD), which are all from France; and Lindorms or Lyndwyrms in England. Other cultures have thrown up various names, such as the Persian Musshussu and the Irish Peist. The dragon's mysterious ability to produce bursts of flame is one of the most potent weapons in its arsenal. Dragon observers claim to have recorded emissions up to 200 meters (656 feet) long, attaining temperatures of over 1000 Degrees Celsius (1832 Degrees Fahrenheit), and many people have sought to explain how this remarkable feat is achieved. Professor Heinz Diebtrich, of the Gotlingen Institute for Cryptozoology in Germany, has proposed that dragon ingest phosphor-laden rocks which break down in a special stomach (termed the phosphorocatabolic stomach by Professor Diebtrich), to release a volatile gas, which is flammable on contact with the air. Attempts to investigate the phenomenon - and to reproduce it in a laboratory - have proved difficult, and frequently fatal.