Could Dragons Have Existed?

Among all the mythical creatures and monsters in the world, the dragon is the most well known and popular of them all. Almost every known civilization and religion has it's own version of the dragon. Remarkably, there are a great many similarities between the dragons of these cultures. So this raises a question. Why do so many different cultures spread across the globe have a version of the dragon? This is actually not limited to the dragon. Other creatures are present in most cultures as well. They are called animals. I realize the implications I am making sound astonishing, but the fact remains that there is a very real possibility dragons existed at one time or perhaps still exist today. This is not a notion conceived by myself. Years ago I saw a discovery channel program that explored the same possibilities. They only covered a limited portion of the ways a dragon could exist and still fit the legend.

To open your minds to the concept that dragons might exist, let us now look at some of the biological aspects that would be needed to sustain the legend. First of all, fire breathing. Most legends of the dragon portray it as being able to breathe fire. This is unlikely in the animal kingdom. It could be that the dragon simply spits a corrosive venom or acid that might be described by primitive cultures as "liquid fire". Of course, though it is unlikely, it is also possible that real dragons actually did breathe fire. It could be a chemical or venom secreted from glands in the head similar to snake's that catch fire upon exposure to air. Or it could be a gas that, once expelled, combust when introduced to the air. Although all of these are possibilities, it is also entirely possible that dragons did not breathe fire at all, and that is simply the product of an overactive imagination from one of the natives.

What else is the dragon supposed to be capable of doing? I believe flying makes it's way up here. Most cultures say dragons can fly, although some do not. Strange as it may seem, it's not impossible for a dragon to fly. Their bones would have to be like bird's, lightweight and hollow. They would probably have some kind of sac or bladder in them that is filled with lighter than air gases. Some birds and even some fish have this feature. Even if the dragon had wings, it's entirely possible that they didn't fly at all. Pteranodons and flying reptiles of the dinosaur era are known for their size and ability to fly. But they didn't fly at all. They glided on wind currents. Their bodies were too heavy to be supported in the open air on wings. Dragons may have employed this same technique of gliding without actually flying. A primitive man may not have been able to tell the difference between the two.

Some argue the biological impossibilities of dragons. For example, having four legs and two wings. That would give them a total of six limbs. No animal has ever been found to have more than four, not including mutants and freaks of nature of course. But just because something has never been found before doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Before humans, there were no upright walking animals. You get my point. Some argue that dragons have no evolutionary lineage, no place in the fossil record. It's possible that dragons had the same ancestors as birds and crocodiles, dinosaurs. It's not so far fetched as it sounds. Through birds, dinosaurs gained the ability to fly. Perhaps some of them did the same, they just stayed reptiles. As for the fossil record, there are a number of explanations. It is possible that none of the dragon fossils survived because their weaker, lightweight bones were destroyed by the fossilization process. Or perhaps they simply haven't been found yet, like countless other species.

The evidence that dragons existed at one point is flimsy, but still unyielding. There seems to be a good chance that dragons existed at one point. And who knows? Much of the world is still unexplored and undiscovered. Perhaps they still do.

No sources were used in this article except a brief reference to the discovery channel, and that was taken from memory.