Basic Dragonology [Harrie]

[ChibiMaestro]

Created by Harrie

If you're making an adoptable site based on dragons, this is the stuff you need to know first. I'm no dragon expert, but I do know a fair bit, since I helped out a bit on some of the requests on DragonCave.

Basic Dragon Species

Western


When you think dragon, this guy will probably be the first one to pop into your head. They've got four legs,and two wings. They often have horns and/or ears, and sometimes they don't have anything. Their feet usually have huge claws and look kind of like a messed up crocodile's, but they can have paws. Sometimes they have spikes running down their backs, but they also sometimes have a mane of fur. They can also have "belly scales" running down from their neck to their tail tip, and so can all the other subspecies. Their tail tips can be covered with a sharp objects of various different shapes, such as an arrow head or a spike. However, if they have a mane of fur, it is common for them to have a tuft of fur. Alternatively, they can have fire sprouting from the tip, or nothing at all.
These guys are also depicted as fire breathers C:

Eastern


The other thing that might pop into your head when you hear dragon is this guy. These guys are traditionally from the eastern half of the world, and the fire breathing winged guy is from the western half (hence the names). Eastern are highly magical (and sacred) creatures. They can fly because of their magic.
Where as a western can have sharp pointy horns, these guys can have antlers. They always have ears, and they often have a large mane of fur around their head. Just like westerns, these guys sometimes have spikes running down their back, or a mane of fur. Often, the end of their tails has a tuft of fur, but otherwise it is left bare.

Amphipteres


Amphipteres aren't as well known as other types of dragons, and are often incorrectly called wyrms. Their only limbs are their wings, as they have no legs. They commonly have spines running down their backs. Feathered wings are more common in these guys than they are in other draconic subspecies, but they usually have webbed wings.

Wyrms


These guys have no limbs what-so-ever. If westerns are giant lizards with wings, these guys are giant snakes. If they are drawn with wings, they are incorrectly named and are actually amphipteres. It's a common mistake, and it's no doubt because amphipteres are largely unknown.
These guys are huge, and usually about twice as long as an eastern.

I personally think of sea serpents as a type of wyrm C:

Wyverns


These guys haven't got front legs, but aside from that they are pretty much just westerns. Traditionally, these guys have a barbed tail.

These guys were incredibly popular during the medieval times, and their names come from the old English term "Wyvere", which comes from the old French word "Wivre" meaning viper.

Drakes
"Drake" is in fact an old English term for dragon, and it isn't really it's own subspecies. That doesn't stop people using it as one, and by all means go ahead. you can use it as a name for a wingless dragon with four legs, like they do over at DragonCave, or you could make up a whole other subspecies. C:

---

Other Dragon Species

Nāga/Naga/Khmer/Neak
These guys strongly resemble cobras, as they have a hood. They have several heads, depending on their rank.
They are commonly found in Hindu myths.

Bakunawa
The Bakunawa is a gigantic serpent that lives in the sea. It was believed that the Bakunawa caused the moon or the sun to disappear during an eclipse.
It's also said that at various times of the year, the Bakunawa arises from the ocean and proceeds to swallow the moon whole.
To stop the moon from being completely eaten, people would go out and make loud noises using things like pots and pans. It was supposed to scare the Bakunawa into spitting out the moon C:
The Bakunawa can also kill something by simply imagining their death and making eye contact.

Vietnamese dragon/Rong/Long
These guys are very long and flowy . They have the ability to control the weather, and their job is to look after crops.
They have a long mane, a beard, and a crest on nose, but they do not have horns or antlers like most eastern dragons. They also have a jewel inside their mouths, which is supposed to represent humanity, knowlege and nobility C:

Lindworm
Similar to a Wyvern, except that they have front legs as opposed to back legs.
They're from German and Nordic mythology C:

Slavic Dragons
They are very similar to a typical western dragon, but they have more than one head. They breath fire, and symbolise evil. However, in Serbia and Bulgaria dragons are defenders of crops C:



And I'd say you've got enough dragony info now C:

So that ends my guide to dragonology :3 Sorry about the rubbish drawings, I did them really quickly x3;;

But now people will hopefully know how to correctly name their dragons, and maybe you found out about a new subspecies C:

And don't you dare go tl;dr, or I will hunt you down and eat all your fingers >:U

Edit: Updated the images with some just-as-temporary-but-slightly-better ones C:
Added moar info