[Dragon Earth] Dragon Overview

[mythusmage]

(You can blame SHARK for this one. BTW, I couldn't get through to ENWorld earlier, so I posted this over at the WotC 'Home Brew' forum first. You clogged up the pipes, you have only yourselves to blame.)

(Please note, this essay uses Dragon Earth classification, which doesn't always follow Ours.)

The reptiles are divided into the following groups, the anapsids, the synapsids, and the diapsids. The anapsids are divided into the tuatra and the turtles; the synapsids into the pelycosaurs, the therapsids, and the monotremes; the diapsids into the snakes, lizards, thecodonts, dinosaurs, crocodiles, dragons, dragon turtles, sphinxes and lung. In this posting we'll be taking a look at the dragons and lung, with a side trip to consider the dragon turtle.

DRAGONS

Dragons

Dragons are divided into two families, dragons and wyrms. Each is made up for four genera, with the dragons having a total of fifteen species and the wyrms comprising nine.

The most primitive of the dragons are the Woodland dragons. This genus has two species, the Black and the Green.

Next we have the lighting dragons. So named for the type species, the Blue dragon. The other species in this genus are the Amethyst, Emerald, and Topaz dragons.

The largest genus in terms of species is the Fire dragon. So called because so many of the species in this genus are able to 'breathe' fire or some variation of fire. The species include the Brass, Bronze, Copper, Gold, Red, Sapphire, and White dragons.

Last we have the Noble dragons. Named for the rather 'haughty' attitude of the Silver dragon. (The scientist who named this genus did not get along with Silver dragons.) The companion species is the Crystal dragon.

Wyrms

The Wyrms are dragons that have lost their wings and their ability to fly. Some say they are not true dragons. As with dragons they are divided into four genera.

The Grassland wyrms has thee species; the Desert, Hill, and Plains wyrms.

Next are the Wood wyrms: the Forest, Jungle, and Swamp wyrms.

Then come the Ice wyrms. So called because of the Tundra wyrm species. The Mountain wyrm is found in this genus as well.

Last is the Deep wyrm; which consists of one species, the Underdark Wyrm.

Please note that some scientists put the Tundra wyrm in with the Desert and Plains wyrms, while the Mountain wyrm is placed in with the Hill wyrm. Association by topography if you would. However, morphological and genetic comparisons has lead to the present scheme.

LUNGS

The lungs of the Orient are divided into three genera, totaling six species. the Yu lung was once considered a species, but now is recognized as a growth stage the lungs go through. The Lung Wang is now recognized as a species of Dragon Turtle, one that goes through a Yu lung like stage, which the Western Dragon Turtle does not.

Special Note: The Yu ung properly refers to a stage of growth all true lung go through after being hatched. The Lung Wang goes through a stage right after hatching which resembles the Yu lung superfically, but which has notable differences. Such as a nascent shell which is discernable even in a newly hatched Lung Wang upon careful examination. Furthermore, there are discernable differences between the various lung species even in the Yu lung stage. A Pan Yu lung differs from a Li Yu lung for instance.

The first lung genus is the Storm lung. So named for the type species, the Tun Mi lung. The other species is known as the Chiang lung.

The Earth lung genus consists of on species, the Li lung. The Li Lung was once thought to be a dragon, thanks to its wings. But today it is recognized as a lung thanks to genetic testing, morphology, and the feather like scales peculiar to the lung. Besides which, it also goes through a Yu lung stage.

The third genus is the Serpent lung. Named for the serpentine appearance of the group. The three species are the Pan, Shen, and the T'ien lung

Of the six ung species only the Li lung has wings. Unlike dragons, which had wings early in their history, it would appear that the appearance of wings among the lung is a recent development. The ancestors of the Li lung gaining the extra set of limbs within the last 10 million years, which subsequently developed into the wings Li lungs display today. However, a tantalizing set of remains was recently discovered in the Gobi Desert of the Chinese Republic. The species has been identified as an ancestor of the Serpent lung. With hints of wings. Unfortunately for a positive identification the specimen was found mixed up with the remains of other animals, including a primitive sphinx. So the wings may actually belong to the sphinx. However, there are those who have identified the sphinx as being a a six legged species, ancestral to the modern winged sphinx. Again, remains are too fragmentary for a positive determination at this time. It should be noted that the wing girdle of this species of sphinx is further back than is usual among modern winged sphinxes, which, as with dragons and lungs, is effectively merged with the shoulder girdle.

So there you have a brief look at dragons, lung, and a short glance at dragon turtles. If this gives you ideas, good. That's why I wrote it. Your thoughts?

 

[mythusmage]

(As a follow-up I now present the relationship between dragons on one hand, and lung on the other.)

DRAGONS

The Fire dragons were the first to arise during the Ice Ages, and have been the most successful genus. The Copper was the first to appear, followed shortly by the Red, Gold, and Brass dragons. The Bronze is descended from the Brass, the Sapphire from the Gold, while the White dragon is descended from the Red. A fact most Red dragons are still reluctant to admit to.

About this time the Storm Dragons made their appearance. With the Topaz dragon coming on the scene, followed by the Emerald and Blue dragons. It is thought the Blue is descended from the Topaz, but there is growing evidence all through are descended from a common ancestor.

Last of the original dragon genera to appear was the Woodland dragon. Both the Black and Green dragons descending from a common ancestor, with the Green dragon arising first. Of all the dragons it is this genus that is the most primitive in appearance. However, contrary to initial impressions the Woodland dragons are actually the furthest from the crocodilians genetically

As far as it is known the Fire, Woodland, and Storm dragons are descended from a common ancestor. One of the survivors of the First Ice Age. The Noble dragons are an offshoot of the Fire dragons, being descended from White dragons, and thus, ultimately, descendents of Red dragons. The Crystal dragons appearing first, with Silver dragons their descendents.

Wyrms

Of all the dragons the Brass and Green dragons are most closely related to the wyrms genetically speaking. Close enough that some put the Green dragon and Jungle wyrm in the same genus, while the Brass dragon and Mountain wyrm have a genus of their own. Speculation that the Black dragon is a descendent of the Swamp wyrm that regained its wings is not taken seriously.

It is known that the modern dragon and the wyrm are descended from a common ancestor. The split between the two groups apparently took place over 8 million years ago. That is the age of some wyrm fossils found in Central Africa with vestigial wings. Why the wyrms lost their wings is still undetermined. Even today some wyrms are born with tiny, misshapened wings, but nothing useful. The usual procedure is to surgically remove said wings so as to avoid any trouble later in life.

The first wyrm genus to appear was the Woodland, with the Jungle wyrm the oldest of these. Of all surviving species of true dragon the Jungle wyrm is accounted the oldest. The other species are the Forest and Swamp wyrm.

The Grassland wyrms come next. The Plains wyrm being descended from the Forest Wyrm, and the Desert and Hill wyrms being descended from the Plains wyrm.

The Ice wyrms are descendents of the Swamp wyrm, of all things. The Mountain wyrm appearing first, with the Tundra wyrm arising from the Mountain.

The last wyrm genus, the Underdark, is most closely related to the Desert wyrm of the Grassland genus. As a matter of fact, their are those who would make the Underdark wyrm a member of the grassland genus.

So there you have a short look at the relationships between the true dragons. Next we'll be looking at the relationships between the lung.

 

[mythusmage]

(Last piece got long, didn't it. Anyway, here we now have lung interrelationships.)

Before I begin I should point out that some in the field insist the lung and sphinx families should be combined into one. The Li lung, the sole Earth lung species, being the reason.

The Li lung is a problematic beast. Included among the lung thanks to tradition and genetic research, it does more closely resemble the sphinx in appearance. In this author's opinion the sphinx, genus and species, should be incorporated into the lung, with the hieracosphinx, lammasu, ki rin, and pegasus given a family of their own.

At the same time, the Earth lung is somewhat distantly related to the Serpent lung. Which is made up of the Pan, Shen, and T'ien lung. As their name notes, these are the most serpent like of the lung, and the ones people usually think of when speaking of the lung.

From them the Storm lung evolved. The Chiang lung appearing first followed by the Tun Mi lung. It is from the Tun Mi that the Lung Wang evolved, and from the Lung Wang that the dragon turtle arose.

The big problem in determining relationships between the lung lies in the Yu lung life stage. The Li lung goes through a Yu lung stage, but not the spinxes or their close relatives. The Lung Wang also goes through a Yu lung like stage, but the Lung Wang Yu lung stage has major differences from the standard Yu lung. For one thing, the transformation to the adult form among the lung is sudden, occurring effectively instantaneously. The transformation among the Lung wang is gradual, taking place over the course of months.The presence of a shell much like that of the turtle (thus the name, "dragon turtle".) is another.

Lung-Dragon Relationship

Dragons and lung are about as closely related as crocodiles and dinosaurs. The common usage of 'dragon' to refer to both groups has caused a lot of confusion, and not a few fist fights at scientific conferences. Dragons and lung (and the lung's close relative, the sphinx) arose from different thecodont groups, on opposite sides of the Pangaean supercontinent. Dragon (and lung) evolution will be covered in another thread.

 

[Tonguez]

Ya know I always thought Dragons were therapsids - thanks for clearing that up

 

[mythusmage]

Nah, if they were they'd have fur instead of scales. The bat-like wings is probably what threw you.