Despite the fact that there are no giant flying reptiles that breath fire, dragons show up in folklore from all over the world. Could there be any more frightening combination of features in a dangerous animal? Even contemporary stories, like Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings present dragons as the ultimate fantasy monster.
But would it ever be possible for a creature of earth to spout flames like a fire-breathing dragon? To produce flames from the mouth, an animal would have to possess three things: fuel, oxygen, and a spark. Strangely, all three of those things are produced by living creatures already, although none produce all of them. If we were to rig up an animal that combines the biological processes of a cow, Devil’s Hole pupfish, or the the fulmar gull with the talents of the bombardier beetle and the electric eel, we might have a fire-breathing dragon (if it were also a flying reptile). Read about the biological possibility of a fire-breathing dragon at the Conversation. -via Kottke
(Image credit: Ltoinel)
That picture - is it the Harry Potter dragon - sans outer skin - that sits upon Gringott's bank at Universal Studios, Orlando?
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