Return of the dragons? (article)

Real question: after a million years of evolution, what will these look like? 🙂
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DRACO VOLANS: THE TINY DRAGON DISCOVERED IN INDONESIA
Posted on Dec 10th, 2015
EWA

Our fantasies have come true, dragons do exist! Well, not the famous ones, such as Smaug and Alduin, but more of a tiny, pocket-sized type. These flying lizards are known as ‘Draco volans,’ and their evolutionary chain has allowed them to develop a technique to escape predators: Flight.

Their small, wing-like additions give them the ability to fly from tree to tree to escape predators, hunt for food, and find mates. They can soar for distances greater than 30ft (9 meters).

These little creatures wings are quite different than those of birds, because they are actually a set of elongated ribs, which they are able to extend and retract when wanted.

Dracos only grow to around 8 inches, but in spite of their size, they are quite territorial. A single dragon’s territory will usually consist of around 3 trees. They spend most of their lives within this territory, as this is where they find most of the food and their significant other. This is where they live and die, but it is not where they are born.

Females must lay their eggs on the ground, and they use their pointed snouts to dig holes in the earth to place their eggs in for safety. Like the dragons of legend, they will protect their eggs, but for only 24 hours. Being so small and lacking ‘fire breath’, it might be a little hard for them to fight off larger threats. After this time period, they will return to their lair, trees, and it is up to the offsprings to fend for themselves.

Though their teeth may not be swords, and their claws are not spears, and their wings are not hurricanes, these little dragons are still an amazing creature that inhabits our small planet. We should appreciate the fact that they exist, and that they don’t burn down entire cities just to prove a point.

Sources: myscienceacademy.org