Dragons

Around the world, nearly every culture has something that resembles a dragon: a reptile with claws and teeth that can glide through the sky with an out-of-this-world ability to breathe fire. There’s no evidence of dragons living around us now – but could they have existed in the past? And where do tales of these mythical creatures come from?

In Germany, dragons hide in caves to guard treasure. In Asia, they soar through the skies and control the weather. Around 8,000 years ago, people in Mesopotamia (part of modern-day Iraq) described an “ocean dragon” and even today, stories of dragons are still being written. Speaking to Science+Nature, How To Train Your Dragon author Cressida Cowell explains that dragons are the perfect creation because of how adaptable they are. Different cultures have told different stories about dragons but the core idea has remained.

Like a dragon

Some people think these stories may have started with fossil discoveries. Scientist and author Nick Crumpton thinks ancient people may have found fossils and invented stories in an effort to explain them. The skeleton of a sperm whale looks suspiciously like a dragon, with a big skull and ribs that could resemble wings.

However, the match between what we know about animals and what dragons are supposed to look like is less perfect than it first appears.

There’s no proof that any animal is able to breathe fire, but some animals like the Bombardier beetle do eject hot, toxic chemicals in self-defence. Some animals do guard a type of treasure, like their own eggs, but there’s no record of them guarding hoards of gold. And palaeontologists (people who study fossil remains) know that some dinosaurs, like pterosaurs, flew. However, the blueprint of a dragon – often with four legs and two wings – appears in no animal tree. No vertebrate (animal with a backbone or spine) has ever had six limbs.

A real-life dragon

The closest living thing to a dragon might be a Komodo dragon. Originally from Indonesia, they can grow up to three metres long and have venom powerful enough to kill a buffalo. Matthew Cook, Lead Keeper at Chester Zoo, has worked with Komodos for over 12 years and says they “absolutely live up to” the dragon name.

These endangered reptiles have been around for millions of years and it’s easy to see how they could inspire mythical stories.

Story time

If dragons are evolutionarily impossible, why do tales of them exist? Being an early human was dangerous. Humans lived alongside animals like crocodiles, snakes, and big cats with very little to protect themselves. Cressida Cowell thinks dragons represent “our relationship with the wild” and that stories of dragons were meant to be a warning.

Dragon stories have been around for longer than written words in some cultures, so there’s no exact trail that leads us back to where they came. However, Cowell’s theory might explain why so many different cultures, with no obvious contact with each other, kept inventing the same creature – or at least very similar ones.

Mysteries usually come from misunderstandings. There is no evidence that dragons have ever existed. Where the idea came from remains a mystery but stories might have started with a mixture of fossils, folklore and warnings of dangerous creatures. They represent human curiosity of nature and a fascination with the unknown.

Also

Dragons shape-shift to fit whatever story humans want to tell. Monster, ally, or something else entirely, dragons are shown in different ways all over the world. European dragons are usually scary and violent but dragons from Asia and Oceania often bring good fortune. How to Train Your Dragon shows them to be capable of friendship and loyalty, but many films and TV series depict them as dangerous. In the Elder Scrolls games they’re shown to be almost god-like creatures that are full of knowledge. Dragons are a big part of popular culture and will keep finding new skies and stories to inhabit.

First published in The Week Junior Science+Nature, issue 100, May 2026.