Dragons exist. The real existence of dragons has already been proven by scientists

One of the main storylines series is dedicated to Daenerys Targaryen and her dragons: Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion - the last of their kind in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. IN real life with dragons, everything is much more complicated, however, if you delve into the fauna, you can find very real earthly “dragons”, the rating of which is offered to Live Science readers.

sea ​​dragon

And the first one we will start with will be the olm, or European proteus (Proteus anguinus). Blind (the development of its eyes stops in the early stages of development) pale salamander lives in caves on former territory Yugoslavia and in the foothills of the Venetian Alps. It should be noted that the olm is still able to perceive light thanks to special cells in its skin. This dragon reaches no more than 40 cm in length. For its unusual color and rather strange appearance, the olm received nicknames from the local population “ sea ​​dragon" and "human fish". In ancient times, people mistook these small pink creatures for the cubs of real mythical dragons - rains sometimes washed the olms out of the caves where they were hiding.

Dinosaur bat

This strange flying dinosaur lived in the territory modern China approximately 160 million years ago. After archaeologists discovered evidence of its existence, it was named Yi Qi. Scientists have found that the creature's body was covered with feathers during life, but it was distinguished from birds by its webbed, bat-like wings, which ended in phalanges. The researchers suggested that Yi Chi moved by jumping and gliding, like a flying squirrel. Scientists have not decided in the end who is in front of them: a bird or a dinosaur. Perhaps it was a dragon.

Flying dragons

The genus of the subfamily of Afro-Arabian agamas (Agaminae) - arboreal insectivorous lizards - is well known to people. They do not have real wings, but they can glide quite gracefully: their elongated ribs deviate outward, tightly stretching folds of skin that transform into a bright cloth. Thus, they can cover distances of up to 20 m. In the jungles of South India and Southeast Asia There are many of these “dragons” living there.

bearded dragon

The bearded dragon Pogona vitticeps is a popular pet, even though it is not at all harmless to humans. The head and neck of the lizard are surrounded by a leather bag with spikes, which, in moments of danger or mating, swells, acquiring a dark color. Bearded dragons are native to Australia, but today they are successfully bred in captivity. This “dragon” feeds mainly on insects, but does not disdain small mice.

Dragon Avatar

For its resemblance to the creatures from the famous James Cameron film, this pterosaur (or basal pterodontoid, as scientists later dubbed it) received the nickname Ikrandraco avatar from paleontologists. The dragon avatar lived on the territory of modern China about 120 million years ago and hunted by flying over freshwater lakes and snatching fish from the water. On the creature's lower jaw was an unusual crest with a hooked process. Scientists do not rule out that this hook also somehow helped the dragon avatar to hunt.

frilled lizard

This Australian lizard Chlamydosaurus kingii, in case of danger, shows the enemy a formidable and terrible thing - a brightly colored frill around the neck. In addition, she stands on her hind legs, makes hissing sounds and hits the ground with her tail. If such a sight does not frighten a predator, it certainly leads to confusion. These moments are enough for the lizard to escape. By the way, another purpose of the lizard's colorful collar is to regulate body temperature. In the morning she catches them sun rays, and in case of severe overheating, the frill helps to cool it down.

Welsh dragon

Fossils of this predatory cousin of the Tyrannosaurus rex were found in Wales in 2014. The age of the find was 201 million years, which dates back to the beginning Jurassic period. And apparently, these are the earliest dinosaur remains found in the UK. The predator was named Dracoraptor hanigani, the first part of which means “dragon”. The fact is that the dragon is national symbol Wales, as depicted on its flag. The red dragon, or I-Ddraig Goch, is mentioned in the Welsh epic Mabinogion.

Dragon of Komodo Island

Perhaps the most famous of the modern “dragons” is giant monitor lizard Varanus komodoensis, which can reach three meters in length and weigh up to 100 kg. The skin of a monitor lizard is real armor: it is reinforced with small ossifications, osteoderms. It is believed that the first dragon appeared on Komodo Island 40 million years ago. At the same time, the natives of the Indonesian islands do not consider it a dragon at all, calling it a “land crocodile”, or buaya darat.

Forest lizard

These colorful creatures with impressive dragon-like spikes on their backs were discovered in the northeast National Park Cordillera Azul National Park in Peru in 2013. They belong to the group of forest lizards, and their bright colors help them hide from predators in tropical thickets.

Almost all the peoples who inhabit our world describe dragons in their traditions, myths and legends. Moreover, regardless of the habitat of a particular people, all these legends are very similar to each other. Scientists explain this similarity by the fact that people invented dragons in order to show their fear of snakes, because they are found everywhere, and people are afraid of them everywhere. However, it is impossible to say that such an explanation is plausible, since most descriptions of dragons are more reminiscent of crocodiles, which are covered with scales, rather than snakes. Therefore, scientists have put forward another hypothesis, according to which dragons are descendants of dinosaurs that lived until the advent of humanity. It must be said that this hypothesis is also supported by the church. But, at the same time, we note that the dating of the fossil remains of dragons does not coincide in time with the “religious” moment of the creation of the world. But from somewhere, something appeared on Komodo Island that looks very much like a dragon, only it doesn’t spit fire and doesn’t fly. There is also evidence of sailors and travelers who have repeatedly seen living lizards in the seas and oceans.

One might, of course, think that all this is fiction. But then the question arises: why do people, and even in large groups, inventing such things,?

It is known that in ancient mythology, dragons took a direct part in the creation of the world, and then controlled the elements. The Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans depict a large dragon as a symbol of major holidays. It is noteworthy that according to European beliefs the dragon is evil, but according to Eastern beliefs it is good.

The first reports about dragons appeared a long time ago, long before the beginning of our era, with the appearance of the first written sources. Thus, Herodotus wrote about the existence of dragons. According to him, a dragon lived off the Crimean coast, the length of which was 20 meters. He had a large, dark-colored body, a crest located above his head, and a long tail, clawed paws, red glowing eyes, as well as a creepy mouth with several rows of sharp long teeth. The animal moved very quickly and at the same time made piercing sounds.

In addition, there are many records that indicate that in ancient times mysterious creatures, which resembled lizards, densely populated our planet, living next to people. They were called by different names, but the most famous of these names is “dragon”, given by the Europeans.

Interestingly, for the most part, descriptions of dragons almost completely coincide with descriptions of dinosaurs. Therefore, scientists who study dragons are inclined to think that we're talking about about the same creatures. Probably, people found the remains of ancient reptiles and came up with legends about terrible mysterious monsters. Dragons were very often depicted in rock art, and legends about winged serpents that descended from heaven are present among many peoples. Scientists are sure that dragons existed because ancient people could only judge what they saw in reality and what they encountered.

Perhaps people would have continued to identify dragons with dinosaurs if not for one sensational discovery that was made in 1972. Not far from an ancient Aztec settlement, the remains of a creature that closely resembled a dragon were discovered. During further excavations, it was established that the remains belonged to the largest flying animals in the history of the Earth, whose wingspan was 15 meters. Outwardly this animal resembled bat gigantic size. After the remains were examined, scientists concluded that they were pterosaurs. Based on these studies, scientists hypothesized that these creatures were the progenitors of dragons. But it remained unclear why various peoples, which had never crossed paths in their lives, the descriptions of dinosaurs almost completely coincided. Therefore, scientists suggested that people initially mistook the dinosaurs that lived next to them for dragons.

So, what were dragons and dinosaurs?

In ancient times, they were called Megalania - huge lizards that lived on Earth many thousands of years ago. Their average length was about seven meters, and the weight reached 400 kilograms. They attacked animals, they could even cope with a rhinoceros. However, it is incredible but true that the last giant lizard was killed by a man. According to scientists, this species became extinct almost immediately after people settled the Australian continent. Some scientists are sure that Megalania are dragons. As evidence, they cite legends about fire-breathing creatures. Despite the fact that Megalania were not capable of casting fire, some of them had a strong poison that left wounds similar to burns on the victims' bodies. According to scientists, dragons, in addition to the lungs and nasal sinuses, had sacs in which hydrocarbons accumulated. When erupting, it combined with oxygen, resulting in a flame.

There is also evidence of encounters with a sea serpent. So, in 1893, off the coast of Scotland, the London doctor F. Matheson met with sea ​​devil. According to him, the weather was wonderful that day, when suddenly something incomprehensible grew out of the water right in front of the boat: a creature large sizes, with a long neck, which resembled a large lizard. The creature was brown and had a black stripe under its head.

There is a lot of evidence about sea ​​lizards exists in Russia. So, one of the most famous waterfowl lizards that is found in Russia is a creature that lives in Ladoga. This phenomenon has been described famous writer and ethnographer Alexei Popov. In his book there is evidence of encounters with an unknown monster: in the summer of 1973 he was fishing on Ladoga. It was a calm, sunny day. Suddenly, on the smooth surface of the lake, an object appeared that glittered in the sun. At first, the fishermen thought it was a capsized boat, but later noticed that the object was alive. The creature swam slowly along the shore, gradually approaching the boat. The fishermen hurried to the shore in fear, from where they continued observing. People saw that the animal was approximately 10 meters long, had a massive body, and dark gray skin color. The animal's head was large and rested on a long neck. The eyes were wide apart, and the gaze was angry and ferocious. Then suddenly the animal dived under the water and did not appear again.

The fact that the Ladoga lizard really exists is evidenced by local traditions and legends that are associated with the Valaam Monastery. In these ancient sources, one can often find references to unknown animals of gigantic size, which repeatedly emptied the trap nets that the monks set, without ever getting caught in them.

There are many legends about the existence of water dragons. So, if you carefully study the myths different nations who lived on the shores northern seas, you can see that each of these peoples has its own scary monster which lives in water. So, for example, in Iceland there are still rumors that a mysterious animal lives in one of the lakes, which the locals nicknamed Skrimsl. Notes have repeatedly appeared in the Swedish press about the existence of mysterious animals in six reservoirs, and in Ireland, in 1945, unknown animals were simultaneously seen in four lakes. In Canada, almost every person has heard at least once in their life about Ogopogo, who lived in Lake Okanagan. According to eyewitnesses, in appearance it resembles a log, its length reaches six meters, and its thickness is 60 centimeters. The animal's head resembles the head of a horse. The first mention of the appearance of Ogopogo dates back to 1872.

Another very popular aquatic lizard that mythozoologists have been trying to track down for a long period of time is the well-known Loch Ness monster, or Nessie, as it is affectionately called. According to legends, Nesie is a sea serpent that lives in Scotland, 40 kilometers from Inverness in Loch Ness (hence, in fact, its name). Despite the fact that scientists are plagued by failures, the local population assures that meetings with Nesi have occurred regularly since the mid-eighteenth century. In addition, biologists know for certain that there are huge snakes in the sea. Previously, they are believed to have lived in forests, but later moved to the sea and bays.

Currently, almost every lake in Norway has its own legend about big snake. True, they are seen very, very rarely. But in the Middle Ages they were encountered much more often. Thus, in Bollarvatn there lived a sea serpent, which was as thick as a calf. There was also a known case when a huge snake crawled onto a rock, but got stuck between the stones. The animal looked terrifying: its eyes were the size of the bottom of a barrel, and its mane hung from its neck. The snake was killed with several shots from a bow into the eye, the ground around it was completely saturated with green blood. And the corpse made such noise bad smell that the local population burned it.

Even in Walter Scott's novel "The Pirate" there is a description sea ​​serpent rising from depths of the sea, pulling long neck covered with a mane and moving with large sparkling eyes in search of a victim.

Most detailed description monsters living in Norwegian sea ​​waters, written by Eric Iontopidian. He claims that the so-called dragons live deep underwater and only rise to the surface in warm, windless weather. In one of his books, a description of the snake is given: a head that resembles a horse’s, a black snout, the rest of the body is gray, very large and black eyes, a long white mane. The body is very thick and long.

Oddly enough, in modern world there are also dragons. Don't believe me? Here is the definition given in one of the encyclopedias: a dragon is a genus of reptiles from the order of lizards that reach a length of 30 centimeters, have a long tail, a narrow and flattened body. They have the ability to glide up to 20 meters using skin folds located along the edges of the body. There are 14 known species of dragons, all of them have bright variegated colors, live in trees, feed on larvae and insects.

If we talk about creatures that are more like ancient dragons, then they exist. True, they are called a little differently. Thus, on the island of Komodo (which was mentioned above), living dragons were found, that is, monitor lizards up to three meters long. In addition, the researchers found that there used to be much larger monitor lizards - up to 10 meters. They lived in Australia. And in New Guinea, according to the testimony of the local population, there lives a terrible monster of enormous size. However, when we managed to photograph it, it turned out that the “monster” did not even reach three meters in length...

Thus, we cannot exclude the possibility of the existence of an entire civilization of lizards that periodically show themselves to people. All that remains is to wait for the right moment to photograph at least one of them and prove that dragons really exist.

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Legends of dragons- the most common legends about monsters on our planet. The creepy monstrous reptile has found its place in the folklore of almost all peoples of the world. At the same time, judging by some literary and musical works, this creature was perceived more as a real monster than as a mythical character.

Edward Topsell, in his History of Reptiles (1608), reported: "Among all the species of reptiles there is not one comparable to the dragon, or one that can furnish sufficient historical material to reveal the essence and nature of this animal."

When you analyze " true stories” about dragons in folklore or written monuments of some cultures, then questions immediately arise: why are dragons so similar everywhere? Did dragons really fly over the earth and devour the unfortunate villagers, while demanding young girls as sacrifices and striking terror into every heart? And is it true that no one except the brave knight could stop them?

Who among us has not seen the icon where St. George the Victorious kills the dragon? And on the other hand, what child has not read fairy tales about lazy and kind, gentle and timid dragons?

Every myth has a piece of truth and reality. Many serious scientists adhere to the theory that small quantity dinosaurs could survive until the human era. Take any book about dinosaurs and you will see that, for example, the royal tyrannosaurus would make an excellent dragon in some legend. Such a huge reptile, tramping along the outskirts of early Europe, would certainly match even the most impressive descriptions of dragons.

Today no one says that there were very many dinosaurs. But a handful of these prehistoric reptiles, which lived in remote lakes and forested valleys, could not have gone unnoticed even in sparsely populated Europe in the 1500s BC. e. An encounter with just one of these “monsters” would give rise to legends and traditions for many centuries.

The following theory may be of more interest to the average reader: the fact is that ancient historians often described huge snakes, similar to a python, which reached more than 15 meters in length. Many stories about dragons that have come down to us from the Middle Ages tell how these creatures wrap themselves around their prey and slowly crush it, which is fully consistent with the behavior of a python or a boa constrictor.

But all these theories do not explain why a dragon can walk on all fours.

Some species of giant lizards would probably fit the description of a dragon and would satisfy many theorists. One of them is known as komodo dragon, whose length often exceeds 3.5 meters, but lives in Eastern India.

St. George the Victorious and other dragon slayers would have taken a long time - from the point of view Western history- for a risky trip to the tropics. Probably, the battle with the dragon itself would have been much less of an ordeal than such a campaign.

If there was such a species of lizard in Europe (presumably several million years ago) that survived before the advent of man, this would be the answer to the mystery of the origin of myths about dragons.

A third theory - and a very plausible one - suggests that a medieval adventurer accidentally discovered a cave filled with the bones of a giant cave bear and mistook them for the skeletal remains of a dragon. It happened that even workers who dug pits during the construction of churches found fossilized dinosaur bones.

It was only in the 19th century that pundits realized that fossil remains were often millions of years old (before that, it was believed that the skeletons found belonged to some giant animals that had become extinct quite recently).

If, at a time when legends about dragons were at the peak of popularity in Europe, the remains of a fossil had been found in the ground or in a cave, the existence of fairy-tale monsters would certainly have been proven.

Now let’s try to independently develop the theory according to which peasants, while digging a well, found mammoth bones in the ground. The excavators immediately concluded that this was the grave of a dragon. Well, where there are the remains of one, there may well be another, a living dragon! The villagers must have been tormented by the question: how to get rid of the huge beast - so that it does not fly in and devour them all? A sacrifice is needed! The priest said that this has no effect on the dragon, but it can appease the ancient gods!

The peasants chose young beauty, took her into a dark forest and tied her to a tree, hoping to appease the dragon in this way. It is difficult to imagine all the horror that the girl experienced when wolves or bears attacked her at night... The next day, the bravest village men went into the forest. That's how it is! The dragon flew in and devoured the girl!

A month passed - it turned out that the victim “worked”: the monster did not appear in the village and did not hunt the locals. This means that the girl’s flesh pacified him. If they continue to sacrifice from time to time, even if it is a calf or a kid, the dragon will leave them alone.

It is quite possible that in Europe such bones - be they a mammoth, a Sumatran rhinoceros or a giant cave bear - were not considered something unusual. Mammoth tusks are very common in medieval recipes for the elixir of love. In the market square of the Austrian city of Klagenfurt stands a statue of a giant slaying a dragon; the head of this monster was apparently molded in the shape of the skull of a Sumatran rhinoceros.

Proof of this connection is the fact that ancient manuscripts mention a “dragon skull” found in Klagenfurt in the 16th century. All these for many years The skull is under the protection of the city government, and today it can be easily identified as the skeleton of the head of an Ice Age rhinoceros.

You can read other news on this topic:

1. Introduction

2. Dragons really exist on Earth!

3. Conclusion

4. List of references used

5. Applications

From the very early childhood I was interested in dragons, their life and behavior. Therefore, I decided to tell you a little about these wonderful, beautiful, amazing animals.

Not much is known about dragonology, perhaps the most ancient and intriguing science. Although dragons have been studied since time immemorial, they still remain the most mysterious of all earthly creatures. According to modern scientists who study the diverse flora and fauna of the Earth, dragon science is fraught with exciting new discoveries.

Dragon experts refute the opinion that there are no dragons at all, and never were. When scientists first heard about the platypus, a creature with a duck's beak, horns and a neck like a giraffe, in 1797, their reaction was to laugh. And in 1901, scientists realized that this new look animal and named it okapi. Alas, no brave souls have yet been found to equip an expedition to search for dragons, as was the case with the platypus...

After reading Charles Darwin’s work “The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection,” dragonologists came to the conclusion that, like other earthly creatures, dragons underwent evolution and perfectly adapted to their habitats. Evolution is a change in the structure of the body to simplify life. Skeptics (people who do not believe in them) argue that a dragon cannot have four legs and two wings, since any vertebrate on Earth has no more than four limbs. But this is a consequence of the evolution of dragons.

Dragons live in almost all parts of the world, so a researcher will not need to travel to the ends of the earth to study them. Some travelers confuse dragons with sea serpents - giant squids.

These are different creatures; the dragon, unlike the sea serpent, flies, spews fire, lives on land and hoards treasures.

Dragons are:

European (their supposed habitat is the caves of the German Alps, forests, wells, ponds), Mexican (ancient Mexican cities lost in the jungle), ice (their lairs are in Greenland icebergs), Tibetan (between the peaks of the Himalayas), Chinese (in mountain waterfalls in China), Australian marsupials (in the blue mountains of Australia with the breath of dragons), African (deserts). Thus, it becomes clear that dragons live in various places, suitable for their habitat: forests, mountains, steppes, ice, jungles and deserts. Dragons have a variety of colors: red, green, white, golden, depending on the type of dragon. They range in size from 7 to 15 meters in length, feed on cattle, squid, polar bears, deer, domestic animals, camels, mountain bulls, fish, birds, and can attack people. When attacking, they use claws, horns, ice breath, fire from the mouth, and a tail for strangulation. Almost all dragons can talk (not all meaningfully), have a penchant for jewelry, regularly change their skin, fly, and tenderly care for eggs and the young that emerge from the egg three years after laying.

A dragon can be tamed, but this can only be done easily by someone who has raised a dragon and made friends with it. You can use a secret spell, but when its effect ends, the dragon becomes extremely irritated. Flying on a dragon is only worth it in extreme cases, and always with his consent, but the sensations are amazing!

All parts of the dragon's body (skin, teeth, scales, feathers, blood, bones, dust collected from cave walls, eyes, horn) have magical power and are used in magic for various purposes and for healing.

There is no more beast in the world,

Who can be compared to the mighty dragon,

His immeasurable power and greatness.

I told you about dragons so that you know that there may even be something that we are not aware of. Be considerate and kind to all living beings! Don't try to convince those who don't believe in dragons and don't share your interest in them. Let's protect the remaining dragons on Earth and all endangered animals.

References

· Dr. Ernest Drake “Dragonology”, publishing house “Makhaon”, Moscow, 2008. Translation by N. Ivanov and V. Bolotnikov

In the modern world, basically all people are skeptics. Perhaps this is due to fantastic stories, which we grew up with, and then discovered that life in real life is more prosaic. Monsters in movies aren't real. Magic is fiction. Baba Yaga does not exist, nor does the brownie.

But if we put skepticism aside for a moment and take a different look at some things that are considered mythical, although they had an equivalent in our world, we can say with confidence that dragons really existed.

Did dragons really exist?

Not a single ancient scripture could do without dragons. All the peoples of the world who lived in the world wrote about them. different parts globe. Moreover, all the legends are quite similar to each other, and this leads to the idea that dragons actually existed before. Otherwise, how do people living on different continents, unable to communicate with each other, could leave behind the same letters.

For example, in the legend of Herodotus it was written that off the Crimean coast a monster lived 20 m long. A huge dark body with a long tail, powerful clawed paws, a crest on the head and glowing red eyes. And, besides, this monster had a terrible mouth with long teeth in several rows, ran quickly and emitted a loud, piercing roar.

And the Hyperboreans, who lived in the completely opposite direction, described it this way: “a huge lizard with large wings, powerful jaws and long claws on large scaly paws, screams loudly and spits out flames.”

Do dragons exist now?

Even in the modern world, dragons exist. One encyclopedic publication says: “dragons are a detachment of lizards, a genus of reptiles, reaching a length of more than 30 cm, they have a long tail and a narrow, flattened body. These individuals, thanks to their skin folds, have the ability to glide up to 20 m. Now about 14 species of dragons live on our planet.”

On Komodo Island today live huge lizards - dragons. They are very similar in appearance to the creatures described by our ancestors, only they do not spew fire and do not fly.

The existence of the Ladoga lizard and the Loch Ness monster causes a lot of controversy among scientists. IN lately More and more verified evidence is appearing to prove that these creatures are not a myth, but a reality.