Dragons are extraordinary mythological creatures, with their unique bodies, enormous wings, claws, and the ability to spit fire make every fantasy tale magnificent. Although they are ancient creatures, many species of animals have many similarities with them, especially several species of reptiles.
Therefore, today we bring you a list of 15 animals with “dragon” in their name and some that look quite similar to one; continue reading to know these amazing animals.
1) Draco Lizard
The Draco lizard is part of the agamid family and is also known as flying lizards, as they can extend their ribbed legs to form wings to glide as they move from one tree to another while gliding has the typical appearance of a dragon. They have bright orange and brown skin with different colored spots such as red and blue, among others.
They can grow up to 25 cm, and their diet is based mainly on ants, but they can also eat arboreal termites. Their natural habitat is the tropical forests of Southwest Asia.
2) Ruby Seadragon
Ruby Seadragon belongs to the Syngnathidae family, to which the famous seahorses also belong. This fish lives off the coast of Australia, but it has also been taken to aquariums all over the world because of its beautiful appearance with deep red skin.
This is the third and last species of sea dragon to be discovered, and it was seven years ago, in 2015. The scientists who discovered it explained that the ruby seadragon usually lives in the ocean’s depths, which is why it took mankind so long to discover it. Normally, they measure about 15 cm long, although several years ago a specimen was found that measured almost 24 cm.
3) Blue Dragon Sea Slug
Also known as the blue dragon, the blue dragon sea slug is part of the Glaucidae family. It has a unique appearance the Pokemon writers claim that they were inspired by it to create several dragon-type pokemon such as Lugia.
The Blue Dragon Sea Slug is on average 3.5 cm long, its dorsal part is silvery blue with different shades, while its belly is light blue and has dark stripes along its body. It is usually found in tropical waters, but mostly on the southern coast of South Africa.
4) Pink Dragon Millipede
The pink dragon millipede is spiny and one of the few millipedes that are toxic as expected was named for its vibrant pink color. It was discovered in 2007 in a cave in Thailand and was ranked third among newly discovered species by the International Institute for Species Exploration in 2008.
At maturity, it is the largest milfoil of its kind, reaching a length of about 4 cm.
Although it was discovered in a cave, they usually live outdoors because they have a good defense mechanism against predators since they produce hydrogen cyanide, lethal to many creatures, even in small doses.
5) Komodo Dragon
The Komodo dragon is a stupendous animal full of surprises, being the largest and heaviest lizard species in the world, which is why it has received other names such, as the Komodo monster. Recently, it was discovered that it is also a toxic animal that can weigh up to 150 kg and measure up to 3 meters in length.
Its natural habitat is the islands of the Sonda in the Indonesian archipelago, but they also live on the islands of Komodo, Flores, Gili Dasami, and Padar. They usually look for open spaces with plenty of vegetation but also adapt to other areas such as riverbanks and coastal areas because even though it is such a large lizard, it can swim quickly.
6) Black Dragonfish
The Black Dragonfish is an extraordinary black fish with white stripes that belongs to the Stomiidae family. It is found in all the world’s oceans, but it is difficult to see it because it spends most of its life at depths of more than 2000 meters, even up to 6000 meters.
A characteristic of the black dragonfishes is that males and females have different skin colors, while females have the classic black color, and males tend to have more brown skin. In addition, females can grow to about 35 cm in length as adults, but males average about six cm in length.
7) Frilled Dragon
The Frilled Dragon is a lizard that belongs to the Agamidae family and is known in other countries as the frilled lizard. It is a lizard native to Australia and New Guinea and is the last survivor of the genus Chlamydosaurus. It was named after the colorful frill on its neck.
It tends to live in trees as it feeds largely on insects and other small animals. However, when they are unable to hunt, they also eat plants. For a small family lizard, it can measure up to 80 cm, including the tail. Besides, it is now considered an exotic pet.
8) Bearded Dragon
Like the Frilled dragon, the Bearded Dragon is also part of the Agamidae family of lizards and is also native to Australia, but seeks to live in the desert and rocky areas. They are sought after as pets in many countries because of their beautiful appearance and because they pose no threat to people.
However, they are hunters in the wild because they feed on small insects, fruits, and plants. A fact that people who have a bearded dragon as a pet should keep in mind is that they should not eat only meat because they can get sick. These lizards do not grow very large since the largest specimens that have been recorded are approximately 50 cm.
9) Chinese Water Dragon
As its name suggests, the Chinese Water Dragon is native to China, especially in the country’s southeastern part. Its natural habitat is forested with high humidity as they seek to live on the shores of lakes and streams. It is also a lizard of the Agamidae family, so it is a small animal with a long lifespan of up to 15 years.
In other Asian countries such as Thailand and Vietnam, the Chinese water dragon is known as the green water dragon because it is more commonly seen on the shores of lakes and camouflaged with vegetation and appears green in color.
10) Philippine Sailfin Lizard
The Philippine Sailfin Lizard is a magnificent gray lizard with yellow spots, making it look similar to a dragon. It is native to the Philippines but is also found in New Guinea and some regions of Indonesia. Like many lizards, they are also omnivorous, and their diet is based on leaves and fruits, although they occasionally eat insects.
The Philippine Sailfin Lizard is a protected species in the Philippines, as for many years it has been traded as an exotic pet, which has led to its near extinction.
11) Crested Gecko
This gecko is also called eyelash gecko and is native to southern New Caledonia. For many years it was thought that this gecko species was extinct, but in 1994 specimens were found again on the Isle of Pines, but very few are still alive, so it is a protected species to avoid extinction.
The crested geckos have an average size of 16 to 20 cm, including the tail, and can be found in a wide variety of colors, such as gray and red, among others, but at least 60% of the population are yellow with different shades.
12) Dragon Moray Eel
The Dragon Moray Eel is one of the most fantastic-looking animals in existence. Its body has striking and bright colors, mainly orange-brown with spots of different shapes and black and white stripes. This eel has the particularity that it cannot close its mouth, but to compensate for that, it has very sharp canine teeth, with which it can defend itself and hunt.
The habitat of this eel is the south of Japan and the south of Korea, although sometimes they are also seen in Hawaii. On average, they measure about 70 cm, but some adult males can reach more than 90 cm.
13) Green Basilisk
The Green Basilisk is a lizard native to Central America and belongs to the Corytophanidae family. It is a lizard with a striking physical appearance very similar to the ancestral green dragons and has black and white streaks along its body. It is usually found in southern Mexico and some regions of northern Colombia.
They are usually found in humid regions with streams or rivers and are one of the few animals that can run through water, as they are very fast and use a special technique that prevents them from sinking.
14) Dragon face Pipefish
Among the animals most similar to the classic dragons, we can highlight the Dragon face Pipefish, which belongs to the Syngnathidae family. It is an ovoviviparous fish, so unlike other species, it is the male who carries the eggs. Its natural habitat is tropical climates, preferably in East Africa and south of Japan.
However, a fish usually lives near the surface because the deepest they usually reach is 20 meters, and it is not common for them to reach that depth. Its body is green with yellow stripes and can grow up to 20 cm in length.
15) Sailfin Dragon
In an interview, one of the directors of the famous series The Game of Thrones stated that they looked at the Sailfin Dragon to create one of the dragons of the series. The Hydrosaurus, better known as Sailfin Dragon, is a semi-aquatic lizard native to Indonesia and the Philippines.
Unfortunately, it is an endangered species because of its striking appearance; exotic animal traffickers highly seek after it.