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Dragon

Legendary large magical creature with no real life taxonomy in folklore / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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A dragon is a large magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as winged, horned, and capable of breathing fire. Dragons in eastern cultures are usually depicted as wingless, four-legged, serpentine creatures with above-average intelligence. Commonalities between dragons' traits are often a hybridization of feline, reptilian, mammal, and avian features. Scholars believe vast extinct or migrating crocodiles bear the closest resemblance, especially when encountered in forested or swampy areas, and are most likely the template of modern Oriental dragon imagery.[1][2]

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Illustration of a winged, fire-breathing dragon by Friedrich Justin Bertuch from 1806
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Qing-era carved imperial Chinese dragons at Nine-Dragon Wall, Beihai Park, Beijing
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Dragon-shaped bows on ships in Ystad, Sweden resembling Viking longships