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Zoology

Here be dragons

Nature volume 520, pages 42–43 (2015)Cite this article

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Emerging evidence indicates that dragons can no longer be dismissed as creatures of legend and fantasy, and that anthropogenic effects on the world's climate may inadvertently be paving the way for the resurgence of these beasts.

Long considered to be the stuff of legend, dragons cross cultures and continents. Until recently, however, scant attention had been paid to the fact that the commonality in cultural representations of such creatures indicates something more sinister. From depictions in Ancient Greek literature and Slavic myth, to the dragons of the East or allusions in Zoroastrian scripture, the descriptions resonate. What if these legends were rooted in truth? The differences in appearance — some lack wings, some have multiple heads and some seem not to breathe fire — once thought to reflect local traditions, can also readily be explained by speciation.

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Figure 1: Lizards of legend.

Anderson, Wayne/Private Collection/Bridgeman Images

Figure 2: The rise and fall and rise again of dragons.

Notes

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    Some of the content of this article may merit a degree of scepticism.

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Author information

Affiliations

  1. Andrew J. Hamilton is at The University of Melbourne and Federation University, Australia.

    Andrew J. Hamilton

  2. Robert M. May is at the University of Oxford, UK.

    Robert M. May

  3. Edward K. Waters is at the University of Notre Dame Australia, Australia.

    Edward K. Waters

Authors
  1. Andrew J. Hamilton
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  2. Robert M. May
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  3. Edward K. Waters
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Andrew J. Hamilton, Robert M. May or Edward K. Waters.

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Hamilton, A., May, R. & Waters, E. Here be dragons. Nature 520, 42–43 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/520042a

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