Dragon is the name of a number of real creatures. Unfortunately, many species don’t last too long.
Everyone thinks dragons are fictional creatures that only exist in novels, comics, and movies. But if you consider dragons as a name, it turns out that on this Earth there are also a number of animals that are considered dragons.
He’s the dragon in the movie.
Of course, these weren’t the majestic fire-breathing dragons like Drogon in Games of Thrones. This dragon does not exist. In return, the actual dragons are also very interesting. The most famous is the Komodo dragon – a fearsome mascot from Indonesia with superior prey ability and potent toxins in its saliva.
It is the biggest dragon in real life.
And also, we have smaller dragons like the lizard in the photo below which is also called dragons. Its name is the Earless Dragon, and unfortunately its habitat has been so badly damaged that it was last seen 50 years ago.
The scientific name for this creature is Tympanocryptis, and they are rare creatures called dragons. The name has gained more and more popularity since it was listed as endangered, in order to increase public attention for a rising species.
The earless dragons were shaped like lizards, wingless, about six inches long, and inhabited low grass. They do not have external ears, so they are called “dragons without ears”.
There are four species of T. lineata, T. pinguicolla, T. osbornei and T. mccartneyi – located hundreds of kilometers apart. The earless dragon in the photo belongs to the subspecies T. pinguicolla, once native to Melbourne.
Before that, the 4 species were grouped together because it was difficult to distinguish them. It was only when experts at the Victoria Museum used evidence from DNA and x-rays that we were able to identify them as different subspecies. And also because they are so similar that it takes forever for humans to realize that this dragon species is extinct.
In recent decades, Australia has witnessed the extinction of many animal species, at a much higher rate than on other continents. At least 29 species of mammals have gone extinct due to habitat destruction, exotic animals and climate change.
In particular, reptiles also suffered from an even greater tragedy. It’s not clear as they are difficult to detect or haven’t been studied extensively, but many species of reptiles have gone extinct without anyone noticing. At least 31 species are listed as extinct or extinct in the wild.
Recently, Australian public opinion has focused on another species of reptile, the Bellinger River Turtle – which has lost 90% of its population due to the virus attack. They have found 10 turtles that do not carry the virus and plan to breed them in captivity.
Hopefully their future does not fall into the misery these tiny dragons have suffered.
