>>22083515Not that anon, but here's the thing: a dragon is just too complex for the time people people claim it might live it. First off, there are NO hexapodal animals other than insects; EVERY animal has been a tetrapod since the first fucking amphibians. There would be SOME remnant SOMEWHERE of a hexapod bodyform in something other than insects. But there isn't.
Now, what if you want to say they're tetrapods; more wyvern-esque? Well, you're still grasping at straws. Maybe there might have been something small, but large FEATHERLESS flying reptiles simply won't work. Feathers regulate body heat as well as providing lift, much better than any rigid natural structure could do. Mass increases much more than surface area; they would not be able to fly, probably not even glide. Another thing, a large creature like that would not be able to breathe at altitudes anyway; traditional breathing mechanisms are actually incredibly inefficient. Birds have the most efficient constant-flow respiration system, which I doubt would convergently evolve in a reptile (or even synapsid)
I won’t even go into fire breathing or lighter-then-air sacs because there is even less evidence for that. The only way they would breath fire would be with like platinum surface deposits, or with something like E.E. Knight’s firebladder type thing. But again, there is no evidence of any other animal having such complex EXO systems, and much less all combined.
Trust me friend, I want dragons to exist as much as the next guy. But as a zoologist I can’t actually hold that belief honestly.
