We all know dragons as majestic mythical creatures that breathe fire. While we do understand that these creatures are not real, you may not know that real dragons are living amongst us - just not the ones that you see on TV and in movies.
Most of these real-life dragons are reptiles but others are either insects or fish. Take a look at some of these dragons that you can find in real life.
Leafy Seadragon
The leafy seadragon is a perfect example of a real-life dragon in the form of a seahorse. These tiny creatures spend most of their time in warm waters near Australia.
They often have colorful leafy appendages that help them blend into their environment, allowing them to escape their predators. Most seadragons often hide behind seaweed and corals where they can live peacefully alongside many other little creatures in the sea.
These seadragons often have different colors and designs, especially the newly discovered ruby seadragon which features bright pink colors.
Bearded Dragon
The Bearded Dragon is a land lizard characterized by its beard underneath its mouth. They are often found in mainland Australia where they thrive in different habitats like deserts, woodlands, and even shrublands.
Bearded dragons are omnivorous, unlike their other dragon counterparts. They feed off insects such as ants, crickets, and cockroaches as well as plants. Bearded dragons are very territorial in nature so they tend to protect their home even from other dragons.
It is known that males are far more aggressive with their territories than females.
Northern Caiman Lizard
If you're looking at a creature that resembles the magnificent dragon, look no further than the Northern Caiman Lizard. Their structure is quite similar to the ones that you find in fantasy shows and movies.
These Caiman lizards are semi-aquatic creatures that have reddish heads their bodies having a tropical green color. Such colorations make them more fantastical thus they resemble very similar to that of a dragon.
Caiman lizards often feed on snails and crawfish and can grow up to four inches. They live in the swampy areas in South America where they take advantage of the environment to hide.
Flying Dragon
Dragons often have wings to help them fly and one such creature in real life that resembles such feat is the Flying Dragon. Flying Dragons got their names from their ability to glide through trees with the help of their wings as if they were flying around the jungle.
They are commonly found in the jungles of Southeast Asia and many other parts of the world. While relatively small in size, they often fly from tree to tree in search of food like insects, escape from predators, or even chase down other lizards that try to invade their territory.
These dragons rarely go to the ground and live high up in the trees where they have limited threats.
Dragonsnake
The Dragonsnake is a very rare species of snake that can only be found in Indonesia and Malaysia, but they have also been found in other Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Myanmar.
This specific type of snake has a very distinct scale that is quite similar to the scales that you see depicted on dragons. Apart from that, these creatures' heads also bear similarities to the dragons that we see on TV.
They have thick bumpy scales that run throughout their entire body making them even more exotic. These reptiles are quite rare so you would be lucky to see one in your lifetime.
Komodo Dragon
The most popular dragon on this list is probably the Komodo Dragon. The Komodo Dragon is one of the largest reptiles in the world and is often found in Southeast Asia most prominently in Indonesia.
This dragon-like creature can reach up to 10 feet long and can weigh up to 300 pounds. They are known to have very powerful and deadly bites that allow them to hunt prey much larger than them.
While an adult Komodo dragon is considered an apex predator, the younger ones are often preyed upon by other adult dragons. These animals also prey on civet cats, snakes, and feral dogs.
Philippine Sailfin Lizard
The Philippine Sailfin Lizard is another dragon-like creature. They are very adept at swimming in the water and younger sailfin lizards can even run on water due to their body structure.
They are often found hanging around in trees trying to cool off from the heat and can dive into the water to either avoid predators or hunt for food. While they consider the tropical islands of the Philippines as home, constant habitat destruction has made it difficult for them to thrive.
Black Dragonfish
While some of the dragons on this list look very majestic and ethereal, there is also one that is quite terrifying.
The Black dragonfish is a deep sea fish that looks like it came from a horror movie. The black dragonfish has features that are quite similar to a black dragon but also has some large sharp teeth, black eyes, and very shiny skin.
It lives 2,000 meters below the ocean and can survive the dark and cold environment of the deep sea.
Armadillo Girdled Lizard
Probably the most similar animal to a dragon on this list is the Armadillo Girdled Lizard.
While it is small in size, this armored lizard is covered in spikes to protect itself from predators. These scaly dragons roll themselves into a ball for protection. They can be found in the deserts of South Africa and feed on insects.
Their distinct physical features are very similar to the ones that you see in movies which is where they got their names from.
Blue Dragon Sea Slug
Blue Dragon Sea Slug is a small dragon-like creature that is found in tropical seas around the world.
Their unique and colorful features might be pretty to look at but be very careful if you see the blue dragon sea slug as they are quite venomous and have been known to be very deadly in humans.
These creatures are the predators of other deadly creatures like the Portuguese Man-of-War and it uses the venomous properties to protect itself from its predators.
Conclusion
Dragons are often depicted as ferocious mythical creatures, hence the reason why many on this list adopted a name with "dragon". If you want to find real dragons on this planet, you don't need to look in the pages of mythical books or fairy tales to find one. They are here on Earth.
