Hi there! Have you ever seen a toy dragon that looks like it’s breathing fire? I saw one recently, and it turned out to be a clever trick. It was just spraying water with a red light behind it to look like fire!
Someone named Darian asked a great question about dragons. We see dragons in lots of stories and movies, like “Harry Potter,” “Pete’s Dragon,” and “How to Train Your Dragon.” Maybe you have a favorite dragon story too!
But here’s the thing: dragons don’t exist today. If they did, we’d probably see them in zoos or nature videos. Scientists have explored almost everywhere on Earth, and they’ve never found a real dragon.
Even though dragons aren’t real today, could they have been real a long time ago? People have been telling stories about dragons for thousands of years. Ancient Greeks and Romans had stories about dragons, like the Hydra that Hercules fought. Vikings carved dragon heads on their boats. And in Asia, dragons are a big part of many stories.
It’s interesting that people from all over the world have stories about dragons. How could that be? Well, maybe ancient people found giant bones in the ground. Today, we know these are dinosaur bones, but back then, people didn’t know about dinosaurs. They might have imagined these bones belonged to dragons!
Dinosaurs were real, and they might have looked a bit like the dragons we imagine. While no dinosaurs could breathe fire, some prehistoric creatures, like pterosaurs, could fly. They weren’t dinosaurs, but they were big reptiles that lived long ago.
Today, we have some animals that remind us of dragons. There’s a lizard called the Draco volans, or “flying dragon,” that can glide from tree to tree. And the Komodo dragon, the largest lizard in the world, looks a bit like a dragon too!
There’s also a beetle called the bombardier beetle. It can’t breathe fire, but it can shoot a hot liquid to defend itself. This liquid is so hot that it feels like lava!
So, while dragons like the ones in stories were never real, they might have been inspired by dinosaur fossils. And even though we don’t have fire-breathing dragons, the real animals that lived and still live today are just as amazing!
Thanks for the great question, Darian! Keep wondering about the world around you. There are so many mysteries to explore!
For the next episode, you can help choose the topic! You can vote on one of these questions: How is money made? Why does it rain? Or how many grains of sand are on the beach? Let us know what you want to learn about next!
Stay curious, and see you next time!
Create Your Own Dragon: Use clay or playdough to sculpt your own dragon. Think about what features your dragon might have. Will it have wings like a pterosaur or scales like a Komodo dragon? Once you’ve created your dragon, share a story about it with your family or friends. What special powers does your dragon have? Where does it live?
Dinosaur Bone Hunt: Go on a “dinosaur bone” hunt in your backyard or a local park. Collect interesting rocks and sticks that could be parts of a dinosaur or dragon. Use your imagination to assemble them into a creature. What kind of dinosaur or dragon have you discovered? Draw a picture of your creation and give it a name.
Dragon Observation Journal: Start a journal to observe animals that remind you of dragons. Visit a zoo, watch nature documentaries, or look for animals in your neighborhood. Write down or draw the animals you see and note any dragon-like features they have, such as wings, scales, or unique defenses like the bombardier beetle’s hot liquid spray. Share your findings with your class or family.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hi, it’s Doug! I couldn’t believe this toy dragon I saw the other day. I thought, is that real fire? Turns out it’s a little trick; it’s spraying water with a red light behind it.
[Music]
Someone named Darian has a question about dragons. Let’s give him a call now.
Hi, Darian!
I have a question for you.
That’s a great question! Dragons are depicted in all kinds of stories and movies, whether it’s the dragon Harry Potter faces in the Goblet of Fire, Pete’s Dragon, or How to Train Your Dragon. Maybe you have a favorite dragon story of your own.
But it seems pretty clear that dragons don’t exist today. I mean, if they did, you would probably have seen one by now, right? Like in a zoo, for example, or at least in nature videos about real-life wild animals. Scientists have explored almost every corner of the globe, from the highest mountains to the farthest islands, and not one of them has ever discovered a real-life dragon.
Okay, so they don’t exist today, but could dragons have been real? Could they have been something that used to live on Earth? Maybe you’re thinking no way; dragons are only something we made up in stories. But consider this: it isn’t just today that we tell stories of dragons. People have been telling stories of dragons for thousands of years.
If you’ve heard of the ancient Greeks and Romans, you might have heard their stories of dragons, like the Hydra killed by Hercules. The ancient Norse people, like the Vikings, also have stories of animals like dragons, and they would carve images of dragon heads onto their boats.
These are just stories from ancient cultures in Europe. What’s really interesting is that stories of dragons come from ancient cultures all around the world, not just one place. In many cultures in Asia, dragons are featured in lots of stories. In Japan, for example, a story was told that the first ruler of Japan was supposedly the grandson of a dragon, so symbols of dragons were placed on clothing, buildings, vases, and other things as symbols of the ruler’s power.
How is it possible that people from completely different places on opposite sides of the world would all have ancient stories of dragons? What do you think? Now would be a good time to pause the video and discuss.
Okay, you ready?
Well, it’s tempting to think maybe dragons were real, but just a long time ago. There’s another explanation, though. Ancient people all around the world might have discovered things like giant fossil reptile bones that they found in the ground. If they noticed these, it probably would have made them really wonder. You see, they’d never have seen the bones of an animal so large before.
We know today that when we find giant fossil reptile bones, it’s usually those of dinosaurs. But ancient people didn’t have an understanding of dinosaurs yet; they didn’t realize that dinosaurs had gone extinct or even existed. People weren’t alive at the same time as dinosaurs. But if some of these ancient people happened to discover fossil dinosaur bones and then tried to imagine what these animals might have looked like in real life, it’s possible that this is how stories of dragons began.
This is just one idea; there are other explanations for how the idea of dragons might have started. But even though dragons were never something real, dinosaurs were. And when you stop and think about it, dinosaurs were probably not that different from how we depict dragons.
While we don’t know of any dinosaurs that could breathe fire, we do find fossils of prehistoric beasts that could fly, like pterosaurs. While technically not dinosaurs, they were a type of prehistoric reptile, and some of them were huge, just like dragons.
In terms of their huge size and the way that they probably looked, both dinosaurs and pterosaurs might have been the closest thing that planet Earth has ever had to real-life dragons.
But there are lots of smaller animals alive today that have traits resembling those of dragons. For example, this lizard doesn’t fly, but it glides from tree to tree. In honor of dragons, we even call it a Draco volans, or the flying dragon. It doesn’t breathe fire, but in its appearance and ability to glide, it’s fun to think of it as being like a mini-dragon.
Then there’s this too: the largest lizard in the world, the Komodo dragon. Its full name is the Komodo dragon because it kind of looks like a dragon.
And while there are no animals that we know of that can do anything even remotely close to fire breathing, there is this: it’s called a bombardier beetle. It has the ability to shoot a hot liquid as one of its defenses.
Watch as this ant gets close to it; you’ll see it shoot it right there. This liquid gets so hot that it burns. One person said it felt like he had hot lava on his skin when he got a bombardier beetle stuck in his bicycle helmet.
So in summary, dragons were never real, at least not the kind depicted in stories. But it’s possible that stories of dragons were ancient people’s way of making sense of dinosaur fossils. Either way, real-world animals once lived and do live today, which are every bit as amazing and interesting as dragons.
That’s all for this week’s question. Thanks, Darian, for asking it!
Okay, for the next episode, I reached into my question jar and found three questions submitted to me that I’m thinking about answering. When this video is done playing, you’ll get to vote on one. You can choose from: how is money made, why does it rain, or how many grains of sand are on the beach?
So submit your vote when the video is over. I want to hear from all of you watching. There are mysteries all around us. Stay curious, and see you next week!
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Let me know if you need any further modifications!
