Frank Swain is a science writer and blogger. He is based in the UK.
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Keep up to date with RSSNeatorama reports the discovery of a real life (albeit tiny) dragon!
While participating in a herpetology study we stumbled across this female laying eggs in a nest. She was found in the Lambusango Forest reserve and was immediately released after this photograph was taken.
Neatorama notes it could be related to Draco volans. No word yet on whether it breathes fire, hoards gold, or kidnaps fair maidens.
Life Science
Comments
I spent a lot of time with Operation Wallacea in Sulawesi - http://photos.divydovy.com/Travel/Indonesia/Indonesia-2002-Wildlife/923187_2hss4#42850606_DCYWb here's one of my Draco photos - lots of other good critters there too. Giant centipede my favourite for pure badness.
Posted by: David Lockie | February 16, 2010 10:25 AM
Cool.
From the other picture at the site, http://i.imgur.com/iBf7x.jpg those wings clearly aren't attached to the arms. I guess those struts in the wings must be ribs.
Posted by: Dave X | February 16, 2010 3:55 PM
Why "discovered"?" I guess it may be a new species, but it sure looks like genus Draco, which is certainly well known. "Real life dragon discovered" seems to imply to me a whole new type of "dragon-like" lizard.
Posted by: Kelly Clowers | February 16, 2010 8:46 PM
I find this very interesting. I wonder if there is more of its kind out there in the forest. These dragons are very interseting creatures and I would like to see one up close.
Posted by: Eminel Cooper | February 16, 2010 8:52 PM
That dragon kidnapped me, and a knight saved me. Or was that just my dream? Either way, effing cool.
Posted by: embro | February 16, 2010 11:12 PM
Somebody go tell Anne McCaffrey :-) How cooooool.
Posted by: Kristin | February 17, 2010 10:28 PM
SO COOL!!!
Posted by: sara | February 19, 2010 12:11 AM
Very tiny fair maidens.
Breathes fire enough to like a cigarette.
Posted by: Ed Darrell | February 24, 2010 11:26 PM
Should have been, "fire enough to light a cigarette."
Wonder what brain yip caused that typo?
Posted by: Ed Darrell | February 25, 2010 7:32 PM
Ah-hah! The true cause of AGW—escaped flying lighter dragons.
Posted by: blf | March 7, 2010 11:22 AM
Watch this video "Dinosaurs and the Bible" from...
http://www.drdino.com/media-categories.php?c=seminars&v=10
Posted by: GotMac | March 28, 2010 8:51 AM
it looks real but are you shore its real
Posted by: dhhfsdkfjui | March 30, 2010 1:57 AM
Kinda looks like a mutation or pherhaps just a new speices has it eveolved? Kinda looks like a butter fly and a lizzard but its quiet imposible for them to mate so how did this speices come up radaiton mutation? Mayby those wings are used for jumping smaller scales and gliding between plants and trees?
Posted by: David | May 10, 2010 7:13 AM
Stuffs like this make me think dragons were real and lizards and stuffs now are descended from the big "hollywood version" dragons. Plus, scientists found that this one types of dinosaur could have possibly breathed fire, or something like fire. O.o
Posted by: Amber | May 19, 2010 8:34 PM
Excuse me if I'm ruining your fun, but I find it offensive that some people take advantage of people's belifs, and I'm not trying to hurt anyone's feelings, but I know a little girl of the age of 11, and she wants to become a Dragonoligist. Now, she gets bullied all the time because she belives that she has a Dragon called "Knuckles". If she read this, she'd get really happy, and if she finds out it's fake, shame on you people, shame.
Posted by: Dragonlover3 | August 29, 2010 9:49 AM
wow, I really taught it was a lizard with wings....But it was a dragon....and. i wanna see it from real beacuse i love also to watch How To Train Your Dragon (2010)....AND I SAY ''wath the heck,it was real,dragon was REAL....!''
i wish i have a pet dragon like Hiccup in that movie How To Train Your Dragon (2010)....
Posted by: michaella | November 21, 2010 10:18 AM
1 dragons are lizards breathing fire or no
2 there are little flying/gliding lizards like that anyway in either africa or south america i cant remember which
Posted by: john | December 2, 2010 3:24 PM
actually it's not worthy of the name Dragon, it's to small, the wings are different, it's doesn't fly, it doesn't breath fire and doesn't contain magic power X-D.
Just joking...nice animal though!
Greetz from The Netherlands (Kirnetro a.k.a. Neltharion)
Posted by: Rik Schoonenberg | December 10, 2010 9:02 AM
thats not a dragon, we have many of those here at philippines, and we call that lizard, "tambokaka"
Posted by: alfernee | December 22, 2010 10:28 AM
thats not a dragon, we have many of those here at philippines, and we call that lizard, "tambokaka"
Posted by: alfernee | December 22, 2010 10:28 AM
what was myth or fantasy IS real. well how much? do you remember ur gardians? creature or seeing in dreams? dreams sends messages? not all r.so life continues in all directions :) peacecraft
Posted by: Fayt | January 1, 2011 6:22 AM
I think dragons do live but in a different demetion in the world.
Posted by: Lara | June 14, 2011 7:42 PM
What a wonderful creation of god creating the art and artistry of the pictures I looked with admiration to all the official show
Posted by: gelinlikler | June 21, 2011 10:53 PM
Three Strikes should just be abolished that along with mandatory sentencing these laws have not done anything but overcrowed prisons and keep the guards with job security, and were paying for it. Hopefully if it is put on the ballot again the voting machines won't be tampered with like in the last election, where the found that the diebold machines were supposedly not working right!!!! And also the one they should get rid of is Matt Cate who has done nothing but collect a pay check!!!
Posted by: forex | June 27, 2011 11:37 PM
It's not a dragon if it can't breathe fire. Please show evidence for this.
Posted by: jam | July 2, 2011 2:27 AM
fuck you all
Posted by: anonynous | July 25, 2011 10:52 AM
its a fake !!! damn you!!! dragons are not existing they're only imaginations im more interested in saber tooths and dinosours!!
Posted by: anonymous | July 25, 2011 10:53 AM
This is for all this people that doesn’t believe in dragon. You guys need to search more. Dragons not necessarily need to spark fire. Also whoever said is imagination or fake go ahead,there's more evidence out there that the government don't want to tell you for not to make everybody alarm, but evidence is there. Just like the UFOs, is happening and many sightings is around the world that USA can't.cover nomore. And for GOD'S creation there's no exception. Do u know that the estimate life for dragons are in about 1,000 years old to a 10,000 years? So what u guys think? We can live a couple years but not that longer. You will be surprised how many things we /jcan find. Look at the dragon that they found in Romania or Mexico. Don't go so far, if labs can successfully made a glowing cat, I wouldn't be surprised if someone comes with a real dinosaur which is in near future. Another thing ; we try hard not to battention to all those movies out there, they always say something behind ( example of it could be the movie. Contagion ) whatch my word that in 4 to 10 years is going to have a serious spread. ( OR THE MOVIE ABOUT THE TERMINATOR. I KNOW FOR FACT THAT BY 2026- 2030 they will be our enemy)So I'm so sure that this dragons do really lllfllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllpl
Posted by: rose | September 20, 2011 3:30 AM
All I know that dragons really exist.
Posted by: rose | September 20, 2011 3:39 AM
it is a real lizard type creature, it can't fly it glides, all i know about this creature is it climbs into birds nest's to lay it's own eggs after eating bird eggs then when they hatch the babies have the food already there. That's pretty much all i know about this creature i have no clue of the name but it is a lizard not dragon but very cool indeed.
Posted by: Chris | September 23, 2011 1:11 PM
Super cute little dra(gon)!
Posted by: tc | December 6, 2011 5:35 AM
They let it go? Didn't anyone speak with Christian Bale and Matthew McConaughey about their role in Reign of Fire? I'm just sayin', it could have saved us all... Now it's too late. We're dooooooomed!
Posted by: Johnny D | December 6, 2011 6:29 AM
...you guys do realize flying lizards have been found before right?......
Posted by: Wren | December 6, 2011 7:13 PM
To people saying it's not a dragon: It's a dragon if enough people say it is. Names are funny like that. That and coming from genus Draco and all. Dragons even in myth aren't all huge either, or has nobody seen a certain Eddie Murphy-voiced miniature Lung in a certain Disney cartoon? Anne McCaffrey's firelizards? Or perhaps the numerous explosive creatures in Pratchett novels.
Perhaps you saying that the mandrake plant isn't a mandrake because it doesn't scream when you pull the roots up?
Wonder what people make of snapdragons?
Posted by: Technicalfool | December 6, 2011 7:51 PM
When you really brake it down dragons are just flying lizards. So can you call a gliding lizard a tiny dragon? I don't see why not.
Posted by: Joey | December 6, 2011 8:32 PM
Someone needs to get Rose her meds...STAT.
Posted by: Paul | December 6, 2011 8:52 PM
We shall call her Errol.
Posted by: One Skunk Todd | December 6, 2011 11:39 PM
Does it fly or what? That is the main question! Oh how i wish dragons were real!
Posted by: Ben Pettitt | December 6, 2011 11:52 PM
A bit small for kidnapping fair maidens. Unless those maidens are butterflies?
Posted by: Kathy Sands | December 7, 2011 2:45 AM
Rose--Well said. I appreciate and share your concerns about an imminent robot apocalypse. Once humans have been wiped out, do you predict some sort of war between dragons and the terminator-type robots over what's left of the earth? If so, which side do you believe will triumph? Might the genetically engineered glowing cats play some small, but in the end, decisive, role?
All the best to you and yours this holiday.
Posted by: Chris | December 7, 2011 3:37 AM
Let's hope it's the friendly kind. Thumba-lena beware!
Posted by: chell694 | December 7, 2011 8:18 AM
This is not a new discovery it is just a Draco Volans lizard... look it up they are quite common. People really will print any old rubbish.
Posted by: Sigh | December 7, 2011 12:08 PM
It's a Draco Volans.... not a new species, not a "relative" of volans... it's just a Draco Volans. What next.. a picture of a kitten with the headline "new miniature lion discovered!" Stop making up stories people, you don't need to the world is already amazing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draco_volans
Posted by: Doh! | December 7, 2011 12:13 PM
Look's like a new breed of Dragon-Fly... hehehe
Posted by: Meriale | December 7, 2011 2:17 PM
to all you smart-asses. the guy knows it's not a fucking mythical dragon. read the whole comment before you open your mouth. rose sounds smarter than you people trying to correct someone's fun picture.
Posted by: duh | December 7, 2011 7:36 PM
look's kinda like a winged lizard to me, not a dragon.
Posted by: carol | December 7, 2011 8:08 PM
FUS RO DAH!!!
Posted by: Jaxon | December 7, 2011 10:27 PM
I think that is soooo coool I love dragons that is my sign. I also love to watch Medeval movies.
Posted by: Leticia De La Cruz | December 7, 2011 11:46 PM
I used to hunt for dragons, then I took an arrow to the knee.
Posted by: Alex | December 8, 2011 12:50 AM
I WANT ONE!!!!
Posted by: Karma Zabetch | December 8, 2011 1:19 AM
I was going to Fus Roh Dah this dragon, but then I took an arrow to the knee...
Posted by: Kroesis | December 8, 2011 1:30 AM
those wings are extensions of the ribcage iirc flying lizards arent new
Posted by: aaron | December 8, 2011 3:37 AM
It's a Firelizard!! Now we just have to get some Eridani trained scientists to genetically alter them....
Posted by: Elanah | December 8, 2011 9:35 AM
1986 DA STFA KULE VİNÇ MONTAJ VE BAKIMCI OLARAK BAŞLADIM VE HALA DEVAM ETMEKTEYİM SIRASIYINAN ÇALIŞTIGIM ŞİRKETLER STFA OTO YOLLARI TURKİYE VE PAKİSTAN..TEKSER. RUSYA ŞANTİYELERİ VE TURKİYE DEKİ ŞANTİYELERİ … BAYTUR İNŞAAT . DA TÜRKİYE VE YUTDIŞI ŞANTİYELERİNDE ÇALIŞTIM İŞ BİTİMİ OLARAK AYRILDIM FİRMALARIN BİRÇOK ŞANTİYELERİNDE KULE VİNÇ FORMENİ VE BAYTURDA KULE VİNÇ MONTAJ DANIŞMANI OLARAK ÇALIŞTIM YAKLAŞIK 25 YILLIK BİR TECRÜBEYE SAHİBİM ATOLYE FORMENLİ GİBİ BUNA BENZER İŞLERDE ÇOK ÇALİŞTIM BU YAZMIŞ OLDUGUM FİRMALARDA BUTUN ÇALIŞTIGIM SUREDE HER ŞANTİYELERİNDE GÖREV ALMIŞIM DIR BEŞ YILDAN BERİ BAYTUR ANA MERKEZ DEPODA DEPOCULUK YAPTIM..BETON SANTIRALI MONTACI .BUNA BENZER YAZMIŞ OLDUGUM FİRMALARDA FORMEN OLARAK GÖREV YAPTIM..
Posted by: turan özbek | December 8, 2011 11:11 AM
@dhhfsdkfjui No one can be shore of anything these days thats to be sure. ^.^
Posted by: L0RDR4G3 | December 8, 2011 12:35 PM
I am dumbfounded at how many people are taking the 'dragon' thing seriously. My god, people. Grow UP for pete's sake.
Posted by: Syberchick | December 8, 2011 1:29 PM
Ahem... Maybe none of you really noticed the 'could be...' section under the photo.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draco_volans
Posted by: Rev. 13 | December 8, 2011 3:12 PM
I used to like dragons, but then I dook an arrow to the knee.
Posted by: Whiterun Guard | December 8, 2011 10:41 PM
Fus Ro DAH!!!
Posted by: Dovahkiin | December 9, 2011 2:17 AM
Finally, Proof!
Posted by: Hunter | December 9, 2011 2:29 AM
Oh you guys are too horrible for words. I have a dragon, actually she's a bearded dragon and she has this dragon's coloring, although she has no wings. Dragons exist, although not like your mythical ones.
Posted by: Lynn | December 9, 2011 3:08 AM
It's just a gecko that drank a Red Bull......
Posted by: Dylan | December 9, 2011 3:32 AM
This little buggers making its way to the top, I saw it on game of thrones ;)
Posted by: tovah | December 9, 2011 5:41 AM
I like cats
Posted by: butts | December 9, 2011 3:18 PM
It seems like there are quite a few people commenting on this picture who have never seen a dragon, nor do they believe dragons exist, that are confident of what a dragon isn't.
Posted by: tim | December 9, 2011 8:33 PM
or it could be this ......http://mudfooted.com/gliding-lizard-dragon/
Posted by: simon | December 10, 2011 4:59 AM
It looks like Anne McCaffery was right all along. It started as fire lizards and then into full size Dragons. She would be so proud. Hey Todd Look at this :) Mom had it right
Posted by: Robert | December 10, 2011 2:59 PM
When I was a kid, I could find this kind of dragon easily in my backyard. But today it's very hard to find it. I live in Indonesia by the way.
Posted by: Youfan | December 10, 2011 5:50 PM
Yes, but can we breed enough of them to go with french fries? :P They could be a delicacy... that only a select few could afford to dip in ketchup! We've cooked, pan fried, sauteed practically everything else on this planet.... the least we could do is find out where this stands on the culinary score board for taste!? :) You do realise I'm just teasing... :P
Posted by: Victor Lowe | December 10, 2011 6:56 PM
I want one also. Close enough to a dragon for me.
Posted by: Nanci | December 11, 2011 1:13 AM
Dinosaur is a term only less than 200 years old. the large reptiles you know as dinos were once referred to as Dragons.
Posted by: VRYUKI | December 11, 2011 4:28 AM
It's a Draco lizard.
Posted by: Mike | December 12, 2011 5:27 AM
OMFG i have always believed that dragons were real and they are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that is so cool !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Tiffany | December 12, 2011 5:55 PM
this is awesome, i hope she has eggs soon!!!
Posted by: vcs | December 15, 2011 3:13 AM
Since when are normal beards Punks ?
Posted by: HoffHoff | December 17, 2011 2:40 AM
Can no one here spell?!
Posted by: Peter | December 17, 2011 4:35 PM
mini saphira...how precious♥
Posted by: karen lyons kalmenson | December 27, 2011 5:39 PM
Lmao really??! It's a Common Gliding Lizard people.Derp
Posted by: Snarf | December 28, 2011 4:54 PM
you need to post it on a scincetest profile!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: suprise | January 15, 2012 2:39 AM
Some of the comments above seem to be made by people who really need to read up more about our planet's fascinating wildlife (and learnt to spell and not use excessive exclamation marks, for what it's worth).
It's likely to be a Beccari's gliding lizard (Draco beccarii), native to the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia.
The original photo can be seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/biophiliacuriosus/4384189694/
And here's more info:
http://news.discovery.com/animals/gliding-lizard-draco.html
Posted by: Hai~Ren | January 16, 2012 2:51 AM
siquro kla nq ibanq tao tuko yan marami kasi saminq tuko ei..
kaso naqulat ako bkt may pakpak...nqaun alam ko na draqon pla
Posted by: yhoungzhep | January 28, 2012 9:09 AM
Pray tell WHY must people automatically discredit anything that falls outside their limited scope of existence? Had scientists listened to all of those types of naysayers, we never would have things like penicillin, automobiles, steam engines, airplanes, skyscrapers, metal ships, and so on. Naysayers used to believe that elephants & gorillas were myths! Not everything is Photoshopped!! Just because some dork with Photoshop can create all sorts of goofy things does not mean everything that's unique & different are Photoshopped. I'm certain many of you morons believe we never went to the Moon too! If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you.
Posted by: Jubi JuJu | February 4, 2012 4:55 PM