﻿ Dragon’s Den: Museum Victoria  Dragon’s Den  21 August, 2011
The reconstructed skull of the dinosaur <i>Dracorex
hogwartsia</i> The reconstructed skull of the dinosaur Dracorex
hogwartsia Image: Kabacchi Source: Wikimedia Commons  Question:
Were there any real dragons?  Answer: In the strictest sense,
dragons are mythological creatures – there are no fire-
breathing, flying reptiles in zoology. However, there are real
animals that have interesting connections with dragons.  The Olm
(Proteus anguinus) is a peculiar amphibian related to
salamanders and axolotls. It is a long, thin, four-legged animal
with a pointed snout, external gills that resemble budding wings
and almost no skin pigment. Olms are also functionally blind, an
adaptation to their life in subterranean caves in southern
Europe.  Slovenian Folklore tells of torrential rain that washed
up the babies of the dragons which lived in the underworld; the
reality is more likely that rains flooded Slovenia's extensive
network of subterranean caves (the