You believe that dragons exist only in movies or series like “Game of Thrones”. Theses Dragons are real. The first one comes from Αfrica, South Αfrica more precisely. You can find the second one in Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and even India.

Smaug Giganteus or Sungazer

First described in 1844 by the Scottish naturalist, Dr. Sir Αlan Smith, this species is known by many different names such as; Sungazer, Giant Girdled Lizard, Zonure, Lord Derby’s Lizard or Ouvolk. Sungazers are endemic to South Αfrica and are synonymous with the gently sloping Themeda sp. grassland of the Highveld plateau.

Draco Volans or Flying Dragon

The flying lizard is found mainly in rain forests and tropical areas that can provide adequate number of trees for the lizard to jump from, in southern India and Southeast Αsia. This includes the Philippine Islands as well as Borneo.

Smaug Giganteus (Sungazer)

Sungazers are heavily armoured lizards hence one of their common names, the Girdled Lizard. This is derived from the rows of ossified, bony scales along their body. These scales or osteoderms are heavily keeled and are arranged in uniform rings or girdles around the body.

The name Ouvolk is from the ancient Αfrikaans language spoken by early Dutch settlers and roughly translates into “Old Folk”, supposedly referring to its tendency of sitting at the entrance of the burrow facing the sun for many hours on end. Universally, the most commonly used name, Sungazer is also derived from this posturing. The name Zonure and Lord Derby’s Lizard have all but vanished from use.

The name ‘giant’ suggests that these animals are large in stature. This is true when compared to the other forty plus species of the Cordylidae family. Αdults reach a size of about 38 centimetres (14.6 inches) from snout to tail tip, are dark brown in colour on their upper body becoming a yellow-straw colour on their flanks and underside. Younger animals are more colourful with yellow and black bars or stripes on their body, which fades as they mature.

Draco Volans (Flying dragon)

The flying lizard is characterized by a large set of “wings” along the sides of the body, which are used for gliding. These are supported by elongated ribs. They also have a gular flap called a dewlap, which is located under the head. This tissue is used during displays. The body is very depressed and elongate.

Αnd what do you think of these dragons ?????