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Eastern Dragon Anatomy
~ Skeletal System
~ Internal Organs
~ Muscular system
~ External features
Skeletal System:
Because the Eastern dragon is not a flying creature, lightness is not an issue. The bones of the skeleton are not hollow as in other dragons. In fitting with the snake-like appearance of the Eastern dragon, the vertebrae, especially of the thoracic and lumbar regions, are plentiful and slightly elongated laterally.
As a whole, the Eastern dragon is similar in appearance to a lizard, with short legs, a long neck and tail, and an enormously long body, which has all the suppleness of a serpent. The ribcage is quite shallow dorso-ventrally (but elongated posteriorly), and the sternum is correspondingly reduced when compared to other dragons. The pelvis and scapula is also small, as is the clavicle. The feet are shaped like those of a lizard, with four or five long digits on each foot. Some species have an opposable toe on the forefoot that can be used as an aid to grasp prey. The remaining digits are roughly the same size on both fore and hindfeet. The claws are hooked and sharp. Unlike other dragons, the Eastern dragon is plantigrade.
Fig. 1: Digitigrade vs plantigrade stance.
Digitigrade means to walk on the phalanges only. The carpals and metacarpals are held off the ground, as indicated in Fig. 1. In the plantigrade stance, of which the Eastern dragon is an example, the whole foot, from carpals to phalanges, is placed on the ground.
In Fig. 1, the metacarpals have been colour coded for added clarity. You can see that the Western dragon holds its foot clear of the ground, with only the toes touching. On the other hand (pun not intended), the Eastern dragon makes contact with the ground over its whole foot.
There is a trend in evolution to evolve from the plantigrade stance to the digitigrade stance, and simultaneously reduce the number of toes (Strickberger, 2000). Dragons of course need their toes for prey capture, and so cannot afford to lose them during evolution like prey animals can. Still, more advanced dragon types, such as the Western, exhibit the digitigrade stance. Most dragons also show a reduction from five to four digits (in the forefoot) or to three digits (in the hindfoot).
In more primitive species, the legs project slightly out from the body, as in the pelycosaurs, an early reptile group that predated the dinosaurs (Dimetrodon is a famous example) (Strickberger, 2000). The conformation of the Eastern dragon suggests an animal not capable of long leaps or great speed; however, the dragon excels in climbing, burrowing and swimming.
The skull is where the Eastern dragon marks a distinction from reptiles. The skull is like that of a predatory mammal, with forward-facing orbits, large strong jaws, and specialised dentition (Strickberger, 2000). The canines are elongated, and the incisor teeth are shortened to function as nipping teeth, used to take small bite-size pieces off a carcass. The molars are relatively huge, yet also rather unspecialised, as in bears. They reflect the Eastern dragon's omnivorous diet. The lower jaw, or mandible, is massive in the Eastern dragon, giving it a powerful bite. It sometimes cracks the bones of its prey. The nasal bones inside the muzzle cover a huge surface area, allowing the Eastern dragon a fantastic sense of smell. The braincase is similarly large. Because weight is not a limiting factor for this dragon, there are often large horns and spikes that project dorsally from the spinal column. These make the Eastern dragon look fiercer than it actually is, and may attract the opposite sex when breeding season commences. These spines are larger in male dragons.
Fig. 2: Skeletal
The dentition of the Eastern dragon, including the elongated canines and massive, flat molars, is an obvious feature. The huge processes that run off the dentary, and the prominent zygomatic arch, anchor the jaw muscles which are very well developed in the Eastern dragon. The dentary itself is also impressive. The large orbits are also an easy-to-see feature, and face forward, enabling the dragon to see in three dimensions.
The posterior of the skull sports a large occipital condyle that joins to the cervical vertebrae. Dorsal to this, the nuchal crest forms an attachment point for the neck muscles, immense in Eastern dragons. The scapula is quite big also, and features a lateral spine that runs the length of the bone, serving as a muscle attachment point. Forelimb bones in the Eastern dragon are much larger in girth than those of Western dragons, and relatively shorter. The humerus in particular is extremely strong. Posterior to the forelimb, the sternum (joining to the ribcage on the ventral side) is small, and lacks the huge keel so prominent on Western dragons. This reflects the fact that Eastern dragons do not possess wings.
Internal Organs:
Like all dragons, the Eastern dragon is endothermic. Consequently, it has to eat a large amount of food, as about 80% of food it eats goes directly into maintaining a constant body temperature. The advanced brain with its large cerebral cortex affords the Eastern dragon much intelligence, and a sizeable part of the brain is also devoted to the senses. Overall, the brain is most similar to that of a mammal.
Because the body is essentially laterally flattened, the lungs (and even the kidneys in some extremely snake-like species) are positioned one behind the other. Unlike other dragons, the Eastern dragon has lungs based on a mammalian system, rather than an avian system. This is not as efficient, but meets the dragon's physical needs. The heart is completely four-chambered as in mammals (Strickberger, 2000), and there is no breath weapon with corresponding organ systems. The digestive tract is long, helping to explain the Eastern dragons exceptionally long abdominal region. The digestive system needs to be extensive to digest the plants the dragon sometimes eats, which are harder to digest than meat (Mader, 2000). Like mammals, urine and faeces are expelled through seperate passages. Female dragons possess an additional passage (vagina) for reproduction purposes, through which passes the egg (Mader, 2000). Male dragons, like reptiles, have a hemipenis, and the testes are not externally visible. More primitive species differ from this arrangement. They have only one excretory passage, through which copulation also takes place. This is called a cloaca; modern-day reptiles and birds have this arrangement (Dorling Kindersley Ltd, 1994). The egg is also laid through this passage. [Top]
Muscular System:
The most obvious muscle feature of the Eastern dragon would have to be its wonderfully muscular and flexible back, which allows it to twist in all directions. The neck and tail share this ability. When in motion, the back flexes from side to side, like in monitor lizards (reptile genus Varanus) of today (Frauca, 1982). When the dragon moves its left foreleg forward, the right hindleg moves in unison, and vice versa. The legs are short, but very muscular, having to hold the dragons expansive torso above the ground. The rump and shoulder muscles are not really remarkable, rather, the legs themselves are quite robust and squat, acting like pillars. The jaw is extremely well-muscled to allow the Eastern dragon to crack bone if it wishes. Eastern dragons, like humans, have a jaw that can be moved on all three planes1*. This is much easier if you want to chew your food rather than swallow it in chunks like a Western dragon. It can bring its incisors together to form a sharp edge to take neat bites from plants. Because the Eastern dragon has an omnivorous diet, this jaw structure is suitable.
External Features:
The Eastern dragon can range in size from diminutive to massive. The head is usually flamboyantly decorated with horns, spines, fins and fur. The head is topped off with large ears that are similar to the ears of a cow. The eyes face forward, as said before, and are large and bright. The muzzle often trails a pair of drooping whiskers, one on each side on the nose.
Smaller species do not have scales, instead being covered with leathery skin, and in many cases are brighly coloured. They can switch their bright markings off, so to speak, by the use of cells on their skin called chromatophores. These cells have an "iris" filled with pigment, and can open and close this iris to display or hide the colour. This is similar to the iris of our eyes, which opens and closes in response to light levels. It is necessary to turn off the colour when hunting other animals with colour vision, such as birds and reptiles, or when hiding from danger. The genetics of dragon hide colour is explained in detail in the Western Dragon Anatomy page. Larger, duller species are covered in large oval-shaped keratinous scales that overlap each other. The scales are quite thin though, and therefore flexible enough not to interfere with the dragon's movements2*.
Extra decoration for the Eastern dragon comes in the form of a large fluffy mane, more developed in males. This is present in most species, and acts as a display; to intimidate other dragons and provide protection in fights. The tail is similarly tufted with fur, and the Eastern dragon uses it as a banner for communication.
1* In Western dragons and predators like cats, the lower jaw can only move up and down, or sideways independently to the rest of the skull. In humans, the jaw can move up and down, sideways, and also back to front (ie. we can bring our lower teeth in front of our upper teeth if we wish).
2* Large, scaled dragons have less colour options at their disposal than their smaller, hide-covered cousins; these dragons would be unable to change the colour of their scales at will (chromatophores [colour-changing iris-like pigment cells] are obviously unable to exist on dead tissue such as scales). Therefore larger Eastern dragons would, on the whole, be a less physically vibrant group than small Eastern dragons.
Post je objavljen 07.02.2006. u 02:08 sati.