The Best Dragon (According to Science)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ต.ค. 2024
- Check out Extra Credits' video: The Origin of Dragons • Dragons - The Origin o...
We ranked dragons based on how biologically and evolutionarily plausible they are.
Thanks also to our Patreon patrons / minuteearth and our TH-cam members.
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To learn more, start your googling with these keywords:
Tetrapods: four-limbed (with a few exceptions, such as snakes which have vestigial limbs) animals constituting the superclass Tetrapoda.
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If you liked this week’s video, you might also like:
What Happened to Smaug's Other Legs? 'Hobbit' FX Expert Explains www.mtv.com/new...
How to fly your dragon, Journal of Physics Special topics journals.le.ac...
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Credits (and Twitter handles):
Script Writer, Editor and Video Narrator: Julián Gustavo Gómez (@thejuliangomez)
Video Illustrators: Ever Salazar (@eversalazar) and Arcadi Garcia (@garirius)
Video Director: Ever Salazar (@eversalazar)
With Contributions From: Henry Reich, Alex Reich, Kate Yoshida, Peter Reich, David Goldenberg, Julián Gómez, Sarah Berman, Arcadi Garcia Rius
Music by: Nathaniel Schroeder: / drschroeder
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References:
Tennekes, H. (2009). The simple science of flight: from insects to jumbo jets. MIT press.
Azuma, A., Azuma, S., Watanabe, I., & Furuta, T. (1985). Flight mechanics of a dragonfly. Journal of experimental biology, 116(1), 79-107.
Habib, M. (2013). Constraining the air giants: limits on size in flying animals as an example of constraint-based biomechanical theories of form. Biological Theory, 8(3), 245-252. - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
We had a blast working with our friends at ExtraCredits! Go learn about the origin of dragons in their video, it's quite the fantastic *tail* : th-cam.com/video/rL8qSfXIo4M/w-d-xo.html
good vid
*hiccup*
Just flew my Wyvern over here to get some realistic physics intake on the probability of Dragons existing for reals :D
Thanks for pointing me the way, ExtraMythology/ExtraCredits :D
You may actually want to have a looksee at the dragons in the old Discovery Channel special Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real.
They used special 'flight bladders' that filled with hydrogen from fermenting meals in order to effectively reduce the mass their wings had to contend with, and could exhale the gas through their mouth - igniting it by a flint-and-steel like spark from minerals built up on their rear teeth
Except once you move down to 2 legs and wings they arent dragons. They're wyverns. So none won because you eliminated all the dragons.
Harry: "Look Hagrid, im a dragon!"
Hagrid: "No. You got no wings. You're a lizard, Harry."
Gah!
Shut up and take my like!
You’re a hizard warry
@@akshaysalekar7249 that was quite the ride
This should have more likes
In defense of the enderdragon: it evolved in an entirely separate dimension
THİS MAN İS A GENİOUS
PRGME7 HELL YAEH BROTHER
That is true, so I think that would be a good defense
Very True, also said dimension is made up of what is esentially thousands of giant rocks instead of a planet so în there gravity would be far lower, so the wingspan problem is also gone as long as we don't want it actually în The real world, as it's likely specifically due to what makes it able to fly în The end that it'd die în The real world, that being the far smaller gravity, which means it most likely would be too weak to hold it's own weight up and would be crushed by gravity irl
New Romanian Mapper /NRM
Yep, makes the most sense honestly.
came for dragon stuff, left desperately, DESPERATELY, wishing that ultra-fast flying penguins were real
"Penguin Air 572-Tango, climb to flight level 2-7-0, heading 0-9-0, speed your discretion"
@@hkr667 AA penguin launcher
"We have lost visual on penguin!"
You'll never catch me now, Batman!
@@graveyardshift2100 thats a good one
Fun fact about the 6 legged dragon. There is a lizard that glides big distances through the air with skin flaps that resemble very primitive wings. These wings are however entirely separate from any of its prior existing limbs. Pretty crazy.
species?
is it the draco lizard or flying gecko
Exactly. The wings are actually modified ribs
@@mancubwwa What if dinosaurs were dragon and we misunderstood their fossils as dinosaur.
It is mentioned in Bible as well as in Chinese mythology about dragons but no where on earth dinosaur are recorded, now don't tell me dinosaur were 65 million years old, carbon dating method is already proved to give flawed results, it even sometimes give results like a thing would which is in front of us but will exist 1500 years from now. Radio carbon dating cannot show anything prior to 12000 years, as many catastrophe on Earth has happened which has changed the carbon sequence of nearly all fossil.
By the way most of the dinosaur in your museum are just plastic and made up of cement, they are not real bones. Just think for moment how can someone imagine such a complex life form like dragons if it doesn't exist, how can something can come into tales, fables and stories. Most of our science is fabricated and mostly fake. geology is not what we are taught in school.
I was thinking about this as well when they said that. I saw it in a video about pre-bird flyers and something akin to an ancestor or simply a parallel evolution showed up.
Obviously the Enderdragon is the most realistic, just look at those cubes.
Mudfossil university youtube now!
Well you forgot to mention the dragon, that old serpent from the Bible, Genesis 3: 14, Revelation 12: 9 and Revelation 20: 2. There's a reason GOD said he will crawl on his belly for all the days of his life.
@@in8187..
@@in8187there's a reason bible not taken scientificly accurate😊
@pierre-samuelroux9364 only to close-minded individuals. There are many Christians who have their degrees from top institutions.
Let me ask you a question: Do you believe everything you hear, or do you go and see what they say is true? Meaning dig deep for the truth.
I feel like calling Charizard a dragon is just rubbing salt in the wound
Mega X is tho
Swampertstill though
They should've put alolan exeggutor in there as well
DBIYBIMWBIU it was
@@zeppie_ May I know what your profile pic is from?
Humans: "Flying things need a keel to support their *HOOGE* muscles."
Bats and Pterosaurs: "OH OKAY."
Yeah, I found it hard to take this video serious when they immediately discounted a pokemon that is literally a giant bat because it somehow couldn't fly...
1) Pterosaurs most likely had pretty big muscles in comparison to their weight.
2) Bats still have some pretty large muscles compared to their body size.
And he was speaking specifically about dragons, and by extension reptiles, anyway.
@@VelociraptorsOfSkyrim fun fact: "reptiles" arent really a thing. there's Lepidosauria (represented mainly by lizards, geckos and snakes), archosauria (the group represented mainly by crocs, pterodactyls, dinos and today's birds) and testudines (turtles)
their relation isn't really that close and they aren't monophyletic so the group reptiles doesn't really exist
same goes with fishes
@@Kimikashimoo fun fact: nobody cares
@@Kimikashimoo I knew about the reptiles, but never heard of the fish fact. I'll read up on it.
The Reign of Fire dragons had two-part bombardier style fire breath, four limbs, a keel, and massive wings. Really should have been on the list.
The ROF dragons are outrageously underrated.
True! The beast from "Dragonslayer" (1981) is a great example too.
I'm your 100th liker here & bye.
so should the Wyverns of ark
My favourite dragons, cuz they were also like a plague of rats. Really deadly, annoying ones
"dragons aren't real"
*Sad Komodo dragon noises*
Bearded dragon is actually called bearded dragon everywhere, in some places in Indonesia the Komodo dragon is just called Komodo, so rip bearded dragons everywhere
@@atriox7221 Komodo is a place name- as in the name of the island. I doubt people call Komodo dragon as just komodo.
The tiny genus called "draco" is probably closer to real dragons.
@@AceofHearth I am aware the island is called Komodo, but I have heard that people in that region call the Komodo dragons by Komodo and don't use the dragon part of the name, this may be wrong, could also be a small population altering the word kind of like slang. if the locals don't use the dragon part i just think a different lizards name could've been the joke, like bearded dragons.
@@atriox7221 i'm from Indonesia. And confirm that you're right. We just call them Komodo without dragon. It's sound very weird when we add "Dragon" 😂.
p. s. Dragon in Indonesian is "Naga".
MinuteEarth: No dragon is scientifically possible
King Ghidorah: Laughs in ET
Laughs in bidididi*
all eye santa he hanya
BIDIBIDIBIDIBIDIBIDIBIDI
*LAUGHS WITH ALPHA CALL,GRAVITY BEAMS,ON VOLCANO.*
Dragons could technically evolve on another planet if they followed similar evolution but the first to evolve on land had 6 limbs.
Awe man, the Komodo is going to be so disappointed.
Komodo is the OG dragon
And the bearded one.
*K O M O D O T I ME!*
Just a lizard... Just a lizard... Just... lizard...
A 10 foot long venomous lizard if i must add.
For science, dragons would have an enzyme that would breakdown water in to hydrogen and oxygen in their gut. Their stomach or a separate bladder would contain the hydrogen. Hydrogen being lighter than air and highly flammable would help them fly with smaller wings and breathe fire, but the more they used the hydrogen for fire, the harder it would be for them to sustain flight until the could recoup their hydrogen supply.
Their cells should be full of water like all living things on Earth. That means the enzyme will constantly turn its body into gas. Bad design. Will never happen. 0/10. You suck. Dragons suck. This video sucks. Apple products suck. TH-cam ads sucks. Your momma...is a good person. I suck. Black holes suck.
Think you forgot about the part where nothing can 1. Sustain that much heat
2. You need to light a fire to keep a fire, hydrogen doesn’t explode on its own. 3. Pretty sure no enzyme can break down water anyway. Science is cruel
This. This. This. This is how dragons would work. It’s also why my drawings tend to keep this in mind.
@@smc278 Splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen takes energy. And whatever heat you'd put in to split them, is the amount of heat given off when burning hydrogen (which disperses into the surroundings more than it concentrates on the target). Inefficient.
The chimera from Wrath of the Titans works best. A flammable oil that is set alight by a spark. So in the case of a classical dragon, it would spray a forceful mist of evolved venom, that is lit by clacking its ferrous tongue, as if striking a flint.
Now we know how Daenerys got north of the wall so fast. Drogon was flying at 470km/h.
Almost 1km per second?
@@arocomisgamusclademork1603 That would be 3600km/h
four legged dragons are just Lizards with wings
Wyverns are just Dragons With no front legs
YES
The mythological origin of dragons are serpents, not lizards
Fire Wolf Girl FWG Yup👍
Yes
since im welsh it made me sad that the red dragon aka the welsh dragon can never be real :(
I cant believe you guys would remind me of Kiwi
My heart is broken once more
Rea Flor All around me are familiar faces...
KIWI
I actually noticed that, I'm sad too
@@Magmafrost13 TH-cam Kiwi! and you can cry with us too.
@Magmafrost13 Kiwi is a cute and sad short film about the flight of a flightless bird.
I would say that the dragons in Reign of Fire are pretty realistic, which have some massive wings.
YES!!
Reign of Fire dragons are fucking massive.
Hearing that Drogon doesn’t have big enough wings, has me shook
Ikr and I thought that his wings were too big
I too am skeptical about the conclusion of the video. The dragons look like pencils compared to their wings, in Game of Thrones. Plus, the Hungarian Horntail's wings are not really that big compared to its body. I feel like a reasonable factor for flight they could use would be mass as some of them might be too heavy to even take off.
Take a bat, mutiply all it's dimensions by 2 (twice as long, twice as large...) and well... it won't fly... without going into complicated explanations, a good way to think of it is like when you double all dimensions of a cube its volume is actually 8 times bigger, meaning you would need to multiply the strenth needed to lift it up by 8. Another thing to take into consideration is that bat for example flap their wings really fast compared to what dragons usually do in movies, and dragons usually have a really heavy body (not covered in feathers like birds for example). So yes dragons being huge need to have gigantic wings to even have a small chance to fly for a short distance.
@@TheMisternono94 Yea that makes sense but his wings are SOO big, even bigger would make him even more intimidating
@@roset9835 its not big enough
In defence of Charazard, he’s a fire and flying type not dragon type.
The only time this has been used to defend Charizard
And the only dragon part of charizard is his claws.
Jared Cristi and now we find he couldn’t even fly if he tried. Sad.
Charizard X is a dragon type/flying
Yeah aint mega charizard x dragon type, and dont give me "but only in his mega form" bullshit, it is still charizard
This felt rushed. I would have liked to seen a more detailed analysis.
"MinuteEarth"
@@culwin um, no, we take our dragons very seriously around here
Yeah, dismissing all dragons with 6 limbs felt like a cop out. Longer to evolve ≠ physically impossible
About mythical creatures compared to logic? Keep dreaming hun
@@Xrelent #NotAll6LimbDragons
You have to consider forward thrust though, too. I just watched the bit of the Harry Potter movies with the Hungarian Horntail and it actually pushes air forwards, rather than backwards, when it flies, so it would move backwards.
If that is true I won't be able to unsee it or forgive you.
What? No Rathalos/Rathian?
-4 limbs
-A believable non-fire attack
-A keel
-A massive wingspan.
That pretty well checks off all the boxes.
Looks pretty plausible
Yeah... I'm confused... Because Hungarian Horntail dragon exactly similar to Rathalos and Rathian but yet not mentioned 😅
All true, but that doesn't answer the real question: WHERE'S MY DRAGONATOR?
And on top of that, they do not just use their volatile fire breath (not a proper flamethrower like a Teostra, but a fireball that requires a special organ that holds hypergolic fluid that ignites in air contact), but Rathalos has venomous talons and the Rathian has venomous tail and body spikes.
Capcom also takes real life biology into account when making monsters for monster hunter, so they did their research too
Minute Earth: Charizard is a dragon
Pokémon Fans:
Wait,that’s illegal
I agree
*throws in a Charizardite X*
i read this joke so manytimes on almost every youtube video
Galar officials: No, it actually is
@@wookeattan39
Gen VI called,
They want their Mega Stone back.
In my defense of the dōv, in the elder scrolls lore it is said that it is impossible for the dragons to fly, so they use magic to fly
I'd say being a magical creature is a defining aspect of dragons almost as much as flying and fire breath, so this could apply to all the other examples.
@@ishashka I'd say whereas a lot of dragons are depicted as magical, it's a little hazier than calling it a defining aspect of the creature itself. On one hand, dragons like Elliot can use magic, but others like Charizard or Toothless cannot perform and aren't really associated with magic at all. I think Solare's defense is justified, since the Elder Scrolls' dragons don't just use magic to fly, they have an entire magic system built around them and also use it to resurrect, slow time, call storms and meteor showers, etc.
Gravity is definitely not the same on Nirn as it is on Earth. Gravity affects objects way too slowly. We'd have to study the effects of gravity and the square cube law on Nirn
Is that mentioned in Skyrim or the Online? I think i've never heard or read that.
@@ishashka In lord of the rings there are 3 kinds of dragons. One can't fly but breathes fire, the second can fly but cannot breathe fire and the last one (which smaug is part of) can fly and breathe fire. So I think it's pretty much up to the author to define what dragons are...
Minuteearth: all bony creatures have 4 limbs
Snakes: Ima joke to u?
They lost their limb to evolution
@@gokulbalagopal1680 that means Dragons could also evolve to get 2 extra limbs
@@randomperson-fz7jz Maybe but evolution takes millions of years, and unless there is a really good advantage of having that it, it is not going to happen
@@randomperson-fz7jz It’s much easier to get rid of something than to gain something. To lose something, you just need to have it get progressively smaller over the generations. To gain something, you need to start from scratch, which very, very rarely happens
@@gokulbalagopal1680 dude just blame evolution not me
Charizard: looks like a dragon, breathes fire like a dragon, has wings like a dragon, tail like a dragon, horns like a dragon, but it's not a dragon.
Simply it's not actual Dragon DNA.
Mate, they all look like dragons..
@@Sle3plessNights Yeah, but Charizard, without mega evolving, is not actually dragon type in Pokemon it's fire/flying type
People have referenced this and joked about it for 20 years. Please stop, it is not funny or new information.
Two words: Batesian Mimicry
4 limbed dragons.. if only we a had term for those...
OH YEAH WYVERNS.
Wyverns are more like birds while dragons are more like reptiles. Also some four limbed dragons use their wings as front legs, so you can’t really call those wyverns.
Aren't dragons with two wings and two hind legs called Wyrms?
No, dragons without legs and maybe no wings(maybe they can idk) are called wyrms since they're..Well worm-like. Probably not the actual reason but that's how I see it
True.
4?
ODD EYES PENDULUM DRAGON
DARK REBELLION XYZ DRAGON
CLEAR WING SYCHRO DRAGON
STARVING VENOM FUSION DRAGON
XD
Not all dragons use fire though! There are dragons that use other weapons, such as
Poison
Komodo dragon!
Magical death spit
Or hot plasma, maybe, lasers too
They can spit acid too
or crystals that curse you
I like Terry Pratchett's dragons. They were created by someone's imagination in the presence of magic. The better the person's imagination, the more realistic and elaborate was the dragon created. Twoflower was such a pure soul, he conjured up a fantastic dragon 🐉 !
This man must have had reptiles before
In which book did this happen?
@@wildcraftsw6284 the eighth color i think
@@wildcraftsw6284 That was in "The Colour of Magic."
I actually read that book recently! It was hilarious!
Your ignoring their is a prehistoric genus of fish that has 6 limbs
yes but did it survive to evolve into other species is the question.
Wow I knew about the beetle but 6 limbed fish! What are they called?
but reptiles didn't evolve from them :p
Tadhg McGrath what was that called?
@@AnimeShinigami13 But we're talking about hypothetical evolution (of dragons)! Thus we can posit a hypothetical evolution from a 6-limbed fish.
Minute Earth: Dragons don't exist
Komodo Dragons: Exist
Yi and Ambopteryx: Exist
Dodge Williams Bearded dragons: Am I joke to you
@@jurassician3725 you just made my day, i knew yi existed but not ambopteryx
Dragon fruit: am i a joke to you?
@@NueUzrnem they're not reptiles. they're fruit
MinuteEarth: All bony creatures have four limbs.
Mutations: *_Laughs in evolution_*
Dragons could technically evolve on another planet if they followed similar evolution but the first to evolve on land had 6 limbs.
@@vincenttrigg4521 I was talking about how cats and dogs (including us) can be born with more than one leg. In most cases it is natural chamarism, but in others it's a mutation of a gene due to bad breeding.
Toothless is the best.
@@fantasyhaven3900 Definitely.
I get the “keelesness”, and the wing length are realistic boundaries of science.
But when did we let thoughts be bounded by “evolution theory”?
I never read the books, but as an avid fan of the How To Train Your Dragon films and shows, I feel like I should argue a few things. They actually go into detail in the special features of the second movie about how each dragon produces fire. (And in the show, Toothless' attacks are called "plasma blasts." They're more like cannon shot, damage-wise, than flames.) Hookfang has a massive wingspan and only four limbs by your qualifications. The sizes aren't necessarily easy to tell in the way they depict them visually, but all of the main dragons do have seemingly appropriately large wingspans for their bodies, or at least far larger than most would assume. Stormfly (the deadly nadder) is definitely far more birdlike than any of the others, with the most visually obvious keel, and again, only four limbs.
I also want to add that, despite the toothless being 6-limbed (which imo honestly isn't that crazy, as they very well might've come from a different ancestor seeing as the entire world is completely different) is the one I actually imagine being the closest to actually being able to fly, not only due to its relatively large wingspan. But moreover since it has been shown that these dragons actually do go at some very high speeds, justifying a smaller wingspan.
Yeah. Stormfly and other Deadly Nadders or Barkthorn Nadders don't have wings in relation to their weight. However, considering the speed of a Barkthorn Nadder, they get a pass
But Hookfang weighs 2200 pounds, 10 times the weight of the Quetzalcoatlus. He only has a 15 meter wingspan. But his ridiculous speeds could qualify. Give old Hooky some justice here, people!
I personally think a timberjack could fly. Weighing 900 lbs and having a wingspan of around 90 ft it seems reasonable.
The elephant or "dragon" in the room is that some of the dragons mentioned don't come from earth and therefore don't have to comply with most of those rules. Just figuring a planet with 1/2 or 1/4 of earth's gravity changes the game completely when it comes to flight.
Ye
or if the air in which the atmosphere of the planet is made of could factor in like if it was a mostly helium atmosphere it would make flight very difficult
i also wonder that if the dragons with more realistic proportions were scaled down in size and weight they would be more viable for flight. like say, Horntail from HP, Smaug from Hobbit, Rathalos from Monster Hunter, etc, but like the size of a mid-size dog instead.
The most egregious example being the four limbs. Say that ddagons evolved from some other 6 limb bony creature ok that suddenly put a lot contenders for the rest of it but after that it mostly physics.
@@xandertheupriser8600 Make them insects.
Minute Earth, you’re forgetting one important factor: buoyancy. If dragons can breathe fire, they have to naturally produce a flammable gas in their stomachs. Let’s assume that gas is hydrogen because there do exist bacteria that produce hydrogen as a metabolic byproduct. That hydrogen would be lighter than air so the buoyant force produced by it could be enough to offset the velocity requirements for flight.
Saminul Haque yeah, disregarding the biggest factor of a dragon simply because there isn’t a real life example of it kindof defeats the purpose of looking into the plausibility of a fictional creatures existence. Obviously it hasn’t happened in nature, otherwise we’d be calling that creature a dragon, the whole point of the exercise is to figure out how that would work if it WAS real, and ruling out any example that’s absolutely impossible.
I'm... Amazed so many people are missing something so painfully obvious. RUMINANTS. Ask any biochemist with a brain for fantasy and they'll tell you that if dragons were real they'd absolutely have to be ruminants. Now I'll leave you to figure out why that is so.
@@deaansugee But dragons aren't herbivores... technically...
@@olymolly3637 An astute observation but we're going to have to make some compromises here... No other way around it. Omnivorous, at least.
This video got me to look up the old mockumentry. About if dragons were real.
Think it’s called....
The Last Dragon: A fanasty made real
It’s surprisingly on TH-cam for free, although the subtitles are about 5 seconds slow
The best dragon of all is Alolan Exeggutor.
@Matheus Fernandes exeggutor in Alola is grass and dragon type
@Matheus Fernandes that is why he described it to you
Ancalagon the Dark...
Wahahahhahhaha so funny
And some might dont get it
If anyone is/was wondering what it looked like, just imagine a palm tree but instead of coconuts, it's eggs with derpy faces.
0:18 I know it’s been a long time since this video was posted but when it comes to the believability of dragons breathing fire, I always suspected that it was originally a metaphor for how some reptiles, like cobras, spit venom.
"a 4 legged dragon is just an iguana"
**sad drake noises**
Sad Glaurung noices 😜
Ikr
Sad Komodo Dragon noises
Sad any kind of dragon noises.
two legs + two wings = wyvern
four legs + two wings =. actual dragon
four legs + four wings = Ihavenohekin'idea
@@Attaxalotl dravern or the wygon
I feel like the dragons from "Reign of Fire" have been sorely overlooked here
they have four limbs, a keel, a larger wingspan to body ratio than the Hungarian horntail, and even an explanation for their fire breathing
Great movie!
I second this
The Reign of Fire dragons might have been inspired by the dragons from the 1982 animated film "The Flight of Dragons" (which in turn was based on a 1979 book of the same name). In that movie, the dragons actually have fairly small wings, but the real reason behind how they can fly despite their massive size is because the dragons actually generate a lot of internal hydrogen gas (obtained from their diet), which gives them buoyancy like a blimp or dirigible. Their wings are mostly used for steering and propulsion, not to generate lift. That same hydrogen gas is what gives them their fiery breath; the gas is breathed out and ignited via an organ in the roof of their mouths that generates an electrical charge. The downside? Using up that hydrogen gas to breathe fire also robs the dragons of their lift until their bodies can generate more, so the dragons in that movie tend to use their flame breath sparingly unless truly needed (which explains why dragons didn't just roam around the countryside burning everything down willy-nilly.)
@@Zaxares How did they come to exist? I remember in the movie that they were discovered while digging a mine or something. What is their origin story, or discovery to be more accurate.
@@RagingBlast2Fan The Reign of Fire dragons were buried (hibernating? I forget) in a mine shaft, yeah. The Flight of Dragons dragons took a different path; it says that once, magic truly existed in the world, and magical beasts like dragons and fairies and werewolves were all real. But then over time, humans started to "disbelieve", putting their faith in science and logic and reason. If there was no "reason" why something could exist, it would fade out of existence/die out. As more and more people started to turn away from the irrationality of magic and towards the logic of science, eventually the last magicians of the world banded together and created an alternate reality for all of the magical creatures to exist in, withdrawing there, and that is why we never see any magic, miracles, or strange beasts in our world anymore. Only in dreams do the two worlds occasionally touch.
The _pause_ after that pun. That was a solid 3 seconds of silence for it to sink in, even giving you time to roll your eyes.
That was an _incredibly_ bold move and I love that you did that. Nice job.
Lol yeah they give us 3 seconds to question our lives
It makes me so happy to see the Horntail win! What an amazing depiction of a dragon. The FX team nailed it.
Weird how a dragon from a series not known for its accuracy and realism won, over something like Drogon.
same thing with the skyrim dragon, i knew it felt very realistic
Minute-Earth: Calls Charizard a dragon
Every Pokémon fan: *IS THIS A JOKE TO YOU*
Lol
Charizard X
Wait nvm they showed regular charizard
I mean... it can learn Dragon Rage, Dragon Claw, etc. can't it? It's basically a bitch-ass dragon that gets it's ice vulnerability the hard way.
Except the dragon type isn't really what makes something dragon or not. There are plenty of Dragon type pokemon that aren't really dragons, the most obvious example being Alolan Exegutor. Charazard is a winged, flying, fire breathing, horned, lizard monster; that is a dragon in everything but the typing; which is more or less likely a relic from Gen 1, where they were much pickier about handing out the dragon type.
Him: *includes Charizard as dragon*
Pokemon: he is not a dragon type, just a fire type badass
Fire and Flying
So true though 🤣
Doesnt have to be a dragon-type to still be considered a dragon. Lance, the dragon master champion himself says so in that new Pokemon mobile game.
@@unhodin Finally someone said it
A man of culture, I see !!!
Yet altaria is a dragon
I once watched a science show where they said that the dragons could produce concentrated Hydrochloric Acid in their stomach. Since they were always portrayed looting metallic treasures and eating armoured knights, there is a possibility that they could digest metal and produce Hydrogen gas. Hydrogen in the body could be the reason they could be lifted in air and they could breathe fire.
Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real?
That's a common misconception, dragons actually eat gold and treasure which is why they're always sitting in a big pile of it.
@@sflux4593 don’t*.
@@Dan713 don't what?
@@sflux4593 Eat gold.
thank you so much i randomly got completely obsessed with dragons so now i need more dragon content to help feed it and this did wonders
Dragonite: Fat Dragon
Charizard: Technically not a Dragon
Gyarados: Technically not a Dragon
Judgement for Design only?
By design, they are all Dragons. 1 is Dragon-Type but that doesn't mean the others aren't dragons.
@@aaronolson6736 it's a joke.
And I said technically besides
@@aaronolson6736 Correct. Many Dragon type Pokémon aren't classified as Dragon species. Just much magical type of Pokémon.
@@TortoiseBlaster what joke? Many people spam comment Charizard isn't Dragon type Pokemon.
*the flightless dragons in the crowd are VERY offended.*
Don't forget ones that don't have a breathe weapon.
Yeah! Where are my wyrms at?
You think they're offended? The water dragons weren't even mentioned! The Leviathan is furious!
And the lindworms
@@azazelreeds Oh wow, you're right! Poor dragons
Toothless wins. He's like a horse, a kitten and a dog all wrapped into one.
whilst looking like an Axolotl
Damn science, he wins no matter what!
Except neither horses, kittens, nor dogs can fly or breath fire.
kirara2516 Book version is superior lol
@@gordonfreeman7320 but.... you cant ride the book version. He's cat-sized, right? I'll stick with the movie version, thanks
I was so glad to hear about the wings, so many depictions of dragons I see have wings that are too small and often don't have enough surface area to make sense
Title: the best dragon
Thumbnail: the most realistic dragon
Me: *CONFUSED SCREAMING*
Video: Most realistic
What the title means is "the best representation"
@@thehiddenninja3428
Of what a dragon would realisticlly be like and not even what it theoretically could be. (non 4 limbed but still large enough wing size. Don't know why they made that the first hurdle)
@@curseofgladstone4981 Because these dragons exist on earth. And all vertebrates on land have 4 limbs. And dragons are vertebrates.
The question is which dragon is most likely to have possibly evolved on earth.
And I think the answer is mega-salamance: 4 limbs, 1 giant wing that is not a limb, so doesn't need a keel, that can be used for gliding, and lizards that glide in air are literally real. Salamance is literally a dragon that's literally just a big version of an animal that already exists.
Plottwist: Dragons have 6 limbs because they are insects.
If you are counting wings as limbs, insects have 10.
that would be the biggest plot twist I ever heard
Dragons have 7.
Arms/front legs
Wings
Back legs
Tail
@@Oddity2994 Tail is not a limb. Most mammals have tails
@@Jorji_FCS in art it acts like a limb
We all clicked on this to say “charizard isn’t a dragon” didn’t we
Nope. It is a dragon. It isn't dragon type. But it is a dragon
YdnasLounge *screams in mega x*
I really did lol
yes
There is a lady in fire red that teaches special moves that says that charizard is a dragon i think it was fireblast but i dont remember
You left out the most realistic dragon, Fatalis from the monster hunter franchise.
Oh, I have yet to fight him in Iceborne. I hear he's a big boi. SwagAxe gonna go brrrrrrrrrrr :P
I have a feeling there might be some better candidates to represent Monster Hunter, but I think that’s just me.
This guy: "Dragons dont exist"
Gliding Lizard: "hold my flaps"
Ya man i was just thinking of it. It is the nearest and real version of dragon.
Hi again kevin
I saw you in another reply
@@Purr999 😀hi
Oh great. Another very original "Hold My Beer" comment.
I love how the best dragon is technically a wyvern.
Lacking battle.
its not the best dragon is a wyvern for it to even have a chance of being the best dragon it has to be a wyvern the moment he said it cant have 6 limbs there is no longer a most realistic dragon.
@@Renagale what about Eragon? That show is live action movie.
Second, is that why live action Filmmakers don't want 6 limbs dragon in the show instead 3d animation and 2d animation?
@Melkhiordarkblade expect lack.
@Melkhiordarkblade Ok, BOOMER
"Don't want it to drag on" me not paying attention glares at my phone
I totally understand that none of the dragon’s wings are big enough. However, they could’ve served a different purpose in life. Wings, although primary built for flight, don’t need to be just for flight. Penguins use theirs for swimming, some animals use them for display and communication. The possibilities are endless.
The closest thing to a dragon is shooting boiling water to burn its prey
*Laughs in scauldron*
😂😂😂
Through its butt
"We _could_ just remove the wings, but without a magical flight ability, they'd just be regular Lizards..."
*Cries in Drake*
you always manage to cheer me up! thanks for the great video!
Komodo Dragon:
Am I a joke to you?
or Bruce Lee
Yest you are
Yes, because here in indonesia we just call them "komodo" instead of "komodo dragon"
Bearded Dragon: *crying in corner*
Stealth rocks:
Charizard (Is Fire and Flying): _Why do I hear boss music?_
Actual Dragon types without the Flying typing: *Tis just a flesh wound*
a fire dragon type would still take super effective damage
Seriously? You’re here too?
Just a Snowflake we should be used to it at this point, shouldn’t we?
Sarah Stevens Sigh yep. I thought I was everywhere already but this dude is just on another level
Why are you here too
"Which of these famous fantasy dragons has the best shot to be more than just a fantasy."
Ah yes, Ender Dragon.
Well Minecraft isn't technically real, so it counts.
Ah yes, a dragon that breathes magical fire (according to the death message of the Ender Dragon's breath) and lives in another dimension is the best candidate for a realistic dragon
@@eclecticsoffy Sure... and another small detail, she's pixelated.
@@eminkilicaslan8945 I decided not to include that detail because if Ender Dragons are real, they'd probably not be pixelated
@@eclecticsoffy if somehow the first fish divided into two, one is a tetrapod and the other is a hexapod, if four legged, two winged dragons existed, are their bodies just as mechanically possible (like would it make sense?) as wyverns? And are the reasons for a six limbed dragon not being able to fly the same as for a wyvern if they are the same size?
1:00 it’s possible the “wings” were a version of the fins. Wings and fins share surprisingly similar uses.
why didn’t you look at monster hunter wyverns? They’re literally designed to be realistic
Because dauntless Is a better game ;)
@@Brendanvideos no
I was wondering why they didnt look at monster hunter
Glad someone addressed this
@@Brendanvideos Said no one ever.
Aren't the 2 legged 'dragons' actually called wyvern?
Yes, they are (usually) considered a different species, just like wingless dragons are called lizzards.
sea serpents -> wyrms -> flightless noodle dragons c:
laurens Wyverns are a type of dragon.
@@loc4725 flightless dragons are called drakes.
Wyverns don't breathe fire
-"The Best Dragon(According to SCIENCE)"
-Not a single Flying Wyvern or even a flying Bird Wyvern from Monster Hunter but rather TWO pokemons
*Cries in Khezu*
Edit:Holy shit,thanks for the likes guys!!!
Kushala Daora and Valstrax will always be the best dragons to me.
Why not anything from Monster Hunter? From what I've heard the devs do quite a bit of research into to scientific possibilities of their monsters.
@@saphiriathebluedragonknight375 Too much fanboyism on their favorite "Dragon"
@@saphiriathebluedragonknight375 Rather than just mere fanboyism(which would probably be another lesser factor) the only monsters that could be considered for this video would be from those two categories because they are the only wyvern classes that fly(in Monster Hunter wyvern stands for lizard so you could say these two classes of monsters are the only true "dragons"[since this video treats dragons and wyverns the same]),you could also take the Elder Dragons but they aren't really that "realistic" since they are made to be basically the mythological creatures in a world where a living B-52(Bazelgeuse and Seething Bazelgeuse if you are curious) competes against a T-Rex that breaths the "Dragon Element"(Deviljho) that also competes against both the chicken version of Noivern(Yian Garuga) and a King Kong that can go Super Saiyan(Rajang) that also preys on an Elder Dragon especies which is a thunder unicorn(Kirin),so I don't really think the Elder Dragons could be considered for the video
@@johnwayne387 So the rest of the wyverns on this list are ok and wyverns are dragons just like Chinese/Japanese.
My defense for 4 limbs and 2 wings are that the wings aren't limbs in the normal sense, but instead hugely evolved/mutated skeletal shoulder blades; call it "false limbs" just like a panda has a false thumb which is actually its wrist bone.
Didn't wings come from arms?
@@Cheez_yus Insect wings don't seem to have but every other wing has
@@flysoup3607 Yeah I was talking about the vertebrate's wings
"Dragons from the eastern world with no wings are lizards"
East Dragon: AM I A JOKE TO YOU?!?!?!
jun santiago or drakes
They said western but ok
No, he said dragons with no wings and no magical flight are just lizards. Eastern dragons fly on clouds.
komodo dragons lmaoo
I CALL YOU O SHENRON-SAMA!!!
1:34 "Eastern dragon is basically lizard" whole China would love to talk about Kung Fu with you
Yeah, it's more of a snake with stubby limbs, and a few animal parts, and floats like a balloon.
Zion The Dragon so like a skink with fur and horns
@@Ricardowieringa yep.
Knocks out all wingless (all eastern) dragons cos magic isn't real, yet a firebreathing dragon is top...
At least say most realistic winged dragon if you wanted to focus on wings so much!
@@aster3380 you mean winged four limbs only "Dragon".
"4-limbed dragons"
Just say wyvern it hurts
I'm guessing they didn't research this very well. Also no mention of the movie "Flight of Dragons", which covers the same topic.
@@loc4725 Wyverns are completely different from Dragons, God the Two leg shit has to stop, I'm sick of everyone thinking just because it lacks 6 limbs its a Wyvern, its dumb
@@tochinomasuta4600 Wyverns are dragons
@@xkilla911 Wyverns are a class, they lack fire and have a stinger tail usually, they use venom instead
The whole wyvern mess is what really hurts.
In games like the Monster Hunter Series, a dragon has always 6 limbs (4 legs, 2 wings) and wyvern are similar but with 4 limbs (2 legs, 2 wings).
Did you researched dragons from these games aswell? Would be so interesting :D
And "dragons" are specifically *elder* dragons. They're all basically Godzilla-level threats, whereas wyverns are like oversized birds of prey that spit fire at you :D
Plus use bif weapon to hit big monster. Fun times :P
(Brought to you by a SwagAxe user)
About the fire breathing factor, I always had this idea since highschool: Dragons exhale flammable gas, and thier teeth are like flint and steel.
Like the Zippleback from How to Train Your Dragon. One head spews a flammable gas and the other ignites it with sparks.
@@Hyper_Drud The question is how the hell the other head creates sparks. Lol
LordVader1094 breathes the sparks I guess. It’d make more sense if it gnashed its teeth to ignite the gas like Teostra from Monster Hunter.
Watch The Last Dragon: A Fantasy Made Real. It's a docufiction that treats that as the way dragons breathe fire
Flint requires friction to spark. Dragons usually have their moths wide open when they breath fire.
I say toothless is the most plausible.
RIP TOOTHLESS he didnt even make it halfway..
I think a young Drogon is the most realistic, when it was the size of a goat or smaller.
Toothless is unlikely because he has four legs. Chest muscles can't control four major limbs, independently, at once. Plus, his wings are too small.
@@unused3402 A Wyvern is still a dragon.
Toothless may not have made it, but Stormfly has a chance.
MinuteEarth: Searching for the most realistic dragon
Also MinuteEarth: Rejects all the dragons and leaves only Wyverns after first round.
WYWERNS ARE DRAGONS!!
Wyverns arn’t dragons, they are wyverns, true dragons have 4 legs and 2 wings
Doylgaafs: clearly passionate about dragons
Also Doylgaafs: uses pop culture terminology that isn't even universally accurate to classify a mythical creature
@@Equeon To be fair, conflicts like that are common amongst biologists.
@@eddiehunter1887 and that's the reason why most of Medieval age's Bestyars depicts dragons vs two legs
0:02 I like the figure of Iris and her dragonite at the begining.
Thank you :)
Video: ender dragons aren't realistic because it has 6 limbs
me: "download 4 limb dragon texture pack"
Also me: really?
hehehehhehehehhehehehheh
Lol
Ahh makes sense
Me: download relistic calculated dragons mod
If you're interested in this, try to find "The Flight of Dragons" by Peter Dickinson. TLDR: hypothesises that dragons could use a hydrogen metabolism to fly like blimps, with small wings simply as controls.
There's also a great movie from the 80's (same name) which talks through the basics.
Petes Dragon would definitely be able to fly this way
Dragons may not be real. But one thing we know for sure:
A dragon is not a slave.
Yeah, but a wyvern could be
Dracarys!
Elder Fire u have a Qibli pfp, noice
except when it wants to be :3
I got your 100th like
I recall a documentary theorizing on how dragon could exist, and a very interesting thing they said was that they might have hydrogen pouches inside their bodies, like secondary lungs, which would serve both to maintain their weight to a minimum and as fuel to breathe fire. This also made for a very interesting mechanic, as a dragon can't just breathe fire indefinitely, especially if they plan on flying anytime soon!
Love the Todd Howard with the arrow in the knee little detail 1:02
I think your are the 69th comment!Cool
@@sovietmarshmallow1283 Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice
@DeSPoTNemanjaS It's nonut november so give them some slack xD
"It just works,"
*"It Just Works"*
The amount of pop culture references in this is not helping my hyperactive brain.
This is my favourite MinuteEarth video.
😘
1:34 "That's basically just a lizard."
Glaurung: "Am I a joke to you?"
Glaurung= giant angry stinky hypno-komodo dragon
@philipp ii. Worm or wyrm is an archaic term for dragon. It doesn't normally refer to an earthworm.
I prefer wyrm to cut down on confusion
Kirins
What about the How to train your dragon Timberjack? It has a very bias wing-to-body ratio, and even though it only has 2 appendages you can kinda see where the legs might Hace fused into the wings with little hook claws as remnants at the end of those wings.
Though... it dosen't have a ton of muscle to pull those wings it still seems like it has a better chance of taking of and flying.
I just realized you clearly stated which dragons you'd be comparing at the beginning but I still make my case for the Timberjack.
I think timberjack is a good contender
TFW the most realistic dragon is a wyvern
No its reign of fire bull dragon but they did not included him into the list
@@doragonzx The reign of fire dragons are wyverns
@@NathanHorton-yq4uj this is biais since half of this liste f
Dragon are wyverns
I like wyvern better than dragons
@@doragonzx But the most realistic ones are wyverns
No “Reign of Fire?” I know it’s an overlooked movie but the dragons in that follow all traits listed to a near T.
I know right, still hands down the best dragon design.
I mean literally nearly ever western movie/TV show has had there dragons based around that design since the film came out, weather they know it or not.
AverageMiner Finally, someone who knows about it!
It is still to this day the best dragon movie I've seen. I think they even went into detail how it would be possible for it to breath fire.
Best Matt McConaughey movie ever.
Just based on the size of the wings of the dragons in that movie, they'd be a great contender for the top spot.
Hold on where’s rathalos doesn’t he count since he is a wyvern
Ya he disqualified all the real dragons at the very first
@@someone-yv1bq Uh, no.
In actual Mythology, there is no concrete definition of Dragon. Chinese Dragons only have four limbs and no wings at all. Dragons from North America are serpentine with feathery wings and no legs at all.
How you classify a dragon is entirely dependent on the world it originates from.
For example: In a Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) The only difference between a Dragon and a Wyvern is that Wyverns cannot breathe fire.
In the Elder Scrolls universe, the Dragons don't even call themselves dragons, their true name are the Dov, it was the puny mortals that called them dragons.
Technically, all draconic creatures have different names and could all be considered dragons. Like the six limbed dragon is also considered a western dragon, and a dragon with four limbs and no wings is a drake, eastern dragons that fly without wings, etc. Personally I would refer to them with the more specific term that applies, but yeah it’s not wrong to call them all dragons
Lol all the "dragons" that made over the bottom are "wyverns" bcz they r 4 limbed
@@alexgray2110 Well, yeah, I feel like there should be exact definitions, but calling a Wyvern "not a dragon" wouldn't be accurate.
Like, Dragons would be a term for the full group (Like Dinosaur) but specific types divided into regions and such.
Bombardier beetle:*sprays acid
The other bugs:dude do you have diarrhea
Bombardier beetle:yeah
The other bugs:*smells acid
Bombardier beetle:uhh guys?
The other bugs:.......
Also the other bugs:*being dead
The most realistic dragon is...
a wyvern. Thats what they said
Exactly
Finally someone said it
A wyvern is a type of the overarching title of "dragon", exceptions are lore-specific. Sick of this nitpick
Rathalos for the win
@@peeblekitty5780 wyvern: a flying dragon like creature that of which has 4 limbs two of which are more closely resembling of a bat. Long story short a dragon has 6 limbs consisting of 4 legs and 2 wings with no claw like appendages protruding from out of the tip of the wing.
Realistic dragons
[Laughing in monster hunter]
[Laughing in elder dragons]
Sitting here wondering where Rathalos was.
@@saphiriathebluedragonknight375 Me too!
*Laughs in Fatalis*
My favourite elder "dragon" is a giant walking crab and a floating mountain octopus
[Laughs in Amatsu language]
_"Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."_
*~ Roald Dahl*
Oh, Oh, Oh it's MAGIC! You know! Never believe it's not so!
I remember reading a book which was like a collection of multiple Roald Dahl's stories.
One of the stories was about a guy leaving a parcel with a message at somebody's house or something.
(I think there was another with basically a playboy's tale).
Would be a great help if you knew what these were from.
@@rewrose2838
I think i used to have a copy of that book too. The "playboy's tail" was actually pretty cool. The prelude to the story was another story, and the whole thing was about the transformation of a rich, spoiled brat of a man into a kind of casino based Robin Hood through the power of yoga magic.
@@rewrose2838
FOUND IT
Title is "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and six more"
@@arifhossain9751 Thank you🍁
0:26 charizard is NOT a dragon
Pokemon themselves said Charizard is dragon-like, but not entirely a dragon type
when he mega evolve he turns into a dragon so
The best dragon is the kind that changes into a japanese maid
Adam Soh I see you are a man of culture as well
the thicc one?
@@aidanjanemcintosh6919 no the loli one
facts
@@mi-efoame9337 but the loli is the thicc one
Ender Dragon: *gets stuck in the bottom tier*
*Steve had never seen such bull***** *before*
Yea , it only has 2 limbs anyway ...
IKR!?
Four legs seems like it would be better at stability!
Its realistic
*bullshit
It’s from a dimension that is completely different
Title: "What is the best Dragon?"
Thumbnail: *shows base form Charizard who isn't a Dragon Type*
Meanwhile, charizard look more dragon like than any other "dragon" pokemon XD
Mr. Q I would agree, but Alolan exeggutor is clearly more of a dragon
CHARIZARD ISN'T A DRAGON TYPE?????
@@acer6951 Nop, it's Fire/Flying. However, Mega Charizard X is a Fire/Dragon type.
I don’t know how to deal with the facts
There are quite a few fictional dragons that don't breathe fire, and thus trounce all other competitors in the first tier. Tolkien's cold-drakes, for example.
FOOLS! Have you never watched the Discovery Channel Documentary “Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real”? They explain the science of the Fire Breath, the Flight and the Six Limbs.
Thought I was the only one who remember that show also theirs about a dozen bunch of creatures that emit pyrosis he found one bug huh
What do you expect? Minute earth is more entertainment than science.
@@satrioekowicaksono7452 but they want to bring in science.
@@Doralga what's the proper term to look up this information I tried to put pyrosis and all I got was some sort of nasty rash.
@@fleeplayTV look up the ability to emit flame apparently the internet confuses pyrosis with a moth species of the same name and the one you got was the term (name escapes me) is type of cells that activate in the presence of extreme heating source i.e being burned but it overload with white cells causing extreme swelling
Wait, no Spyro?
Oh, well... At least there's Toothless. :")
I would love to know how weight was calculated. Ideally, a dragon would have adaptations to make itself lighter so that it can support its weight with non-clumsy wings. Examples of this might be hollow bones, reduction in fat storage, potentially a reduction in brain size, and (idk if this is possible) ways to reduce muscle weight without compromising much on strength. Just some ideas, mostly based on bird biology.
I remember watching a BBC pseudodocumentary years ago that suggested they had a sack of hydrogen in their chest/stomach to help them reduce their weight, and they could regurgitate their stomach to lighten themselves also. The trade-off was, if they used too much of their hydrogen to breathe fire, they couldn't get off the ground... which apparently medieval knights figured out and was the reason they were hunted to extinction.
It was actually a really well done film, making it almost like Walking With Dinosaurs
In defense of Eastern dragons: many of them don't fly, but they swim instead. Many have four limbs and no wings. They resemble dragon fish, snakes and lions. I'm pretty sure if they weren't eliminated from the get-go they would make a great candidate for the most realistic dragon.