Draconid
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A draconid is a fictional species of anthropomorphic dragon, and are a form of archosaurs that dominated the Earth during their existence. Scientific consensus holds that most of them, minus birds; however, in the various reptilian monsters, some of which breathe ice or fire. They are widely believed to be mythological by the humans of modern-day Earth, but real specimens have been known to exist on the planet. The creatures come in all shapes and sizes- bipedal, quadrupedal, winged, have necks of various size, and have heads or tails of varying number. Indeed, since the term "dragon" is so generic, it seems possible to describe creatures not native to Earth which fall under the very forgiving criteria as dragons. The term itself is used in various contexts as:
- Generic reference to a bipedal, intelligent creature with dragon-like characteristics combined with a generally human shape.
- Name for specific (fictional) races combining human qualities with those of dragons, dinosaurs, and other reptiles. One example are the Draconids of the Phase World dimension in the Rifts role-playing game
- Blanket term for the anthropomorphic version of a particular kind of dragon or a specific dragon character.
While it is not the rule, draconids are frequently conceptualized as being warm-blooded, which may vary between being mammalian, avian or based on the hypothetical biology of many dinosaur species. To further accentuate their mammal- and bird-like flavor, many draconids are given partial to full coats of fur, or feathers. They also frequently sport details such as external ears, and may or may not have scaly skin. It is somewhat less common for draconids to share female mammalian traits such as mammaries, but this characterization can be seen in certain cases.
In some fictional settings, draconids are the result of crossbreeding or hybridization between human beings and some form of reptile. In others, they may be an evolved or altered form of dragon, such as the Draconians of the Dragonlance universe.
Within Furry fandom, draconids are a popular variation of the mythological dragon, whether specified by name or by stylization. Anthropomorphized dragons sharing many of the draconid traits appeared as early as 1998, with the publication of furry comic series, Xanadu, by Vicky Wyman.
The game World of Warcraft also features draconids (called drakonids in game) as a sub-group of dragons within the game. They are rare however, and are primarily found within the raid dungeon Blackwing Lair.