The rarest of the three species is Draco Flameus. It is extremely difficult to observe and study this dragon, since his habitat is inaccessible to human beings. This virtually unknown dragon lives inside active volcanoes, and his natural surroundings are the great rivers of lava and the fiery caverns in the belly of the earth.
In this world of fire and incandescent molten rock dwells the Dragon Father, and this is where courtship and mating take place, rituals which no human being has ever witnessed. The fire dragon spends his infancy in these suffocating surroundings, and only when he reaches maturity does he venture outside on brief hunting expeditions. A nocturnal creature, he usually sallies forth enveloped in flames, when darkness reigns, but only if the weather is very dry and the sky clear. Water and humidity are a great threat to these creatures since they can cause 'scale corrosion, a fatal disease for Draco Flameus.
On his excursions into the outside world, the fire dragon sets vast expanses of land aflame, scorching everything in his path, and then avidly devours the charred remains of the animals left in the ashes. He breathes fire from his mouth due a mixture of phosphorous and methane which he produces and stores in a second stomach. The mixture ignites on contact with oxygen as it leaves the dragon's mouth. His favorite food is hydrocarbons, such as oil and bitumen, which he consumes in huge quantities. He also uses these substances to clean and shine his 'armor'- an occupation to which the fire dragon devotes many hours. He takes great care of every single scale and is always on the lookout for any suspicious-looking blemishes. This is not a question of vanity, even though the dragon is a very conceited creature, but because he needs to guard against his most deadly enemy, 'scale corrosion, as mentioned earlier. This terrible disease causes the scales to flake off from the body, leaving the dragon's sensitive skin exposed and vulnerable, not only to the dreadful burns produced by red-hot lava but also to total dehydration, as a result of the intense heat of his surroundings. The scales, which cover his entire body, are made up of a metal and asbestos alloy. They are many-colored, ranging from bright golden-yellows to red, copper and black, and these scales are the dragon's only protection against fire. Without this armor, he is as susceptible to heat as any other living creature.
Apparently this species used to be abundant in the volcanoes of Iceland, and he would fly as far as Ireland and the north of Britain. It is also said that a small colony of this species has survived in Sicily. On the other hand, there is no evidence of the existence of fire dragons in Vesuvius. This mysterious, but fascinating animal has a - large family of servants made up mainly of salamanders, will-o'the-wisps and other igneous creatures.
Social Organization of the Fire Dragon
As we said earlier, the fire dragon lives in a vast complex of caves inside craters, among streams of lava and suffocating gases. Despite his strange and fearsome habitat, this is the most amicable and peace-loving of the great dragon races, and also the most gregarious and outgoing. Fire dragon society is organized into three large matriarchal groups. A powerful and sexually mature female occupies the principle cave of a colony formed by the males and their sons. As is usual with dragons, only paternity is recognized, and the young are not considered descendants of the female, but offspring of the male. Consequently, a female dragon does not object to a male joining her colony with an egg from another female.
Despite this matriarchal structure, the great dragon family continues to be governed by a Dragon Father, but in this case the hierarchy is not so rigid. And given that the habitat of the fire dragon is restricted and the colonies are very close to each other and linked by narrow corridors, animals of the same age and sex live together, play together and learn together.
This cohabitation with other members of the same species means that the fire dragon has the least contact with human beings, given that they can satisfy their emotional needs among their own kind, either in couples or through friendship with their neighbors in the colony. They usually practice many group activities, although they always hunt alone so as not to frighten off the prey.
The Little Fire Dragon
The Draco Flamula, which is usually less than two meters in length, is sub-species of the fire dragon. He lives in the chimneys of power stations, and has adapted perfectly to the high temperatures and the concentrations of sulfur and sulfuric acid. His scales have also taken on the sulfur-yellow and rust tones that facilitate his cam6uflage and make it almost impossible to distinguish him.The Little Fire Dragon the Draco Flamula, which is usually less than two meters in length, is a sub-specie of the fire dragon. He lives in the chimneys of power stations, and has adapted perfectly to the high temperatures and the concentrations of sulfur and sulfuric acid. His scales have also taken on the sulfur-yellow and rust tones that facilitate his cam6uflage and make it almost impossible to distinguish him. The first human being to see and identify this species was an engineer in a Bavarian power station who was a dragon fan. He gave it the name of Flamula, because of the little tongue of flickering flame the dragon produces when he emerges from the chimney. This sub-species is powerful and destructive because when these creatures fly they leave a trail of sulphurous gases that produce acid rain, a phenomenon which destroys trees and has damaged vast areas of woodland in Great Britain, Germany and Spain. Scholars believe that these animals are a throwback of the dragon race rather than an evolution of the species adapted to new surroundings. This theory seems to be borne out by the loss of Latin as their principal language (they are not known to speak any other language either) and by the absence of a stable social organization. Apparently the other species of dragons despise and loathe these diminutive relatives. The Sicilian 'Dragon Another sub-specie of the fire dragon is Estupidus Catalanus, which is very rare and found only in the craters of Mount Etna, in Sicily. Local inhabitants claim that it was brought over by the Catalan conquistadors of the Middle Ages. This animal, with its lusterless colors and short legs, was described at the beginning of the century by Professor Peter Ameisenhaufen, who baptized him Pirofagus Estupidus Catalanus due to his presumed origin, which is actually highly dubious, as far as we can see. He breathes fire like all the fire dragons, but on inhaling he breathes in the flames and this causes painful burns in the esophagus. He has to drink enormous quantities of water to soothe them. He lacks the dragon's traditional faculty of speech, and the evidence seems to point to a very limited intelligence. In his work Fauna Secreta, Professor Ameisenhaufe branded this unendearing creature an 'accident of evolution'
The first human being to see and identify this species was an engineer in a Bavarian power station that was a dragon fan. He gave it the name of Flamula, because of the little tongue of flickering flame the dragon produces when he emerges from the chimney.
This sub-species is powerful and destructive because when these creatures fly they leave a trail of sulphurous gases that produce acid rain, a phenomenon which destroys trees and has damaged vast areas of woodland in Great Britain, Germany and Spain. Scholars believe that these animals are a throwback of the dragon race rather than an evolution of the species adapted to new surroundings. This theory seems to be borne out by the loss of Latin as their principal language (they are not known to speak any other language either) and by the absence of a stable social organization. Apparently the other species of dragons despise and loathe these diminutive relatives.
The Sicilian 'Dragon
Another sub-specie of the fire dragon is Estupidus Catalanus, which is very rare and found only in the craters of Mount Etna, in Sicily. Local inhabitants claim that it was brought over by the Catalan conquistadors of the Middle Ages.
Professor Peter Ameisenhaufen, who baptized him Pirofagus Estupidus Catalanus due to his presumed origin, which is actually highly dubious, as far as we can see, described this animal, with its lusterless colors and short legs, at the beginning of the century. He breaths fire like all the fire dragons, but on inhaling he breathes in the flames and this causes painful burns in the esophagus. He has to drink enormous quantities of water to soothe them. He lacks the dragon's traditional faculty of speech, and the evidence seems to point to a very limited intelligence. In his work Fauna Secreta, Professor Ameisenhaufe branded this unendearing creature an 'accident of evolution'
