Impressus per Henricu Quentell in sancta ciuitate Coloniensi. McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. You might like to try The Book of Beasts, a translation of a twelfth cen. It lists the characteristics and attributes of many beasts and birds which will give you a better understanding of why certain creatures are depicted the way they are in heraldry and other forms of medieval art. It's also a very fine read.
Elephants have no joints in their legs and are the natural enemy of the dragon.
Weasels conceive through their ears and give birth through the nose and tigers can be misled with mirrors. I only dream when I sleep. The best place to go is to the primary sources. The best thing, I think, would be to go to the primary sources, such as the medieval beastiaries. This was a classical work, but widely read up to the Enlightenment and beyond.