Dragon Physiology/Lesser

The ability to use the abilities of Lesser Dragons. Variation of Dragon Physiology.
==Also Called==
*Low-Dragon Mimicry/Physiology
*Minor Dragon Mimicry/Physiology
==Capabilities==
The user is or has the ability to take on the form of a Lesser Dragon and/or other dragon-like beings. Variations or mimicry of Dragons tend to lack the size, magical abilities and/or intelligence of the more ancient dragons, and are generally more animal-like in mind and behavior. The most common distinction in physiology, however, is the number and location of legs and presence (or lack thereof) of wings/flight. While traditional dragons tend to be rather large and generally have vast magic/intelligence, this isn't to say they that various depictions of lesser dragons cannot have those characteristics, and that's generally defined by the given setting. 
== Applications ==
*Dragon Physiology
**Atmospheric Adaptation
**Decelerated Aging
**Dragon Vision
**Elemental Breath
***Fire Breath
**Enhanced Condition
***Enhanced Agility
***Enhanced Durability
***Enhanced Endurance
***Enhanced Senses
***Enhanced Speed
***Enhanced Stamina
***Enhanced Strength
**Environmental Adaptation
**Natural Weaponry
***Claw Retraction
***Powerful Bite
****Fang Retraction
***Prehensile Tail
***Scale Wing Manifestation
****Tail Wing Manifestation 
*****Flight/High-Speed Flight
**Predator Instinct
**Scale Manifestation
**Thermal Resistance
==Variations==
Variations of Dragons are classified most generally by a few traits: The number of legs present, where those legs are positioned, and whether or not the dragon has wings or is capable of flight. Some, such as Sea Serpents, differ in habitat as well to the point of being considered a lesser dragon. Many terms involving variations in Lesser Dragon Physiology are used interchangeably by fictional settings, and many Lesser Dragons are either called Dragons at times or referred to as other types of Lesser Dragons in their respective settings (folklore or otherwise). This can either be due to the similar category of creature or, especially in the case of folklore and coats of arms, different depictions of the same Lesser Dragon having different features.
Amphipteres, dragon-like serpentine creatures with wings and no legs, are not truly dragons, and are more akin to flying snakes. While not draconic in nature, they might be easily confused with lesser dragons. For more information on Amphipteres, see Amphiptere Physiology.
Drakes are a very poorly-documented form of wingless Dragon. Characterized by four legs and no wings, these are the only kind of Lesser Dragon to truly "walk", the next closest being the Wyvern. The size of Drakes varies from that of a house cat to taller than mountains (Though some folklore has larger drakes, it is few and far between and they usually end up better fitting a different class on this page), and while there are some exceptions, drakes are almost universally less intelligent than dragons, having more the intelligence of a predatory animal. In folklore, heraldry, legends and the like, the term "Drake" was often used as an equivalent term to "Dragon", and so rather than referring to a separated class of dragons, "Drake" for the most part did not have meaning on its own until the 1970s. Most representations of Drakes as their own separated category of dragons seem to have started with the Fire-Drakes and Cold-Drakes of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth, where species of flightless, legged dragons, such as Glaurung, in The Silmarillion (1977), began to arise. The most in-depth information for modern (terrestrial) Drakes aside from the works of Tolkien, and debatably the most distinct use of Drakes, is in Dungeons and Dragons, where they are seen to be tamable creatures often used as land mounts. 
Lindworms are serpentine, mostly-grounded Lesser Dragons, not generally depicted as having a venomous bite or any form of breath weapon. The legend originates from Scandinavia, and while Old English scholars tend to depict them without wings and two front legs, examples from Central Europe have (albeit rarely) depicted them with up to four legs and wings. In either case, they do not tend to fly, as the legends near-exclusively speak of another more unusual form of travel (Especially in the oldest depictions from Sweden). By biting their tails, similarly to an Ouroboros, Lindworms can take on a wheel-like shape in order to quickly pursue targets via rolling at high speeds. When not moving quickly, limbed depictions do not tend to use their legs (be it two or four) for actual "walking" like Wyverns or Western Dragons, but rather for traction as they slither along the ground, similarly to the modern Mole Lizard. Lindworms, while able to live in any climate, are seen often as thriving in forests and moors, and are often associated with wealth/hoards, having been one of the first depictions of dragons which brood over a pile of treasures. Fafnir is one of the most famous examples of a Lindworm, and one of the few that was very notably poisonous.
*Currency Generation
*Snake Physiology
**Constriction
**Enhanced Flexibility/Elasticity
**Powerful Bite
*Wing Manifestation
Sea Serpent is a sea monster that typically has the head of a dragon, fins and slender body with no wings. They may or may not have up to four limbs, and roam the seas of various countries. While many depictions of Sea Serpents are associated with dragons, many mythological representations noting them as a sort of aquatic dragon, some settings render them more akin to snakes and separate them as such. The size and proportions of sea snakes, albeit varied, tend to be quite large, allowing many depictions to capsize ships or wrap their bodies around them. For more information on Sea Serpents, see Sea Serpent Physiology
*Aquatic Breathing
*Constriction
*Speed Swimming
*Underwater Senses
Worms/Wyrms (Rarely also spelled Wurm due to the term's Germanic origin) are dragons with no wings or limbs. While the Lambton Worm is one of the most known, there are others with similar abilities. They are snakelike in appearance (Albeit a bit less slender), and these limbless dragons often grow fast to vast size and are often extremely poisonous with powerful regenerative capabilities, able to grow back or reattach parts of its body together so long as the pieces aren't too far apart. Some may have ability to create or increase treasure large enough for them to lay on, or increase any treasures they are laying on, akin to Lindworms. Wyrms are also associated more with burrowing and hypnosis than other kinds of Lesser Dragon, though that is seen in more modern representations (And while at times displayed in various verses as having such traits, neither trait is by any means universal in how Wyrms are represented). Wyrms may also tend to find themselves at home more underground or in caves than in lairs or dungeons.
*Currency Generation
*Regenerative Healing Factor
*Snake Physiology
**Constriction
**Enhanced Flexibility/Elasticity
**Poison Generation
**Powerful Bite
**Venomous Fangs
*Unnatural Size
Wyverns are winged creatures with a dragon's head, a reptilian body with wings (generally including talon-like claws on them), two hind legs, and oftentimes a barbed tail. They are usually considered extremely venomous, even by draconic standards. Wyverns often use claws that protrude from the ends of the wings as a sort of substitute for front legs when balancing in order to walk, while the hind legs are used for traction and for grabbing prey. While older depictions of wyverns rarely have a breath weapon, modern adaptations of wyverns have seen increased usage of breath weapons, especially those of fire and poison. Many Wyverns have been, even in modern settings, called "Dragons" in their verses/settings, which understandably can generate confusion as to whether or not something is a Wyvern or a Dragon. All Wyverns are Dragons, while not all Dragons are Wyverns. Wyverns are also some of the best-represented kinds of dragons, appearing in things like the Game of Thrones, Skyrim, Dark Souls, and Lord of the Rings franchises. Many of these Wyverns, such as the four just mentioned, are called "Dragons" in their respective verses, and though they may rival more traditional Dragons in power, intelligence, and general ability, their physiology still makes them Wyverns. As a result, Wyverns on average tend to be one of the strongest categories of Lesser Dragons. 
*Atmospheric Adaptation
*Dermal Armor/Scale Manifestation
*Enhanced Agility
*Enhanced Lung Capacity
*Enhanced Strength
*Poison Generation
*Powerful Bite
*Prehensile Tail
*Reptilian Physiology
*Stinger Protrusion
*Wing Manifestation
==Associations==
*Dragon Physiology
*Mythical Bestiary
*Reptilian Physiology
==Limitations==
*Most variations aren't particularly smart, and have powerful, animalistic instincts.
==Known Users==
See Also: Our Wyverns Are Different.
==Gallery==
File:Dragons (How to Train Your Dragon).gif|Dragons (How To Train Your Dragon)
File:Hookfang How to Train Your Dragon Monstrous Nightmare.png|Monstrous Nightmares (How To Train Your Dragon) have two legs and two wings, but they move about on all fours, similar to a bat or pterosaur.
File:Stormfly's Spin shot.gif|Deadly Nadders (How To Train Your Dragon) share several characteristics with classical wyverns, being very birdlike, four-limbed bipedal dragons with tails bristling with non-poisonous blades.
File:Dragons of the Horned King.webp|Gwythaints (The Black Cauldron)
File:LinnormPathfinder.webp|Linnorms (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons)
File:Avior Wyvern 2022-10-06 10.17.04 AM.png|Avior (Bakugan Gundalian Invaders) is a Subterra Bakugan with the characteristics of a Wyvern.
Toddifons (Arknights).png|Arianrhod Blodeuwedd/Toddifons (Arknights)
Destructive Dragon Demon.png|Destructive Dragon Demon (Arknights)
Bagpipe.png|Fiona Young/Bagpipe (Arknights)
Saileach.png|Jane Willow/Saileach (Arknights)
Liskarm.png|Liskarm (Arknights)
Saria.png|Saria (Arknights)
Sesa.png|Sesa (Arknights)
Vanilla (Arknights).png|Vanilla (Arknights)
Prm-red.png|Alata (Tensou Sentai Goseiger) as Gosei Red normal form.../Troy Burrows (Power Rangers Megaforce/Super Megaforce) as Megaforce Red normal form...
Prm-ultrared.png|...and Super Mode/...and Ultra Mode
Img-doragon.jpg|Gosei Dragon (Tensou Sentai Goseiger)/Gosei Dragon Mechazord (Power Rangers Megaforce/Super Megaforce)
File:Sochuri .webp|Sochuri (Creatures of Sonaria)
Lychee Dragon Cookie.png|Lychee Dragon Cookie (Cookie Run)
Trapwurm.jpeg|Trapwurm (Cassette Beasts)
Wyrmaw.jpeg|Wyrmaw (Cassette Beasts)
Category:Powers
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Category:Reptile Physiology