Nothing beats the fun of listening to or sharing stories of mythical beings like dragons and unicorns. While these creatures don’t exist, many real animals look like mythological beasts, such as narwhals, thorny devils, and Komodo dragons. Keep reading this article to learn all about these fascinating creatures!
Narwhals
Many legends tell stories of a mythical horse with a horn protruding from its forehead; these mythical creatures are often also magical. While there is no land animal like this, a similar creature lives in the depths of the arctic ocean. The Narwhal is a type of whale with an overgrown front tooth in the center of its skull.
Some individuals playfully call these mammals the “unicorns of the sea” due to that tooth. That title may not be too far off as during the 15th century, German civilization uncovered what’s likely a prehistoric narwhal tooth and assumed it came from a unicorn.
Thorny Devil
The thorny devil is a small lizard that looks like a miniature dinosaur thanks to its spiky armor. Luckily, these lizards are completely harmless to humans. This reptile grows to around 20 cm (or seven inches) long, lives in Australia, and mainly eats ants.
Moreover, their thorny skin makes them appear more fearsome to predators since their spikes would be rather painful to swallow. Their skin colors also help them camouflage in the desert sand and surroundings for further protection against predators. Interestingly, many plant-eating dinosaurs also had armored skin to protect themselves.
Komodo Dragon
The fierce Komodo dragon is the final real animal that looks like a mythological beast! This massive monitor lizard weighs in at a mighty 150-160 lbs. for females and 170-200lbs for males, and they can run at a 12 mph pace on land. While dinosaurs are extinct and dragons don’t exist, this beast is a close, living match to both creatures.
As the name implies, the Komodo dragon looks like a mythical, fire-breathing reptile minus a pair of wings. Although this monitor lizard can’t breathe fire, its bite is venomous and incredibly strong—you wouldn’t want to come toe-to-toe with one of these massive reptiles.
Real Prehistoric Beasts
Hearing stories of mythical beasts is always fun, but it’s more than likely that the creatures from legends never existed. Most scientists hypothesize that ancient civilizations created animals like dragons and unicorns after uncovering fossils of dinosaurs, mammoths, and other prehistoric creatures. The fact that many mythical-looking beasts still live today further solidifies this assumption as species are constantly evolving.
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