International GEOGRAPHIC, online vol. 423

New Species Discovered in Sahara Leads to New Questions By Jonathan C. Gardwell

September 4, 2004 - Southeast Sahara Desert - As my group and I were traveling further into the desert, searching for evidence of Egyptian habitation further down the Nile, we came across a creature the likes of which have never been seen by human eyes for supposedly more than 600 years. The photograph (left) depicts actual evidence that claims of medieval "dragons" and creatures of such lunacy actually existed. Our estimates of the size and weight of this newly discovered creature, which we have dubbed "Dragonis Maximus," or "Grand Dragon," measures about 10 meters high (from the base of it's toe to the highest point on it's head), 20 meters long, from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail, with a wingspan of about 5 meters, and a weight of ~4.5 tons. We could see behind it the remains of a small nomad camp, charred to the ground, and a toxic-smelling fume was emitting from this creature's great maw. We quickly took note of the coordinates where we found this creature and turned back for fear of our own lives, promising to come back better prepared.

Over the course of the following weeks, we learned a good deal about the Grand Dragon. We set up camps around the general area of this creature's habitat, and learned a great deal about it. This amazing species is actually capable of flight, beating those massive wings and creating gale-force winds with each blow. Our watches of this creature have shown that it is capable of flying at heights of 20,000 ft. and at speeds of up to 50 mph. Its diet seems to consist largely of cattle and/or sheep/goats when it can find them in this damnable wasteland. However, it seems perfectly content to catch rodents, small mammals, snakes, and even camels for a meal. It is capable of "breathing fire" as many European myths depict it as able to do. However, the fire itself is really a mixture of an odd type of gas that is highly combustible and will catch flame at temperatures as low as 40°F. The flames, however, can quickly reach temperatures of 900°F, as we learned in a horrible incident when a crewmember interrupted a mating ritual and was charred black and devoured. However, the mating ritual seemed to continue as if without interruption, and we gathered that the charring and devouring of a morsel together was part of said ritual.

About the mating itself: for three days the two dragons fly in circles in the clouds, and on the second night there was a fierce thunderstorm, and we feared the worst for our new find. However, when the two great beasts emerged from the clouds on the fourth day, they were virtually unscathed. They then proceeded with devouring of our unfortunate crewmember. Afterwards, the mating process was executed, and the female laid nearly 6 eggs measuring 3 meters in diameter in a large mound dug out by the male.

This creature seems to have an incredible amount of dexterity and strength, as was demonstrated when, on the 18th of the month, odd as this sounds, a herd of elephants wandered up from the south. There were no children in the group, and it seemed to consist mainly of bulls searching for a herd of females to join. Each seemed in good health and size. When the heard trampled over one of the dragon eggs, an odd smell was released. Within a minute, the father dragon appeared from the dark cloud cover, and assaulted the elephant herd with fang and claw and flame. The elephants fought valiantly, but the winged beast's hide suffered no injuries of any sort. The entire herd was slain and eaten by the newly hatched fledglings that had emerged during the fight. The elephant herd was devoured completely within the hour, and we were left with the impression that these creatures are neigh invincible.

Why they have not shown themselves to human eyes before, we may never know. Our theory is that it fears the new technologies that man has developed. Or it may simply be far to cunning to be caught by man's eyes on a regular basis. But the discovery of this creature leads to one key question: since dragons are now proven to exist, what about creatures such as the unicorn, or Pegasus, of Kraken or Phoenix? Hopefully, the future will answer these questions in good, sweet time.

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