Research Notes: An Introduction to Fish Dragons
Common Name: Fish Dragons
Scientific Name:
Habitat: Salt water or fresh water varies by species, found in shallow ponds and puddles where they can bask in the water but breathe air
Diet: Omnivore
Fish Dragons seem to be the result of Astral Energy mutating a terrestrial fish into something…Unnatural. It is unknown where the first mutation occurred, but many species of Fish Dragons have been observed by Unnatural Creature Keepers around the globe. This summer the Menagerie dipped our toes into fish dragon husbandry when we acquired a small school of the Ranchu Goldfish Dragon breed.
Despite this branch of the dragon genealogy being named after fish, fish dragons are in fact Amphibious. As magical creatures possessing amphibious qualities, they prefer to live in shallow pools of water, either near ponds, streams, or in the saltwater type, tidepools. You can find their nests in shallow holes under rocks, sometimes lined with shiny objects the dragon has collected.
Like all amphibians, the Fish Dragon has a 3 part life cycle consisting of: egg, larval, and adult stages of development. Their eggs are similar to sharks and rays as they are made of a semi-translucent sac designed to blend into the local aquatic plant life and protect the developing embryo. Once the dragon hatches, it goes through a tadpole-like period of developing limbs and living completely underwater. When the limbs are fully-formed, so too are the dragons lungs and it can climb out of its nursery pond and begin exploring the land.
A final feature fish dragons share with their terrestrial amphibian cousins are special skin glands that secrete mucus designed to keep enemies away. Each species of fish dragon has a different defense mechanism; in the case of the Goldfish dragon, this secretion causes temporary memory loss and confusion in those who touch it. For this reason, it is recommended that you rinse your dragon off thoroughly before handling it, or otherwise wear protective gloves!
While we are just beginning our journey of breeding Goldfish Dragons, we also have put in a request with the Society of Unnatural History to obtain a small group of un-tame saltwater dragons. Our request has been accepted, and we hope to have the first saltwater dragons available for adoption to qualified creature keepers by this Halloween!
Keep an eye out for the next two installments of Fish Dragon Research Notes which will be covering Fancy Breeds, and Salt Water Fish Dragons!