Dragons, in all their scaly, fire-breathing majesty, have left their mark on nearly every culture throughout history. From Chinese lore in the East to Greek myth in the West, these mythical and serpentine beasts have certainly stirred a mixture of wonder and fear in humanity for millennia.
But why are dragon legends so widespread, and what might have inspired them in the first place? Modern fantasy has turned dragons into icons of magic and power, but a growing body of research in the field of geomythology suggests there may be more to these tales than pure invention.
Scientists and storytellers alike are finding striking connections between dragon myths and the history of our planet itself. Click through this gallery to see how fossils and geological phenomena have created the enduring legend of dragons across the globe.