Frog Dragons /Fragons? DragFrogs? DOGS?/
I mean, what would *you* make the moment you had complete freedom to genetically engineer whatever you want? So of course the Indigo have dragons.
There are thousands of extant variants, most of which belong to one of four types: tetrapod aquatic, tetrapod aerial, hexapod aquatic, and hexapod aerial. The hexapod line was altered to develop a second pair of forelimbs, which develop into wings in flying dragons and additional fins in the aquatics. Some have strutures that behave something like sails, which let them passively ride in both air and water.
In tetrapods, the aerials take on an appearance much like a wyvern. Aquatic four-limbers look strikingly like miniature plesiosaurs. The Loch Ness monster is real, she’s tiny, and there are a million of her.
For both four-limbed and six-limbed strains, the aerial breeds have a birdy or noodley shape, while aquatic variants retain more of the frog shape.
Genetic engineered differences aside, frog-derived dragons go through much the same life cycle and metamorphosis that frogs do. They begin as tadpoles, progressively changing shape and gaining limbs until they reach their final amphibious forms. The major difference is that they keep their tails, retaining even the membranes on the dorsal and ventral edges. Like adult frogs, fragons jump to move and blink to swallow. Don’t get me started on their tongues.
Ages ago, there were some robust engineering projects to essentially re-evolve frogs into dinosaurs. As a result, Indigo has the biological blueprints for upright posture (legs under the body), mesothermicity, and even theropod feathers. But, over time, it was clear frogs do best in life in the shape of frogs. Who coulda thunk.
By the way, did you know the word for animals with legs splayed out to the sides of their body (like many reptiles and amphibians) is SPRADDLE? Now that’s just delightful!
Anyway moral of the story is wishrats have tiny Nessies swimming around in their canal web and that is why I desperately want to live there.
There are thousands of extant variants, most of which belong to one of four types: tetrapod aquatic, tetrapod aerial, hexapod aquatic, and hexapod aerial. The hexapod line was altered to develop a second pair of forelimbs, which develop into wings in flying dragons and additional fins in the aquatics. Some have strutures that behave something like sails, which let them passively ride in both air and water.
In tetrapods, the aerials take on an appearance much like a wyvern. Aquatic four-limbers look strikingly like miniature plesiosaurs. The Loch Ness monster is real, she’s tiny, and there are a million of her.
For both four-limbed and six-limbed strains, the aerial breeds have a birdy or noodley shape, while aquatic variants retain more of the frog shape.
Genetic engineered differences aside, frog-derived dragons go through much the same life cycle and metamorphosis that frogs do. They begin as tadpoles, progressively changing shape and gaining limbs until they reach their final amphibious forms. The major difference is that they keep their tails, retaining even the membranes on the dorsal and ventral edges. Like adult frogs, fragons jump to move and blink to swallow. Don’t get me started on their tongues.
Ages ago, there were some robust engineering projects to essentially re-evolve frogs into dinosaurs. As a result, Indigo has the biological blueprints for upright posture (legs under the body), mesothermicity, and even theropod feathers. But, over time, it was clear frogs do best in life in the shape of frogs. Who coulda thunk.
By the way, did you know the word for animals with legs splayed out to the sides of their body (like many reptiles and amphibians) is SPRADDLE? Now that’s just delightful!
Anyway moral of the story is wishrats have tiny Nessies swimming around in their canal web and that is why I desperately want to live there.
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