Also dragon sci, objectively the cutest design

request from @ask-yandere-sci for dragon science sans!!

first thing that came to mind was lung dragon bc i think they’re very pretty and so now we have this guy ^^

Normally I don't do spoilerific posts, but this one is spoilery because I genuinely had no idea how to talk about Marie Brennan's incredible Lady Trent memoirs without spoiling the thing. You could almost call this post "What Happens When a Naturalist and Archaeologist Have Overlapping Fields of Interest" because that is literally what happened, and it's how they accidentally discovered a pocket of an ancient civilization that had long been considered lost. Oh, and there is some absolutely WILD human blood and dragon egg rituals in there too, so keep on reading.

Supporting evidence:

6 limbs (hexapods)

Exoskeleton which they shed at regular intervals (sometimes known as scales by the uninitiated)

Compound/complex eyes which have a range and depth outside the human norm

Egg laying

highly specialized communication organs (and ability to communicate “influence” humans in ways that substantially differ from those of mammals)

chemical defense system (“fire breathing”)

Most closely fit taxonomical requirements for insects

Are regarded as a pest.

Complex social communities.

magical augmentation of respiratory system.

Dragons are not dinosaurs. No feathers.

Dinosaurs are not reptiles, because they would be unable to function if they were endothermic.

BUT

What if /that’s/ the reason they hoard treasure? What if they ingest the gold/silver/etc before they get ready to lay an egg, and then biomagically synthesize that into the egg’s shell??? Copper is definitely more protective than calcium carbonate, that’s for sure.

That would make sense as to why the dragon with the biggest hoard is the greatest dragon; animals instinctually choose mates based on what they need to reproduce/survive. The gold and jewels are a dragons way of saying “choose me” the same way a bowerbird builds an elaborate nest to attract a mate.

Excellent questions, and the answer is somewhat complicated. Allow me to explain as best I can.

While my internal temperature is extremely high, my external temperature is quite low. This is part of the natural magic of my flame. The fire inside is part of me. Dragons such as I require this high internal temperature to survive and function, and it would be terribly inefficient for it to simply escape and light ablaze anything which I touched. 

The end result is a perfection of magical evolution, as my body possesses some level of natural magic which keeps my core temperature high, without allowing that heat to escape. I have been told by some ponies that my scales are often cool to the touch, but prolonged contact (usually in form of hugs) often reaches a comfortable warmth as the magic adjusts to compensate for the contact. This is all natural and unconscious action, on my part.

The gold, aluminum, or any other material which may eventually soften or melt in my presence, only does so after decades of contact. My heat generation may be extraordinarily effective, but it does bleed out slowly over long periods of time. The magic inherent in this heat seems persistent, which is also why Gold is so important, with its high heat conductivity, malleability, and nontarnishable nature. Over time, gold retains my lost body heat, and in addition to being comfortable, becomes a more efficient place to sleep.