Myths about dragons are found in folklore of various countries. For example, in China there is generally a cult to this creature. Moreover, dragons were depicted here on stones back in the fifth millennium BC. Archaeologists also found ancient artifacts depicting dragons in many other countries. Sometimes dragons are even depicted on state symbols, for example, on the flag of Wales you can see a red dragon. Even in Slavic epics and fairy tales, a multi-headed fire-breathing dragon is often described – the Serpent Gorynych. It makes you think — Is there some truth in the myths? Of course, from the point of view of historical science and archeology, there is no evidence that dragons once lived on Earth. But, theoretically. they could actually exist and even breathe fire. True, for this they needed to possess the qualities of several modern living beings at once.
Dragons could not only fly, but also shoot fire from their mouths. Photo source: gameofthrones.fandom.com
What kind of fuel did the dragons use for the flame
The mere existence of flying lizards is not something surprising. Suffice it to recall pterosaurs. The most unusual feature of dragons — This is the ability to spew fire. To do this, the mythical animal had to have fuel and a source of heat so that this fuel could ignite.
A candidate combustible substance could theoretically be methane, which animals produce during digestion. True, in this case, dragons would have to eat like cows – grass, otherwise they would not be able to produce enough gas. In addition, gas needs to be stored somewhere. For example, a methane cylinder is designed for an average pressure of 150 atmospheres. Even the strongest stomach cannot withstand such pressure. Therefore, methane is not very suitable as a fuel.
To produce flames, dragons would have needed to generate fuel. Image source: pinterest.com
Another candidate for fuel could be alcohol, which can be produced by animals and humans. For example, Devil's Hole fish that live in Nevada hot springs produce alcohol through respiration. However, storing alcohol in sufficient quantities would also be problematic, since it quickly passes through biological membranes.
Considering all of the above, the best option for the dragon would be some kind of oily fuel. For example, the fulmar bird produces stomach oil, which it then regurgitates and feeds to its chicks. Perhaps dragons could regurgitate oil in the same way, but somehow set it on fire. By the way, even some cars can be fueled with vegetable oil, which we described in detail earlier.
The fulmar accumulates oil in its stomach, which it feeds its chicks. Photo source: wikipedia.org
True, in order for the oil to burn well and allow the dragon to create powerful jets of flame, it must not be in its pure form, but mixed with other chemicals, such as hydrogen peroxide. There are creatures in the world that produce hydrogen peroxide — These are bombardier beetles. They spray it out when they sense danger. In this case, enzymes quickly decompose hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen, resulting in the release of a large amount of energy and the creation of high pressure.
If dragons used the same mechanism, it would release a high pressure jet of oil, heat the oil to a high temperature, and also turn it into a flammable mixture by enriching it with oxygen. That is, in this case, the dragons would have some kind of automobile carburetor, which turns pure gasoline into a combustible mixture.
Eels generate electrical impulses of up to 600 volts. Photo source: masterok.livejournal.com
How dragons could have flames
Ignite a flammable mixture, in fact, is not as big a problem as it might seem at first glance. It can be assumed that the dragons did this with a spark. For example, many fish, such as stingrays, have an electric organ. It allows them to generate electrical impulses of up to 600 volts. This is enough to create a powerful spark.
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Unfortunately, dragons remain mythical creatures, so we can only guess how they created jets of flame. However, in general, as you can see, this is theoretically quite possible. Moreover, there are creatures living today who have even more amazing abilities. For example, the click crayfish can heat water to temperatures of more than 4000 degrees. And with a click of 200 decibels, it can stun a person forever.