Legend has it that a typical dragon has a snakelike body between 50 and 100 feet long, with wings that extend 10 feet on each side of its body. Differing from snakes, however, dragons usually have small legs, and feet with very sharp claws. Their head (or heads, in some cases) are serpent-like, and the mouth has a full set of teeth, often with fangs. Perhaps the thing that makes dragons so scary (and cool!) is their ability to breath fire from their nostrils! Put all these "ingredients" together, and you have one frightening creature.

There are many different types of dragons. There is the amphiptere, a legless, winged serpent found along the banks of the Nile River. It is said to guard boswellia trees that produce frankincense. The Wyvern is considered the most feared type of dragon. It has a coiling, serpent-like trunk that is fatter in the middle, and it has legs of an eagle. The most common, and perhaps well-known, dragon is the heraldic dragon. It has the stereotypical huge fangs, four legs, sharp claws on all four feet, ridge of sharp spines on its back, running from nose to its tail where it ends in a spike.

In the Orient, dragons typically do not snort fire, and in China, they are divided into four categories, each controlling something. The celestial dragon protects the gods; the spiritual dragon controls the weather; the earth dragon controls rivers, lakes, and oceans; the underworld dragon protects the earth's minerals and gems.