Tiny ‘Dragons’ Discovered In Indonesia And ‘Game of Thrones’ Fans Are About To Lose It

Fans of the hit HBO series Game of Thrones might want to sit down to read this. It turns out, dragons are real.

OK, OK, maybe not exactly the ferocious fire-breathers whisking Daenerys Targaryen off into the sunset, but researchers have found tiny flying lizards with wing-like flaps in Indonesia. The reptiles resemble the mythical creatures of fantasy novel lore so much, they’ve been bestowed with the scientific moniker, Draco volans.

The Draco’s wings, it turns out, have evolved over hundreds of years to allow the tiny reptiles – generally only about eight centimeters in length – to soar from tree to tree to evade predators, find insects for food, and attract mates. Researchers believe they can soar up to 30 feet at one time.

The main difference between these reptiles’ “wings” and birds (or dragons) is that they are in actuality a set of elongated ribs that extend and retract on command.

Unfortunately, these tiny creatures did not evolve with the ability to breathe fire. But that’s the beauty of evolution, maybe they just aren’t quite there yet.

One can only hope. Or maybe not…