# New Findings on Smaug's Real-life Ancestors



## Squint-eyed Southerner (Apr 18, 2021)

Pterosaurs Had A 40-Foot Wingspan And A Giraffe-Like Neck


Azhdarchid pterosaur’s vertebrae contained bicycle-like spokes, providing stability to flying reptile’s long neck.




www.sciencefriday.com





I'm taking this as proof he existed.


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## Alcuin (Apr 18, 2021)

That pterosaur must have had pretty bad breath to match Smaug’s.


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## Squint-eyed Southerner (Apr 18, 2021)

I don't doubt it. 😁


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## Olorgando (Apr 19, 2021)

They all look more like ancestors of the Fell Beasts.
But then all of the biggies are of a late development stage, and notably tail_*less*_.
Earlier pterosaurs used to have longish tails, which made for more stable flight - which would make Smaug an earlier form of everything flying without feathers in Middle-earth.


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## Melkor (Mar 24, 2022)

There are two genera named after Tolkien's dragons.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smaug_(lizard)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glaurung_(reptile)

Smaug is genus of south African lizard and it really looks like a dragon.







Glaurung is genus of reptile from late permian (around 260 Ma ago) Europe. It was small gliding reptile which fed on insects. Though it looks like lizard, it isn't related to them. It wasn't capable of true fly, just gliding.






There is also one ancient late Triassic (around 200 Ma ago) archosaur called Smok (which is from Polish, it means dragon). Scientists don't agree on its classification, because it have some traits of theropod dinosaurs and some traits of rauisuchians (croc-like land predators from Triassic). It was the biggest predator in its time.






From all reptiles mosasaurs probably the most resembles Tolkien's dragons with their serpent-like body. The largest individuals of Mosasaurus hoffmanni may reach 17-18 m in lenght. However this group of reptiles is, unlike Tolkien's dragons, fully aquatic. They were quite diverse - from small 1 m specimens to large 17 m specimens. Some eat fish, some ammonites, some sea reptiles...


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