10 Mythical Creatures That Actually Existed

The Myth: Dragons are one of the most pervasive creatures in all of mythology. They have been depicted in various ways throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa with some of the earliest examples including the mušḫuššu from ancient Mesopotamia, Apep in ancient Egyptian mythology, and the dragon from Beowulf.

In nearly every depiction, a dragon is a large serpentine creature with four legs and two wings. Almost all dragons can fly, and many breathe fire. Over the centuries, dragons created for fiction have included variations on color and ability, including the ability to breathe frost, survive in lava, and just about anything else people could imagine.

The Reality: There isn't a scholarly consensus regarding how cultures all over the world came up with dragons, but there are theories suggesting ancient people found dinosaur fossils, and they were the inspiration for these gigantic beasts.

Of course, it didn't necessarily have to be extinct dinosaurs that provided the inspiration for these mythical creatures. The bones of misunderstood fauna that were extant at the time could have led to similar conclusions. There are contemporary animals that could also have served as a source for dragon inspiration such as the Komodo dragon, iguanas, alligators, Gila monsters, and other large reptiles.