Swamp dragon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).
This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article.
Please improve it or discuss changes on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions.

Swamp dragons (draco vulgaris) are fictitious creatures from Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels.

Swamp dragons are small, fly badly and tend to explode, due to the generation of various flammable gasses in their internal plumbing. They are, in short, dragons as they would have to be in order to work in reality. For some reason they are popular pets, and there are a number of different breeds.

Far in the past, some of them learnt how to utilise magic to become the graceful creatures of legend (draco nobilis). However this took more magic than the Discworld could really provide, and they disappeared into a pocket dimension. They can be released, briefly and singly, by a sufficient expenditure of magical force. (See The Colour of Magic and Guards! Guards!)

Swamp dragons are also related to Moon dragons (draco lunaris) and Star-voyaging dragons (draco stellaris nauticae) as seen in The Last Hero. (See Fauna of Discworld for more information on dragons.)

A male swamp dragons is called a pewmet between hatching and eight months, a cock between eight and fourteen months, a snood between fourteen months and two years, and a cobb between two years and death. A female swamp dragon is called a hen until her third clutch, and a dam thereafter. A dead swamp dragon of either sex is called a crater.

There is a small Fancy in Ankh-Morpork, whose enthusiasm equals that shown by the breeders of pigeons - although they face practical problems not normally encountered by pigeon breeders. Lady Sybil Ramkin and the Dowager Duchess of Quirm are among its keener members. Lady Ramkin has written "Diseases of the Dragon" to aid the less experienced breeder. A dragon refuge - the Sunshine Sanctuary for Sick Dragons - has her financial support. The Sanctuary is located at the Ramkin town house in Scoon Avenue, and can provide help and advice for those whose pets are unwell.

The breeding of swamp dragons can be an interesting and rewarding hobby, but those who wish to take it up are cautioned that, especially in the early years, much disappointment and financial loss can be avoided by buying only from reputable suppliers, and by taking expert advice as soon as possible when encountering a problem. Novices are further cautioned that, as with any animal for which the medical description of the consequences of indigestion include the term 'blast radius', they should ensure that they are adequately equipped and provisioned BEFORE acquiring a specimen.

Warning Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should a swamp dragon be allowed free rein to ingest as much as it pleases of moon dragons' normal feed, as this is vastly more energizing than Ankh-Morpork's usual fare, and will be rather disastrous when they flame.

 v • d • e 
Characters:

Tiffany Aching • Albert • Angua • The Auditors of Reality • The Bursar • Canting Crew • Carrot Ironfoundersson • Cohen the Barbarian • Fred Colon • Death • Detritus • Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler • Gaspode • Granny Weatherwax • Greebo • Hex • Igor • Bloody Stupid Johnson • Leonard of Quirm • The Librarian • Lu-Tze • The Luggage • Magpyr family • Mort and Ysabell • Nanny Ogg • C.W. St J. Nobbs • Moist von Lipwig • Mr. Pin and Mr. Tulip • Mustrum Ridcully • The Great God Om • Rincewind • Susan Sto Helit • Ponder Stibbons • General Tacticus • Twoflower • Verence II of Lancre • Havelock Vetinari • Samuel Vimes • Lady Sybil Vimes • The Witches • Discworld gods • more...
Locations:

Discworld (world) • Ankh-Morpork • Agatean Empire • Death's Domain • Djelibeybi • Dungeon Dimensions • Ephebe • Genua • Klatch • Lancre • Pseudopolis • Quirm • Sto Lat • Überwald • Unseen University • more...
Other:

City Watch • Thieves' Guild • Assassins' Guild • Clacks • Guilds • Magic • Post Office • Stealth Chess • Minor Discworld concepts
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../s/w/a/Swamp_dragon.html"