#tagging that because. i guess. this is original property tm related

[augustheart]

four-legged dragon with wings and white scales and horns

Only one dragon in North America fits that bill, the Common Northern Dragon (Eurodraco terribilis borealis). One of two subspecies of the somewhat poorly named Common European Dragon, with the other being the Common American Dragon (E. terribilis americanus), the Northern Dragon has a wide range and is distributed throughout the northern hemisphere. Individual coloration ranges from dark grey to almost entirely white, with many individuals displaying great variation throughout their lives--comparatively southern specimens are typically darker while northern specimens are paler, but there is plenty of overlap.

Fun facts:

Like most dragon species, especially true dragons (family Draconidae), they display minimal sexual dimorphism except in size--with females being up to a third larger than males, similarly to in raptors--and in horn arrangement, with females displaying longer horns after reaching sexual maturity at three years of age. They use them for sparring with other females over territory.

Scientific debate is held over whether the Common Northern Dragon should be considered a subspecies at all! Some argue that given their physical variation from the type species E. terribilis, they should be promoted to their own species. Personally, I think this is... shaky at best. Physical variation in dragon subspecies is nothing new (the best example probably being Pyropedetes cornutus volcanus, the Hawaiian Salamander, which was originally considered its own species until genetic data showed it was a subspecies of American Horned Salamander), and genetically they are very similar to their type species. But if consensus swings the other way and they're deemed to be their own species, I won't be mad or anything.

As is typical for Eurodraco species, especially ones found in colder climates, clutch sizes are very small! No clutch larger than four eggs has ever been observed, and the average amount of eggs per clutch is two.

Juvenile siblings will occasionally stick together after leaving the nest for up to a year in order to cooperatively hunt.