Wyvern illustrated by Helen Ward in Dragonology: The Complete Book of Dragons
The Wyvern (Draco africanus) is the largest dragon species of the Dragonology-series and spends most of its time flying and "skywriting" with smoke.
Description[]
They are 18 to 20 feet high and 50 feet long. Colouration is green to greenish brown with paler green underparts and lime-green spots on the wings of older wyverns. In flight their call is similar to a crow, while they roar when attacking. They eat any large African mammals. Many people recall it mostly eating elephants. The nomadic wyvern sometimes makes nests on crags. The wyvern egg is very large with a thick bumpy shell which changes colour to match its surroundings. The chicks are brown and lose their spines as they get older.
Trivia[]
- The most famous wyverns are Jamal (Raised at Castle Drake), Uswassa (Part of the Dragon Express) and Salazaar (Lived to 158).
- Dragons Wiki contributor(and author of this article) Wyvern Rex has his name derived from a heraldic joke. It means, ironically, "King of pestilence."
Other Wyverns[]
In both European and heraldic lore and/or legend. It is said to have a dragons head, a serpent's body, bat's wings and forelegs plus a serpent's tail with a poisonous tip. In DragonLance it is said to have a scorpion-like tail and to have scales. Wyverns are found often in heraldry. The wyvern represents war, envy and pestilence and is a sign of strength to those who bear it.The origin of the word wyvern comes from thirteenth-century word wyver which in turn is derived from the French wyvere, which means both "viper" and "life."