Albino Draco Alatus

Posted by Alex CF on February 27th, 2012

SOLD: inquiries please email me at alex.cf@hotmail.co.uk

Specimen is displayed in a large clear case, in an upright position, displaying its entire body.

specimen measures 35 inches x 35 inches x 9 inches

“A specimen of a very young Draco Alatus”

Although at first I thought that this was a rare pigmentation in the species Draco Alatus (in folklore the dragon), looking over previous specimens, it appears that the darker skin tones were apparently rarer and lead me to believe that albinism was indeed a common genetic trait, most probably the result of inbreeding. Having analyzed tissue samples we ascertained that the low survival rate of Draco Alatus in the last 400 years was mainly due to a very small gene pool. The species was apparently hunted to the brink of extinction and the few that remained, were very closely related, genetically as close as first cousins, and therefor gave rise to infant death, bizarre pigmentation changes and growth abnormality like that of wild Cheetahs in modern Africa.

We can tell from its size that it was only days out of the egg before it died of massive organ failure. Dwarfism and gigantism are common afflictions in inbred individuals, and sadly most of the specimens in the Merrylin collection, apart from two large adolescents and partial specimens of adult dragons, suffer these very young deaths. Dragons alive in the 19th century were isolated in Nepal, in the Himalayas, the only large vertebrate to survive the KT extinction. Evolutionary changes in the 65 million years were mostly in size, agility and intelligence, modern dragons were sapient, problem solving animals, like that of chimps and dolphins, they had complex social groups, courting rituals and nest building abilities, their parenting and nurturing also intricate. Up until around 40,000 years ago, they were one of the largest carnivores on earth, and were perhaps one of the only species to actively hunt early humans, alongside nocturnal hominids. The tables turned as humans developed more advanced hunting techniques, and took advantage of the Dracos slow learning to oppose the encroachment of man on all other species and their territory. The ice age also devastated the Draco population. Evolution had not prepared this species for dramatic temperature changes, and although warm blooded, and very bird like in their anatomy, lacked any form of insulation, their lithe, bodies stored little fat and they starved to death if not from pneumonia. A tragic story for such a majestic creature.

However, Merrylin did discover an enclave of many individuals still surviving in Nepal. These animals had human caretakers, and were deified. They apparently appeared healthy and not too stricken by inbreeding.

Please email alex.cf@hotmail.co.uk for purchasing details. Specimen is displayed upright in a clear case. specimen measures 35 inches x 35 inches x 9 inches