TABLE OF CONTENTS

Night Fury 3
Taxonomy 4
Systematics 4
Ecology 6
Anatomy
Integumentary System 8
Skeletal System 10
Muscular System 12
Digestive System 14
Circulatory System 17
Respiratory System 19
Urogenital & Reproductive System 20
Nervous System 21
 Speed: Unknown. Size: Unknown. The
unholy offspring of lightning and death
itself. Never engage this Dragon. Your
only chance, hide and pray it does not
find you.

The Night Fury is the rarest of the known dragons in the How to
Train Your Dragon Universe. They are described as the fastest, smart-
est, and the most powerful dragons. The Night Fury is infamous for
its dive bomb attack and plasma blasts that are camouflaged by its
jet black coloration. Although they are considered as one of the most
dangerous dragons, Night furies are curious and expressive creatures.
They are fiercely loyal companions as exhibited by Toothless towards
Hiccup.

3
 TAXONOMY
GENUS: Eudraco

SPECIES: magnificus occidentalis

BREED: Night Fury

SYSTEMATICS
Dragons probably originated as a distinct group about 5,000
years ago, the earliest evidence of their existence coming from the
Sumerian civilization, in the form of the Tiamat. It had a scaled, wing-
less snake-like body, two legs, and a pair of horns on its head. It was
totally aquatic and was associated to storms and chaos. These char-
acteristics were found to be stable evolutionary traits among drag-
ons.

Over time, their number of legs increased to four or more, and

many dragons became winged. Similar to birds, the development of
wings led to the pronounced shortening of the body axis as an adapta-
tion to flight.

Dragons diverged into two main lines: Oriental towards the East
and European towards the West. By the close of the medieval period,
dragons were globally distributed. Their presence in cold areas of the
world suggests that they were warm-blooded. Firebreathing may also
support this proposition.

4
 SYSTEMATICS
Earlier European dragons were mostly flightless and aquatic, an
example of which is Nessiteras rhombopteryx, a modern survivor. In
areas of Roman occupation, hybridization in accordance to the Roman
military standard occurred, resulting in the Draco which are typically
winged. The classical winged, firebreathing firedrake was widespread
by 1100 years ago and survived until the 16th century, coexisting
with the earlier wingless form in some areas.

5
 ECOLOGY
Dragons are typically associated with rainfall, storms, and
floods. This would have been quite important in the relatively dry con-
ditions in Sumeria, the area of their initial evolution. The association
was retained even after their distribution to the less arid environ-
ments of Europe and China. In China, dragons dispensed rain in accor-
dance with instructions from the August Personage of Jade, relayed
through the four Dragon Kings to the local dragons in every water-
course and pool. In the west, dragons had the added role of heralding
other disasters. They are reported to have a predictive role in raids,
solar eclipses, and comets.

It is suggested that the feeding habits of dragons must have

had a major impact on current ecosystems. Dragons, being both om-
nivorous and voracious, ate large amounts of sheep, cattle, deer, po-
nies, birds (especially swallows), mice, and others. Vegetation, such as
lettuce, were eaten for largely medicinal purposes. It has been record-
ed that one dragon ate two sheep every day and another consumed
6,000 people daily.

It is difficult to estimate the population density of dragons, but

they largely vary. In England, dragons were solitary creatures, and res-
ident population averaged less than a few dozen, though occasional
migrant flocks of up to 400 dragons have been spotted. On the other
hand, in India, marshes and mountains were described as being full of
dragons.

6
 ECOLOGY
In truth, a dragon does not depend upon the environment for
warmth, but rather maintains a consistent internal temperature.
By broad definition, that makes dragons warm-blooded, but true
warm-blooded creatures maintain their body temperature by manip-
ulating their metabolism. In the case of dragons, elemental energy
flowing through a dragons bloodstream maintains the internal tem-
perature. Dragons that have fire- or heat-based attacks maintain the
highest body temperatures.

Most dragons were oviparous, but other modes of reproduction have

also been reported. Some were viviparous, and even had breasts to
feed their young. Some dragons developed from decomposing human
corpses. This last species had a holo-metabolous life cycle, wherein
maggots metamorphose into flies and then eventually dragons. Drag-
ons mature after 2,000 years, and live for 10,000 years.

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 ANATOMY
INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM

Night Furies have a sleek, dark body with black coloration. It has
faint lighter patterns like that of a Manta Ray. The Night Fury has two
pairs of wings similar to a bats, two mobile, ear-like appendages on
the back of its head that express mood and aid in hearing, as well as
other pairs around its jaw, marking age. The Night Fury lacks any kind
of horns. The Night Furys jet black color and dark scales camouflage it
with the night sky so its targets wont see it attack.

Scales

Not only do dragon scales serve as protection from natures

elements and physical attacks, but they also serve to intimidate en-
emies or attract mates. There are two types: regular scales (small
scales that line most of the dragons body) and scutes (the larger,
distinguishing scales on the body unique to only that dragon, like hu-
man fingerprints), such as the large scales on the Night Furys head.
Dragon scales are extremely heat resistant, but not totally fireproof.

8
 ANATOMY
INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM

Spines

Night Furies have short

and thin fin-like spines. This is
because the short fin-shaped
spines prevents greater air resis-
tance. There are hidden spines
on the Night Furys back. It can
extend them at will. These spines
are flat, leathery flaps that form
a V shape and extend from its
back to the end of tail. They give more maneuverability and control in
flight.

Wings

The dragons wings main

purpose is flight. However, they
are also used in fighting and
protection, like when used to re-
pel weapons. A unique property
of wings is their healing ability.
Dragon wings are suspected of
growing out from the forearm
and metacarpals of the wing
and dying and falling off when it
reaches the edge. This is quite
evident by the tattering at the edges of drag-
on wings where the damaged areas fall off.

9
 ANATOMY
SKELETAL SYSTEM

A dragons skeleton is able to withstand the greatest of im-

pacts. This is due to the fact that dragon bone is strong. In fact, it is
stronger than any known nonmagical material other than adamantine,
in terms of the amount of pressure it can withstand. While it is strong,
dragon bones are hollow like those of birds, making them remarkably
light for their size and strength. The marrow within is yet another re-
pository of the elemental energy that flows through the bloodstream.
A dragons skeletal system consists of more than five hundred sepa-
rate bones.

The Night Furys wingspan is approximately 48 feet. This allows

it to fly faster, longer and further than any of the other dragon breeds.
Its tail fins help keep balance, steer and maneuver in the air. The ster-
num serves as an anchor for a dragons flight muscles. The wing is
supported by the scapula draconis. The metacarpis draconis and alar
phalanges support the wings flight surface.

10
 ANATOMY
SKELETAL SYSTEM

Like the great white shark, the night fury has rows of teeth
behind the main ones. The teeth are unattached to the jaw and are
retractable, similar to a cats claw, moving into place when the jaw is
open. The teeth rotate on their own axis, moving outward when the
jaw is opened and inward when the jaw is closed.

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 ANATOMY
MUSCULAR SYSTEM

The Night Fury is also known to be very strong for a dragon of its
size. It can carry more than 350 pounds in flight.

Wing and chest muscles are dense and larger than any other
muscle group in the dragon. Despite this, the elemental energy cours-
ing through a dragons bloodstream is needed to help the dragon fly.

12
 ANATOMY
MUSCULAR SYSTEM

The main flight muscle is the alar pectoral, which allows the
wings downstroke. The alar latissimus dorsi draws the wing up and
behind, followed by the alar deltoid and alar cleidomastoid drawing
the wings forward. The pectoral muscles are also the most enduring.
Large quantities of blood flow through the muscles regularly, sweep-
ing away or destroying fatigue-causing toxins, allowing dragons to fly
for many minutes at full speed or cruise for days.

The muscles of the wings themselves serve to control the

wings shape in flight. The alar tricep and alar bicep fold and unfold the
wings, while the alar carpi ulnaris and alar carpi radialus can wrap and
twist the wings.

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 ANATOMY
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
The larynx of dragons contains a complex array of vocal cords.
A dragon can produce any sound from a dull rumble to a high-pitched
shriek undetectable by human ears.

The dragon gizzard contains two cavities: a smaller upper stom-

ach and the gizzard chamber. Elemental energy, coming from the
heart through the fundamentum, is stored in the upper stomach until
needed. It functions in two ways. First, it aids in digestion by flowing
into the gizzard at the arrival of food from the esophagus. After food
reaches the gizzard, the hard plates inside the organ, similar in com-
position to the horns and teeth, grind it up. The upper stomach bathes
the swallowed food in energy from its pool. Second, the gizzard com-
prises the Night Furys plasma blast.

Because dragons make use of supernatural energy as part of

their digestive process, they can consume and digest all sorts of
food. They can also consume substances that wouldnt qualify as
food to other living creatures, but they must compensate with quanti-
ty. The elemental aspect of a dragons digestive system also makes it
hyperefficient at digesting normal foods.

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 ANATOMY
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

15
 ANATOMY
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

FIRE
BREATHING?

Firebreathing is a misnomer, as the substance discharged by

dragons actually come from the upper stomach, more accurately vom-
ited than exhaled. Traces of this energy might leak from a dragons
upper stomach into the esophagus and out of the mouth or nares,
appearing like puffs of smoke or wisps of poison, giving rise to the
notion that the substance discharged by the dragon is from the respi-
ratory system.

The Night Furys firebreathing is distinct from the others in that,

instead of igniting and vomiting the elemental energy inside their
gizzard the way other dragons do, they electrically charge the mix of
oxygen and acetylene with their elemental energy and fire what ap-
pears to be pure plasma.

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 ANATOMY
CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

The source of a dragons power is its heart. This huge,

four-chambered organ is powerful enough to pump blood throughout
the entire dragon. The heart also generates the elemental energy that
grants dragons their breath weapons and other powers. This energy
suffuses the entire body through the blood. A dragons blood is thin
and dark, appearing black in dim lighting. Its temperature depends on
the variety of dragon.

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 ANATOMY
CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

The fundamentum is an organ unique to dragons. It is an enor-

mous blood vessel, like an extremely large, complex artery, or a rub-
bery hose, with a muscular outer layer capable of pumping blood sim-
ilar to the way the heart does. It channels the energy-rich blood from
the heart directly into the upper stomach of a dragons gizzard.

In Night Furies, fundamentioles leading up to the cephalic capil-

laries help the blood flow to the brain while it is flying - its secret to its
enhanced speed and endurance in flight.

Furthermore, in Night Furies, the elemental energy in their blood

is charged once the brain signals it to enter into Alpha Mode, which is
the Night Furys peak of the fight or flight response. The Night Furys
blood then surges with electric energy, causing its arteries to glow
blue, which is visible from the outside.

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 ANATOMY
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

The lungs occupy a huge portion of a dragons chest cavity, and

they closely resemble avian lungs, meaning they extract oxygen on
both inhalation and exhalation. This mechanism allows flight for ex-
tended periods of time. Furthermore, expansion and contraction of air
sacs, which facilitates air flow, is aided by wing movements.

Night furies are the swiftest and most agile dragons known.
They also have an extremely high stamina that gives Night furies the
capacity to continuously fly without breaks and in high altitudes. Their
highly specialized respiratory and circulatory system, along with their
hollow bone structure and integument, permit these characteristics.

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 ANATOMY
UROGENITAL SYSTEM

Dragons have large kidneys that assists in water retention,

which is a necessity for dragons.

As speculated due to Toothless behaviour, Night furies might

have lived near a body of water as Toothless is a good swimmer, and
his diet is mainly composed of fish.

Dragons have an internal reproductive system that makes them

challenging to identify. As mentioned, they lay eggs. During mating
season, male dragons have to catch the females in order to repro-
duce. Female dragons often fly in extremely high altitudes and only
the fastest male dragon can catch here. Afterwards, they enfold each
other with their wings and free fall.

There are no differences between male and female Night furies

besides their reproductive organs. They are solitary creatures except
during mating season wherein they copulate in one island. It is said
that Toothless may be the last of the Night furies.

FEMALE

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MALE
 ANATOMY
NERVOUS SYSTEM

Dragons are highly adapted to their surroundings; they are an

animal of senses: visual, audio, smell, touch and taste. Two senses are
the most vital: visual and audio. These are crucial to their very sur-
vival because it affects what they eat and if they get eaten. Thus, a
large portion of their brain is devoted to analyzing received data, and
sending it throughout the brain and the other sensory cortices. Two
of these sensory cortices are extremely intertwined, over stimulat-
ing one can affect the other: the audio cortex and the visual cortex.
Too much sound can affect the vision of a dragon. Also, this is shown
through the echolocation of Night Furies. Night Furies do this by using
a special roar, which still remains within human hearing range. This roar
bounces off all objects and obstacles nearby and allows the dragon to
avoid them, even at high speeds.

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 ANATOMY
NERVOUS SYSTEM

Dragons have a connection of the learning and memory portions

of the brain with their reptilian brain, which handles rage, the fight-
or-flight mechanism, and other instinctive behaviors. Thick tracts
form this connection, incorporating anything a dragon learns into its
instinctive behavior. Learned techniques such as effective combat
and hunting tactics become an innate part of the dragons automatic
responses.

The Night Fury is extremely intelligent, its intelligence being

among highest of all the dragons. They can understand speech, mim-
ic actions, and express human emotion. They even show leadership
among dragons, are able to outsmart threats, and show creativity.
With its complex vocal cords, a Night Fury can mimic sounds, such as
the calls of other dragons, and, with special training, even some hu-
man words.

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 REFERENCES
http://www.draconian.com/body/body.htm

http://dragons.wikia.com/wiki/Dragon_Physiology_(Dungeons_%26_Dragons)

http://howtotrainyourdragon.wikia.com/wiki/Dragon_Anatomy

http://howtotrainyourdragon.wikia.com/wiki/Night_Fury

https://www.pinterest.com/arizbratt1366/toothless-the-night-fury/

http://imgur.com/gallery/PCHFje6

http://www.schoolofdragons.com/how-to-train-your-dragon/dragons/toothless

http://dangref.deviantart.com/art/Night-Fury-Anathomy-sketches-469668850

http://chiseledrocks.com/main/galleries/dragon_anatomy/topics/dragon_anatomy_skel-
eton

http://67.media.tumblr.com/67b910fe3bc126b0e9c9c37db841566b/tumblr_inline_
nhimbrP7hd1s8zbfz.gif

http://tiggercat12.deviantart.com/art/Night-Fury-Skeleton-395947756

Hogarth, P. (1989). Ecological aspects of dragons. Journal of Biological Education,

23(2), 115-118

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