[RightWhale]

embryonic chicks have umbilical cords

True, but the mystery is how the dragon has both wings and forearms. Not of the animal kingdom.

[eastforker]

So, it must be a demon then. One wonders how ancient sculptors and artist depicted demons and such.Then again, they also depicted UFO's and such, go figure.

[null and void]

True, but the mystery is how the dragon has both wings and forearms. Not of the animal kingdom.

Yes, a wyvern is a far more probable creature...

[aruanan]

True, but the mystery is how the dragon has both wings and forearms. Not of the animal kingdom.

It was something that happened with a hox gene. The hox gene is indispensable for the invertebrate body plan (Evolutionary biology: Hox genes drive insect body plan, www.nature.com/nature/links/020221/020221-1.html). hox C gene clusters are also required for the mouse body plan (Dev Biol. 2000 Apr 15; 220(2): 333-42). We all know how close a mouse is to a shrewlike insectivore and that a shrewlike insectivore was antecedent to the bat, so why not something reptilian/avian with a throwback to a six appendage ancestor?

[aruanan]

It was something that happened with a hox gene.

Of course, it could also be the hoax gene.

[scouse]

embryonic chicks have umbilical cords

Some of the chicks I used to date always tried to turn rheir umbilical cords into apron strings.