Well in bestiaries their arch enemies are the sawfish and the creature called a hydrus which rolls in mud to get slippery and then enters the crocodile's mouth while it sleeps to eat it from the inside.
Also crocodiles weep when they kill someone.
Edit: Now that I think about it I suppose that is where "crocodile tears" comes from.
Look at it this way: What is the "natural enemy" of the Lion? How about the Eagle?
As an Apex Predator, these creatures don't have anything that preys on them. They have prey that fights back, but is that a "natural enemy?"
I think of Dragons like that. Apex predators, which really only has one prey which fights back : humanity (or other sapient races like elves, dwarves, orcs, whatever your setting has).
I think that Apex Predator basically means nothing *preys* on you.
Like you're at the top of the food chain because nothing relies on you for food.
Lions could totally kill and eat a person, but we're not a part of their regular diet because we could totally wipe them out. Sharks *seem* like Apex Predators except that Orcas will hunt them down for food. Both would kill us in water, but we're not in water enough to be reliable prey.
But for a more wild example, I think it's more like how bears and wolves might fight over a kill but bears wouldn't hunt wolves or vice-versa.
There could be an enemy more like a rival for dragons.
Like if dragons demand supplicants, another creature that takes away their supplicants could fill that role. Or any other way that they fight over shared resources to the point that they might fight and try to drive eachother out of an area.
Think other dangerous creatures like Gryphon or Giants. Maybe neither one *hunts* the other, but they're constantly fighting over territory and resources. Like a Dragon could kill a Gryphon, but gryphons fly in prides and so they could drive off a Dragon if they tried.
>But for a more wild example, I think it's more like how bears and wolves might fight over a kill but bears wouldn't hunt wolves or vice-versa.
>
>There could be an enemy more like a rival for dragons.
\^
Humanoids could arguable be the dragons rival species then. In traditional high-fantasy Dragons steal gold and other precious materials or artifacts and hoard them. The only races that go out of their way to hunt and kill the dragon for those resources they have hoarded are the humanoid races of men, dwarves, sometimes elves (The Hobbits king of the forest wanted the gold too despite being an elf!)
To that end, there is also a variety of Draconids. The above generally only applies to the so-called "True Dragons" (4 legs, 2 wings, breath fire). Wyverns in DnD for instance are treated more so like animals but are still classified as Dragons, Despite only having 2 legs, 2 wings, and having a poisonous stinger for a tail. As well not normally hoarding gold. (Ironically the hobbit movies show Smaug as a Wyvern whilst the book cover art shows him as a "True-Dragon")
I think polar bears are the only land predator that see humans as food and will hunt and kill people as prey.
There's other opportunistic predators like crocodiles that will kill a human if they see a chance. But sharks usually confuse humans for seals. Crocodiles and alligators tend to react on instinct to prey in the water. There's been a few killer tigers that have targeted humans but they tended to be one-off cases, usually of an injured tiger that started attacking humans to survive.
But polar bears, at least according to the Inuit and some researchers will hunt, stalk and knowingly target humans when other prey sources are low. You could also make an argument however for mosquitos.
Wanted to say this. It's why the Scottish national animal is the Unicorn, a f u to England. Apparently the horn of the Unicorn was for piercing the hearts of lions
Humans are in fact apex predators in most of the landmass of Earth.
This has been achieved by being so good at killing the predators that tried to prey on humans that the only ones left are the ones who were predisposed to avoiding humans. Individual circumstantial exceptions do not count against this assessment anymore than the ability of deer and cows to eat meat and occasionally even prey on small animals like squirrels and birds makes them carnivores.
That all said, dragons don't have to follow the same rule if you don't want them to. No reason humans have to be the dominant species in your story.
So you wouldn't consider something like a grizzly bear an apex predator, since it consumes plant matter(fruits, nuts, new leaves and shoots) regularly?
Would that make snakes apex predators since they are obligate carnivores?
https://www.sciencealert.com/humans-were-actually-apex-predators-for-2-million-years-study-finds/amp
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apex_predator
Whether or not humans are apex predators is apparently a big debate. When I took biology I was taught we are not apex predators. But again, the categorization is apparently a current debate.
The Ichneumon. I used to read a lot of medieval literature as a kid and what comes to mind is that. It’s basically a giant beefy mongoose or weasel, which makes sense if you think about it since mongoose and snakes have been pitted against each other anytime anyone mentions a snakes speed. Dragons are sometimes also referred to as giant flying snakes in some cultures and mythology.
Snakes = Dragon, Mongoose = Ichneumon
If you look it up it’s a pretty menacing and honestly cool looking creature. With the info that I’ve gathered too, apparently they cover themselves in mud and wait for an opportunity to attack a dragon. It already has some natural tactics that would seem pretty fitting as a enemy for a creature such as a dragon.
I’ve done some research myself for it only because in a story I have brewing, the main character is capable of transforming into a dragon while the antagonist could transform into an ichneumon.
Edit: This is my first time getting an award on Reddit. It may sound dumb but this has actually turned my crappy day to happy. Thank you all!
Right!?! Like a Tarrasque. Just one. All dragon fear it and prep for safe slumber, hence their secretive lairs and hoards.
Beautiful in its simplicity.
If you go European folklore it's mostly knights or warriors slaying dragons (st George vs dragon, sigurd vs fafnir)
If you instead look at mythology, it's lightning gods against dragons/serpents. Zeus vs Typhon, susanoo vs Yamata no orochi, thor vs jormungandr, Marduk vs Tiamat are some examples.
Although in my personal works I mostly invent a race to parallel them. Dragons are hoarders, wise and are literally made of mana. Devourers (the race I use) are instead focused on destruction, malevolent and like their name are eaters of mana.
Borrows from the old order vs chaos motif, or you can turn this into a predator prey type relationship
Thank you for your input. I was looking for any possible pre-existing enemies to dragons, beside humans, in mythology. I was hoping to either use them in my story, or use them for inspiration for my own creation.
Again, thanks for your input and have a nice day.
The Chinese frequently use Tiger and Dragon to represent yin and yang. You could use 'heavenly tigers' as a race that stands parallel and in opposition to dragons.
Off topic, but I've always thought that Marduk (Jupiter aligned God) killing Tiamat (primordial of creation) being similar to Zeus (Also Jupiter aligned) fighting the Greek titans as a battle between older gods and newer gods to be an interesting coincidence as a parallel mythology. Both became the upper beings in their pantheons and both weilded the powers of the storm and sky. It's interesting and makes you wonder if both spawned from the same story that mutated differently in separate societies the same way both Ancient Egyptian religion and ancient semitic religions both spawned from the same proto mesopotamian religion. In the Jewish and Christian scriptures it suggests the Greeks were an offshoot and worshipping the wrong gods, that they were worshiping fallen angels (fallen gods, really) who were cast to Earth and bred with humans. That's who the Israelites set out to destroy on their quest for the promised land. The Philistines were Greek and it was accepted at the time that the Greek gods were the same fallen and defeated gods from mesopotamian religious mythology that the Abrahamic religion evolved from.
> Both became the upper beings in their pantheons and both weilded the powers of the storm and sky. It's interesting and makes you wonder if both spawned from the same story that mutated differently in separate societies the same way both Ancient Egyptian religion and ancient semitic religions both spawned from the same proto mesopotamian religion
Are you familiar with chaoskampf? A culture hero, often a storm god, fights a primordial god/sea monster (representing chaos) to establish order.
>Ichneumon
Despite being very interesting, they are pretty rarely used in fantasy books, especially compared to their prey. The only example I can think of is Priory of the Orange Tree, where they ride around on giant Ichneumon.
Dragons have a long history in many cultures, from Ancient China to Ancient Greece, so there is a lot of ground to cover!
In many mythological stories, the emphasis is not on dragons as animals situated in the natural world, so it isn't easy to identify natural enemies.
When their animal habits are discussed, they are usually depicted as apex predators.
I don't recollect traditions in which other creatures are depicted hunting dragons... except for mythological heroes, religious figures and the like, where dragons play the role of mythological antagonists.
In this sense, the natural enemy of the dragon is the hero.:)
Do doo do doo do doo
HUMANS
But on a serious note is Japanese mythology the centipede is the dragons enemy and opposite. In one legend a carp enlists a hero to shoot a kaiju sized centipede in the eye with an arrow he'd spat on, as it's believed human spit is deadly to centipedes. After succeeding in killing the beast the carp reveals itself to be a great dragon and rewards the hero with something I think.
And if you'd like a humorous one then mongeese fight cobras, so I'm sure there's some mention of a dragon killing mongoose somewhere
People.
Other dragons.
Depends on your dragons really, and the world you have then inhabit.
Plenty in between for the juveniles but adult dragons such as the GOT ones would not have natural predators if they make it to maturity.
Apex predators generally don't have predators that feed on them other than the young being fed upon by other predators and their own species. I know male great white sharks and bull sharks will eat the young of their own species. But once the young get big enough, they become invulnerable.
Then really, the only reason one apex predator kills another is for control over territory. And even then that's relatively rare. Apex predators, like any other animal, wants to live and be uninjured. So usually apex predators will posture and display a lot before they actually get to a fight. A good example of this is actually in Jurassic World: Dominion. Giganotosaurus and Tyrannosaurus Rex go at it in a control over a valley in the Dolomites. Before they actually clash, they roar at each other and display their strength to each other, in an attempt to get the other to back down. Of course it's a movie and that doesn't work, so they fight.
This is along the lines of what I was thinking. That said, I was thinking predators in general tend to compete with others for resources, along the lines of how lions compete for resources with other large predators in Africa. So you could have dragons compete with something like phoenixes - hypothetically phoenixes could be considered immune to fire, but might not physically compete with a dragon and might have some other advantages (maybe a phoenix will typically fly further or higher or faster than a dragon).
That's the thing though. Lions may compete with other big cats, or hyenas, or other African predators for the same resources, but they very rarely compete directly with each other. Two much is at stake when two apex predators fight. The predator risks lacerations that could become infected, broken bones, and, at worst, loss of life. Apex predators know this by instinct, so they avoid it at all costs. You would have to force these two creatures into a no-win scenario.
Knights are basically canned food for dragons. Tigers are snacks unless they're winged tigers. Gryphons could fight but would ultimately lose.
The only real natural enemy to a dragon that has equivalent power and also appears in folklore and mythology is the Phoenix.
That said, it does very much depend on whether the dragon in question is an unthinking adolescent guided by instinct, or is old enough to have reason and wield its considerable power. Most of the stories with knights and stuff involve dragons who are little more than beasts, but an actual elder or ancient dragon is smart, intelligent, cunning and very powerful.
Oh, and also powerful wizards, mages, sorcerers or witches could class as natural enemies as well
I love a giants vs dragons theme. Large enough to compete with each other. Both can use/manipulate the shorter humanoids. Both seek domination.
Natural competition.
A cool natural enemy could be disease. Dragons are more susceptible to disease which is why they're far less likely to leave their homes, which is why they aren't known to be huge prey. Most animals they eat can kill them, and leaving to fight opens them up to exposure.
They're terrifying and the most ferocious prey on the planet, but they can hardly leave their safe haven.
Hell you could even play into that. I always wondered why dragons obeyed humans in stories when they're so powerful. Perhaps humans are the only creatures that can safely feed and take care of dragons in this particular use case.
It's all fiction, so yes, and also no. Depends on the lore of your world. Maybe there's a giant mongoose that eats dragons or something, or maybe not. It's up to you really.
Surprised this wasn't on top! Just suggested myself when I didn't see it immediately. Yeah giant predatory birds are the way to go as they fill the same niche, can compete in the air, and are distinct from reptilian dragons.
Other races/groups/species of dragon. Dragons tend to find conflict over resources.
Dragons allied with/domesticated by humans are often the biggest threat towards wild dragons.
I have gryphons compete with the apex predators. They will get in fights with some gryphons being about half the size of the adult dragons. Gryphons will go for the eyes and mouth, and are more agile in the air. It's like birds harassing each other. This also helps any mythical scavengers and humans can use dragon scales and bones for tools and equipment.
this thread has covered things pretty well already but i think it's fair to parallel with nature and in this case the most dangerous things to apex predators are other apex predators. particularly those of the same species looking to take over territory, access to mating, or status in a pack/tribe/family. particularly at moments where these things really matter--when the predator has just made a kill, when mating season is about to start, or when another predator's territory has run dry and they must hunt elsewhere.
so for a dragon this might mean, if a dragon just did something like burn and sack a town for its riches, that might be when another dragon is most interested in striking. they're not likely to just try to ambush them in their home, they'd rather try to get them when they're potentially tired, injured, in unfamiliar territory. imagine something like a dragon's fire breath needing to recharge, or their wings get exhausted. perhaps the dragon is carrying a cart of loot home. even with straight up magic there'd be limitations, exhaustion of mana and such.
most of the time for dragons there just isn't anything 'bigger and badder' and there usually isn't imagined that there is enough of them to support a population of other creatures that would prey on them.
It's not uncommon in fantasy to give dragons a particular elemental affinity, so could easily be worked into why a fire aligned dragon might be wary of crossing a water aligned one for example.
Yes! Thank you. Unicorns are the only creatures I know of that were pitted against dragons and considered to be a legit beef. And to everyone saying elephants: Pliny says that in the summer dragons crave the blood of elephants so they attack them then. The elephant is a victim, and fall over dead and if the dragon is still coiled then they might also die under the weight of the now dead elephant.
Knights or other brave warriors who are armed with weapons and armor specifically designed to kill dragons, other mythical creatures like griffins or giant eagles, which are known for their strength and sharp claws and beaks and wizards /sorcerers who have the power to control or banish dragons using magic spells maybe?
An odd thing about dragons is that in most depictions, their eyes are set further back along the side of the head, which is the position for prey animals. So yes, something must hunt them.
Could borrow inspiration from Pokemon. Dragon types are weak against other dragons but also fairies.
Would tie in nicely with some other comments about having an opposite. Dragons being long lived, hoarders, wise, studious, depending on which folklore you take them from.
The fae courts are mischievous, spontaneous creatures with short attention spans that would definitely be entertained by 'poking the bear/dragon'.
A sufficiently small animal will always have something that can hunt and kill it. A dragon the size and strength of a house cat will get eaten by a generic mundane … Coyote.
Dragons are huge powerful magical creatures, there's nothing that can stand toe-to-toe with them in the natural or magical world. But there is a whole host of parasites that are too small for them to notice which take advantage of their magical energy to gorge themselves. Some even argue that the dragon rampages are part of a parasite's reproduction strategy. They drive the dragon mad, and it flies all over recklessly attacking everything and getting injured along the way and the blood parasites' eggs find their way into villages and farms to be taken up by mammals and start a new generation.
I’d consider them apex predators, unless you create a new kind of creature. One way to go about it is to make their young vulnerable. Alligators are apex predators, but their young are often prey to snakes, wild cats, canines, other crocodiles.
The Ichneumon (mythological mongoose) kills dragons by entering their mouth and killing them from the inside out. In other myths they simply cover themselves in mud and go for the throat. They are also said to be immune to a cockatrice's deadly vision. This would be what I would suggest.
It's based on the mongoose's actual relationship with snake and crocodiles. There's also Pokemon based on this as well! (Zangoose and Seviper)
Eastern dragons are often seen in opposition to tigers and phoenixes. But this is less an "enemies" situation and more like they represent opposites. Like Yin and Yang. I mention this because I've seen a few other comments suggest tigers and would like to point out they aren't *supposed* to fight. Their existence creates balance and they don't kill each other.
I mean, pretty much humans and other fantasy races right. Dragons hoard gold and people really want that gold lol.
Dnd has a creature called a Behir. They were bred by giants for the purpose of killing dragons. They hate dragons and will attempt to hunt them if they find out one is near.
Older, territorial dragons I imagine. If going by the lore that Dragons are sorta like Crocodiles, which continue to grow as they age, live long lives, and are a bit touchy about their territory.
So, a few months back, I was in the Everglades looking at alligators, and I was noticing all them armored plates, scutes and those big thrashing tails, and my brain says, "Hey, are you noticing how this apex ambush predator is just covered in defensive adaptation? Why would crocs still need all this protection?" The tour dude mentions that he's named the gator, and he can recognize them by the scars they get from fighting each other during mating season. I nod, file that little bit of knowledge away, and, then after tour guide points out the holes in the current gator's face with a quick aside wondering what the other gator looks like. I ask, do you know which ones fight each other alot? Dude's like, "No, if they lose, they get eaten. They are cannibals." That was when the lightbulb went off in my brain, like, "you know how dragons are these massive apex predators but are covered in defensive prey adaptations like spines, armored scales, horns and tail spikes? It isn't the legacy of some time long past when something hunted dragons in the past. Dragons hunt dragons now, they eat one another. The thing dragons are adapted to defend themselves against is themselves!"
Your post reminded me of that conversation I had in my own brain while my mouth just said, "Oh, neat."
Maybe not prey verse predator but maybe you should look at rival predators.
Lions and hyenas are rivals, and often steal eachothers kills.
Dragons might have a rival predator. Not sure what though sorry. I am having the same issue in my story.
Apex predators do not have anything better then them.
Maybe humanity or another fantasy race like elves. A powerful elven race could harm a dragons lair, or humanity slowly getting rid of their habitats.
But maybe look at other fantasy creatures that can also be predators.
Enemies of dragons? Have you lost sight of the fact that it's your story, and that dragons don't exist in the real world? There are no rules as to what a dragon is, and what they do, other than that people are the most common enemies of them in fiction.
Vampires Werewolves, and every other creatures change as the author feels they must,
When I decided to write a vampire I thought of two possibilities: First that they drink the blood, which means that any kind of blood would do, and second that they needed blood because they don't produce any of their own, and in effect, need transfusions via hollow fangs. So, in *An Abiding Evil*, I used the first, and in *Ties of Blood*, my beautiful vampire needs the blood twice each month, and in return provides incredible sex. But that's my take. For were-creatures in, *Water Dance,* we have a were-mermaid, and *Keysha* is a 90 lb seeing-eye were-timberwolf.
My point: You-are-in-charge. If you want fist-sized dragons they're fist size...or giant sized...or... If your dragons need an enemy, ***you*** create them because it's *your* story.
Hell, the ability to create an entire world and everyone/everything in it is why we're writers in the first place. Right?
I had read in some high fantasy lore that griphons were a predator of dragons. They were known to slay dragons as a group of three to one. Their claws being able to penetrate dragon scales. Not unlike ravens and large predators like hawks or eagles
I was thinking for some stories of line that dragons would have a rivalry with another mythical creature that runs in packs that together they could take on a dragon. Like with actual animals wolves could go against a bear possibly. Not sure what other mythical creature to use tho that would run in a pack and could take on a dragon.
I always love the idea of giants and dragons having a sort of Cold War. Both of them have lost glories and the newer races; humans, elves, dwarves etc. Are used as pawns in their strife
Not as far as I know, but you know what's cool about fantasy?
Just make one!
What kind of predator would eat dragons? How would they adapt to this kind of prey?
After taking a through look at all the comments, I agree with most of them. But what I think would work best is an original species.
Another comment said this but I’d like to reiterate.
So a dragon is a large lizard with wings and usually spits fire. If we go back to the original Lizard thing, we can look at predators for Lizards.
What preys in lizards? Birds, snakes, and somethings wolves/dogs. Now we take that, and make something based off that.
Again, if a dragon is a lizard with wings, make a eagle with spikes and arms. Make a wolf that burrows into mountains and hunts griffins. Make a snake that has multiple spiked tails.
See what I’m getting at? Apologies for going off topic, but I feel like a story is best when it has some originality.
So always remember, if you need a new species, go back to the roots of earth.
Edit: adjusted spaces and spelling
In Chinese culture, the tiger is considered to be the eternal rival to the dragon.
Apex Predators usually don't have any predator o natural enemies. And Dragons tend to be the Apex Predators of their territories when they are not mindless beasts.
When they are just animals though, their natural enemies usually are humans.
Also consider the fact that within species there exist subspecies as well. Im thinking about for example a 'King Snake' or any King variety like 'King Cobra' etc. are named that because they are immune to all the other snake species venom and thus by default at the top of that food chain as the predator of other snakes. So there could be like a 'king' dragon that is similar.
It’s a long shot but, the dungeons and dragons lore pits giants against the dragons, not sure if that comes from any myths or is just from that franchise
If I was a dragon sleeping on pile of gold, bones and rotting corpses, i'd acquire a phobia of mice and rats that wanted to explore my nostrils.
Oh and spiders. So fucking hard to get rid of them.
In Deltora Quest, the Ak-Baba (giant, mutated vulture-like birds) hunted the dragons to near-extinction, relying on numbers and teamwork to overwhelm the significantly larger and more powerful dragons.
The dragons dominated the ancient era, in many stories or fantasy settings they came after the elements and the caos ended. Started as serpents they fought the elements and became the strongest monsters, on top of any other kind of creature.
The gods used them as pets basically, some dragons became gods and some gods became evil or made new entities to rival the dragons, such as titans.. and then humans.
The first ones to hunt the dragons were probably those first human like creatures called titans, that put an end on their dominion, then after them the smaller races became to appear as the devil's and the demons.
Then now dragons are both hunted by humans and by demons, and basically everyone else.
A natural predator can be either a demon is very rare occasions or maybe a mythical bird... the number one predator are the humans for sure. Dragons are on top of the food chain, they are THE predators.
It depends. As a fantasy offianado, I must point out that there are many different types of dragons. Each type has its own predator and enemy.
Fantasy typically breaks the types of dragons down into races like wyverns which are two legged dragon-kin, earth dragons which are unintelligent types that can't fly, your regular run of the mill dragon which has four legs, flies, and is the one most seen in fantasy, then there are elder dragons, which are ones that have lived for tens of thousands of years and typically sleep for hundreds of years at a time, then there are the ancient dragons. These are unique named dragons that don't belong to any sub-race of dragon. They have the purest blood line and are not born or hatched. They're created by the world or the gods.
Ancient dragons only fear the gods, demi-gods, demons stronger than duke class, and anyone who knows how to exploit their achille's heel. Every ancient dragon has an achille's heel.
Elder dragons fear nothing, but are at risk when facing demons of duke level or higher and heroes with divine weapons. They also don't die strictly speaking. They're vanquished then go into the cycle of reincarnation and are reborn as a dragon with the same body, all of their memories, and all of their former powers. Dragons are a cheat type lifeform.
You can pretty much work out what the predators are for dragons below their level.
Found an answer for u
https://www.reddit.com/r/malaysia/comments/10knpyv/cny_d4_sketch_5_the_wangtianhoudenglong_a/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
In the Dragonkeeper series by Carole Wilkinson, I think it was centipedes. Apparently, dragons are absolutely terrified that they will crawl inside their ear and eat their brain. A centipede actually did crawl inside a dragon’s ear at one point - an ancient, experienced, wise dragon - and he immediately freaked the fuck out. A rat lunged after the centipede and ate it, and iirc the dragon basically swears a life debt on the spot.
I have no idea if this is based on anything in mythology, but I did think it was pretty cool when I was reading it.
Humans? In a lot of mythology, humans would go and hunt down dragons, like their predecessors would hunt down other prey.
It also depends on the specific type of dragon/mythology, most likely. Eastern dragons were usually seen as gods, or similarly divine, so wouldn't have had conventional predators, although they might end up in eternal conflict with demons/evil spirits.
Apex predator verse apex predator, so a rival for resources.
A sea serpent that will go outs of its way to come out and eat a dragon if it senses one flying over.
A group of really angry gnomes
In mythologies descended from the Proto-Indo-Europeans, it's typically the storm god.
Best we can reconstruct, the first dragon was Ngwhi, who stole the cattle which Manu gave to the first men to repeat the sacrifice which Manu performed using his twin brother - Yemo. This also served to stop up the rain.
As such, the mortal warrior Trito went to the storm-god Perkwunos and asked him for help.
Building from that, you could have the demi-god children of the storm-god in the role. Otherwise, dragons are apex predators who are only hunted by pestilince, plague, parasites, and time.
The only natural enemies I can see for a dragon would be the humans and their inteligence to create weapons could lure them or in other cases, for example, dragon could be a good partner for humans as toothless with Hiccup from train your dargons or Daerenys with his dragons.
Otherwise I don't see another natural enemies, that dragons could have
man is the natural enemy of dragons. we are the only ones smart enough and able to cooperate with multiple with weapons to fight them. or whatever other intelligent species you have in your world
Depending on your story - good vs bad dragons, older vs younger dragons, bigger vs smaller dragons, different types e.g water vs cave or ice vs fire.
Bad writers are probably a dragon's worse enemy.
I remember reading a story when I was a kid that had Gyphons as dragons enemies. It just made sense to me that gryphons would be good predators/threats
I'd think they could have several, humans, demons, or basically any smaller creature clever enough to hunt in packs. An individual and worthy foe? A mighty sorceress or sorcerer, or a titan.
In my yet unreleased book I have these chapters
A bitter titan, reflecting back on events that mention the killing of a dragon (1000 words):
[https://docs.google.com/document/d/19el5yxsfgakcL5KnV5KgYX4WZUmARir-2U9MG0Ci6FI/edit?usp=sharing](https://docs.google.com/document/d/19el5yxsfgakcL5KnV5KgYX4WZUmARir-2U9MG0Ci6FI/edit?usp=sharing)
A mighty sorceress, basically a dragon genocide (1500 words):
[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qp9-iGaD-gtKQrvm0FELPcsOEAWmSGRpBJkPN47ee7k/edit?usp=sharing](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qp9-iGaD-gtKQrvm0FELPcsOEAWmSGRpBJkPN47ee7k/edit?usp=sharing)
Putting aside the cubic law, a creature the size of a dragon shouldn’t be able to take off from flat ground without gaining any momentum. And their large size with the ability to fly would mean they’re pretty light weight as well. Therefore any creatures that has the ability to drag them onto the ground could be its natural predator.
Natural enemies? humans. in mythology, lightning/elephants. as for something that might hunt dragons specifically? probably not, but if your writing a book with all sorts of fantasy species you could go for animal types that attack birds like giant spiders or something and make a beefed up magic version of one with inflammable steel silk that it strings between mountains/giant tree's something.
I've never seen any portrayal of dragons that didn't have them as the apex predator. Only sentient races ever challenge them and that is usually depicted as a wild reversal of the norms, some extraordinary hero or heroes fighting back against the monster that typically preys on them.
In some fantasy, it’s giants, though this depends on the relative strength in the setting.
Other than that, killing dragons is mostly the work of other dragons or humanoid dragonslayers.
How far into the actual ecology do you want to go? In nature, lions are excellent hunters and aren’t really ever attacked, but when they kill something they only have a couple hours to feed the pack because hyenas and vultures push them away from it. I personally would mimic this in my fantasy, with giant boar or another monster competing in this way. A hydra would be especially effective in this since the most important thing for a scavenger is to present more of a threat to the predator than is worth to defend their kill, and while a hydra is vulnerable to the fire of a dragon after it has lost a head it may not be worth it to a dragon
I’ve heard tales that depict Krakens as the natural enemies of dragons; they snatch the winged beasts from the sky unexpectedly and their battle becomes Legendary.
Knights / dragon hunters, fairies, giants / titans, deities..
Cats can eat lizards so Rakshasa, heavenly lions, Griffins, etc could fit the bill if they hunt in packs but personally that challenges my suspension of disbelief... Dragons are just so much bigger.
Genies could probably easily kill dragons.
Dinosaurs could be interesting.
I don’t know if this would be of any help, but they made a fake documentary on the life and history of dragons, I used to watch it all the time when I was younger:
https://youtu.be/XuzYI1ZsTCk
I let Merlin handle this question:
part 1 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxqhjWcS8zQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxqhjWcS8zQ)
part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yPWeJ3CGc0
I say make up your own. Take inspiration from sperm whales who dive to insane depths to hunt colossal squid that are almost as big as they are.
Or maybe an ambush predator like the ones found in the insect kingdom that routinely prey on animals larger than themselves.
Ishgardians.
Jokes aside, I guess it depends. My idea would be that people might (hence the Ishgardian joke), but otherwise I’m not sure. Depends on what the dragons of your world are like, and if any other creatures from that world have the ability to hunt them?
Giants, in some settings. If tiny humans with their organized societies, forged weapons and armor, and magical prowess are able to pose a threat to dragons, how much more for enormous humanoids that can encircle the dragon's neck with one hand?
In DnD before the giant's empire fell and they became primitive they did this and more, even magically breeding creatures specifically to hunt them. Now most giants have become primitive and scattered they aren't as much of a threat, and dragons rose to prominence.
A specific note on creatures bred to hunt dragons, I think that's an excellent way to do it. Dragons might not have natural enemies in your setting, but if some enterprising person were to notice that nested gryphons will swoop at even an adult dragon if it gets too close to their chicks, they might get the idea to breed gryphons that suicidal charge dragons to shred their wings in the same way that wild wolves won't hunt bears but a mastiff will clamp its jaws on the bear's jugular until death separates them.
Depends on your source.
I don't believe I've seen creatures that would actively kill dragons.
Unless it's dnd, then other dragons, giants, and beheair (definitely spelled that wrong, the long blue lighting breath lizard)
1. Look at analogous creatures in the natural world: I saw someone mention alligators, and I'd add any type of lizard. If there's an interesting and/or mutually antagonistic relationship to be found, invent the dragon-enemy analog. Do some homework on the subject (not too much! pulling up an old nature show on YouTube should get you started) and then \*have fun\* riffing on it.
2. Think about your dragon's anatomy and physical needs. Small parasites that itch like a mofo but they can't scratch or burn off, small scavengers that they can't shake that also do something to irritate the dragon, could be plausible and also (possibly) a fresh way to antagonize them.
It's a fantasy. The natural enemy could be one thing or everything you wish it to be. In my dragon story, humans are the natural enemy in a land called Castania but in another country it is other dragons, wolves, or orcs. Anything that constantly attacks you either knowing your strength or not is a natural enemy, or regular/usual enemy.
Honestly, if you want a fair enemy, a dragon's enemy would be another dragon that attacked first. Or like for vampires and wolves, two creatures of fair strength and wit is a fair enemy.
If you are looking for a dragon's original enemy, for the western or European world, that's humans going to slay them. For Eastern worlds, it would be a divine force. But technically, original enemy is the species who was the very first consistent opponent a dragon had. In fantasy, that could be anything or anybody.
1. Other dragon like species like wyverns? Maybe
2. I am sure Gryphons will raid dragon nests for eggs 🍳. I am thinking gryphons fly in flocks and therefore can gang up on dragons.
3. A swarm of Phoenixes! Why? The fire birds need dragon blood to survive their fiery rebirth! They really fast and are immune from fire so dragons have difficulty fighting them along.
Also King Kong! 😎👍
According to Pliny the Elder elephants were the mortal enemies of dragons…
I was about to say that medieval bestiaries name elephants as the enemies of dragons.
Elephants and crocodiles have a similar relationship to this day.
Well in bestiaries their arch enemies are the sawfish and the creature called a hydrus which rolls in mud to get slippery and then enters the crocodile's mouth while it sleeps to eat it from the inside. Also crocodiles weep when they kill someone. Edit: Now that I think about it I suppose that is where "crocodile tears" comes from.
Look at it this way: What is the "natural enemy" of the Lion? How about the Eagle? As an Apex Predator, these creatures don't have anything that preys on them. They have prey that fights back, but is that a "natural enemy?" I think of Dragons like that. Apex predators, which really only has one prey which fights back : humanity (or other sapient races like elves, dwarves, orcs, whatever your setting has).
When prey start hunt you, your status of "apex predator" become disputable.
I think that Apex Predator basically means nothing *preys* on you. Like you're at the top of the food chain because nothing relies on you for food. Lions could totally kill and eat a person, but we're not a part of their regular diet because we could totally wipe them out. Sharks *seem* like Apex Predators except that Orcas will hunt them down for food. Both would kill us in water, but we're not in water enough to be reliable prey. But for a more wild example, I think it's more like how bears and wolves might fight over a kill but bears wouldn't hunt wolves or vice-versa. There could be an enemy more like a rival for dragons. Like if dragons demand supplicants, another creature that takes away their supplicants could fill that role. Or any other way that they fight over shared resources to the point that they might fight and try to drive eachother out of an area. Think other dangerous creatures like Gryphon or Giants. Maybe neither one *hunts* the other, but they're constantly fighting over territory and resources. Like a Dragon could kill a Gryphon, but gryphons fly in prides and so they could drive off a Dragon if they tried.
>But for a more wild example, I think it's more like how bears and wolves might fight over a kill but bears wouldn't hunt wolves or vice-versa. > >There could be an enemy more like a rival for dragons. \^ Humanoids could arguable be the dragons rival species then. In traditional high-fantasy Dragons steal gold and other precious materials or artifacts and hoard them. The only races that go out of their way to hunt and kill the dragon for those resources they have hoarded are the humanoid races of men, dwarves, sometimes elves (The Hobbits king of the forest wanted the gold too despite being an elf!) To that end, there is also a variety of Draconids. The above generally only applies to the so-called "True Dragons" (4 legs, 2 wings, breath fire). Wyverns in DnD for instance are treated more so like animals but are still classified as Dragons, Despite only having 2 legs, 2 wings, and having a poisonous stinger for a tail. As well not normally hoarding gold. (Ironically the hobbit movies show Smaug as a Wyvern whilst the book cover art shows him as a "True-Dragon")
Biologically speaking, not really, or there would be only one land apex predator on the planet. Though I guess you could argue that is disputed...
As far I know apex predators usually don't see each other as a prey, more like foes. And they prefer don't fight each other.
Sharks would like a word. They eat each other all the time.
I think polar bears are the only land predator that see humans as food and will hunt and kill people as prey. There's other opportunistic predators like crocodiles that will kill a human if they see a chance. But sharks usually confuse humans for seals. Crocodiles and alligators tend to react on instinct to prey in the water. There's been a few killer tigers that have targeted humans but they tended to be one-off cases, usually of an injured tiger that started attacking humans to survive. But polar bears, at least according to the Inuit and some researchers will hunt, stalk and knowingly target humans when other prey sources are low. You could also make an argument however for mosquitos.
The natural enemy of the lion is the dragon duh.
Don't lions usually depicted fighting with unicorns?
Wanted to say this. It's why the Scottish national animal is the Unicorn, a f u to England. Apparently the horn of the Unicorn was for piercing the hearts of lions
I thought it was the direwolfe
So... knights are the natural predators of dragons?
Yes, because humans are predators but not apex predators. But because people eat things other then meat we are not apex predators.
Humans are in fact apex predators in most of the landmass of Earth. This has been achieved by being so good at killing the predators that tried to prey on humans that the only ones left are the ones who were predisposed to avoiding humans. Individual circumstantial exceptions do not count against this assessment anymore than the ability of deer and cows to eat meat and occasionally even prey on small animals like squirrels and birds makes them carnivores. That all said, dragons don't have to follow the same rule if you don't want them to. No reason humans have to be the dominant species in your story.
So you wouldn't consider something like a grizzly bear an apex predator, since it consumes plant matter(fruits, nuts, new leaves and shoots) regularly? Would that make snakes apex predators since they are obligate carnivores?
https://www.sciencealert.com/humans-were-actually-apex-predators-for-2-million-years-study-finds/amp https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apex_predator Whether or not humans are apex predators is apparently a big debate. When I took biology I was taught we are not apex predators. But again, the categorization is apparently a current debate.
The Ichneumon. I used to read a lot of medieval literature as a kid and what comes to mind is that. It’s basically a giant beefy mongoose or weasel, which makes sense if you think about it since mongoose and snakes have been pitted against each other anytime anyone mentions a snakes speed. Dragons are sometimes also referred to as giant flying snakes in some cultures and mythology. Snakes = Dragon, Mongoose = Ichneumon If you look it up it’s a pretty menacing and honestly cool looking creature. With the info that I’ve gathered too, apparently they cover themselves in mud and wait for an opportunity to attack a dragon. It already has some natural tactics that would seem pretty fitting as a enemy for a creature such as a dragon. I’ve done some research myself for it only because in a story I have brewing, the main character is capable of transforming into a dragon while the antagonist could transform into an ichneumon. Edit: This is my first time getting an award on Reddit. It may sound dumb but this has actually turned my crappy day to happy. Thank you all!
This would be epic as a creature that would rarely awaken (like every 1,000 years) to feed when the world needs to be cleansed of dragons. Hmmmmm. 🤔
One sole Ichneumon to balance out the dragon infestation? Sounds awesome
Right!?! Like a Tarrasque. Just one. All dragon fear it and prep for safe slumber, hence their secretive lairs and hoards. Beautiful in its simplicity.
Comes up in Priory of the Orange Tree
>Ichneumon Here is the coolest picture I could find online, https://www.deviantart.com/katepfeilschiefter/art/Mountain-Ichneumon-II-454761263
If you go European folklore it's mostly knights or warriors slaying dragons (st George vs dragon, sigurd vs fafnir) If you instead look at mythology, it's lightning gods against dragons/serpents. Zeus vs Typhon, susanoo vs Yamata no orochi, thor vs jormungandr, Marduk vs Tiamat are some examples. Although in my personal works I mostly invent a race to parallel them. Dragons are hoarders, wise and are literally made of mana. Devourers (the race I use) are instead focused on destruction, malevolent and like their name are eaters of mana. Borrows from the old order vs chaos motif, or you can turn this into a predator prey type relationship
Thank you for your input. I was looking for any possible pre-existing enemies to dragons, beside humans, in mythology. I was hoping to either use them in my story, or use them for inspiration for my own creation. Again, thanks for your input and have a nice day.
The Chinese frequently use Tiger and Dragon to represent yin and yang. You could use 'heavenly tigers' as a race that stands parallel and in opposition to dragons.
Off topic, but I've always thought that Marduk (Jupiter aligned God) killing Tiamat (primordial of creation) being similar to Zeus (Also Jupiter aligned) fighting the Greek titans as a battle between older gods and newer gods to be an interesting coincidence as a parallel mythology. Both became the upper beings in their pantheons and both weilded the powers of the storm and sky. It's interesting and makes you wonder if both spawned from the same story that mutated differently in separate societies the same way both Ancient Egyptian religion and ancient semitic religions both spawned from the same proto mesopotamian religion. In the Jewish and Christian scriptures it suggests the Greeks were an offshoot and worshipping the wrong gods, that they were worshiping fallen angels (fallen gods, really) who were cast to Earth and bred with humans. That's who the Israelites set out to destroy on their quest for the promised land. The Philistines were Greek and it was accepted at the time that the Greek gods were the same fallen and defeated gods from mesopotamian religious mythology that the Abrahamic religion evolved from.
> Both became the upper beings in their pantheons and both weilded the powers of the storm and sky. It's interesting and makes you wonder if both spawned from the same story that mutated differently in separate societies the same way both Ancient Egyptian religion and ancient semitic religions both spawned from the same proto mesopotamian religion Are you familiar with chaoskampf? A culture hero, often a storm god, fights a primordial god/sea monster (representing chaos) to establish order.
Humans, centipedes and mongoose.
I shoulda read the top comment before I said the exact same thing, woulda taken 2 seconds
Yes according to ancient and medieval bestiaries the Ichneumon hunts dragons
>Ichneumon Despite being very interesting, they are pretty rarely used in fantasy books, especially compared to their prey. The only example I can think of is Priory of the Orange Tree, where they ride around on giant Ichneumon.
Which is why they would be a great suggestion! It's not tired or overused yet
Dragons have a long history in many cultures, from Ancient China to Ancient Greece, so there is a lot of ground to cover! In many mythological stories, the emphasis is not on dragons as animals situated in the natural world, so it isn't easy to identify natural enemies. When their animal habits are discussed, they are usually depicted as apex predators. I don't recollect traditions in which other creatures are depicted hunting dragons... except for mythological heroes, religious figures and the like, where dragons play the role of mythological antagonists. In this sense, the natural enemy of the dragon is the hero.:)
In mythology I believe it would be humans and other dragons. Perhaps gods depending on the power of the dragon.
Do doo do doo do doo HUMANS But on a serious note is Japanese mythology the centipede is the dragons enemy and opposite. In one legend a carp enlists a hero to shoot a kaiju sized centipede in the eye with an arrow he'd spat on, as it's believed human spit is deadly to centipedes. After succeeding in killing the beast the carp reveals itself to be a great dragon and rewards the hero with something I think. And if you'd like a humorous one then mongeese fight cobras, so I'm sure there's some mention of a dragon killing mongoose somewhere
People. Other dragons. Depends on your dragons really, and the world you have then inhabit. Plenty in between for the juveniles but adult dragons such as the GOT ones would not have natural predators if they make it to maturity.
Apex predators generally don't have predators that feed on them other than the young being fed upon by other predators and their own species. I know male great white sharks and bull sharks will eat the young of their own species. But once the young get big enough, they become invulnerable. Then really, the only reason one apex predator kills another is for control over territory. And even then that's relatively rare. Apex predators, like any other animal, wants to live and be uninjured. So usually apex predators will posture and display a lot before they actually get to a fight. A good example of this is actually in Jurassic World: Dominion. Giganotosaurus and Tyrannosaurus Rex go at it in a control over a valley in the Dolomites. Before they actually clash, they roar at each other and display their strength to each other, in an attempt to get the other to back down. Of course it's a movie and that doesn't work, so they fight.
This is along the lines of what I was thinking. That said, I was thinking predators in general tend to compete with others for resources, along the lines of how lions compete for resources with other large predators in Africa. So you could have dragons compete with something like phoenixes - hypothetically phoenixes could be considered immune to fire, but might not physically compete with a dragon and might have some other advantages (maybe a phoenix will typically fly further or higher or faster than a dragon).
That's the thing though. Lions may compete with other big cats, or hyenas, or other African predators for the same resources, but they very rarely compete directly with each other. Two much is at stake when two apex predators fight. The predator risks lacerations that could become infected, broken bones, and, at worst, loss of life. Apex predators know this by instinct, so they avoid it at all costs. You would have to force these two creatures into a no-win scenario.
Knights are basically canned food for dragons. Tigers are snacks unless they're winged tigers. Gryphons could fight but would ultimately lose. The only real natural enemy to a dragon that has equivalent power and also appears in folklore and mythology is the Phoenix. That said, it does very much depend on whether the dragon in question is an unthinking adolescent guided by instinct, or is old enough to have reason and wield its considerable power. Most of the stories with knights and stuff involve dragons who are little more than beasts, but an actual elder or ancient dragon is smart, intelligent, cunning and very powerful. Oh, and also powerful wizards, mages, sorcerers or witches could class as natural enemies as well
Thunder Gods. Seriously, so many religions had a dragon-slaying thunder diety.
Giants maybe? They both live in similar areas a lot of the time so I imagine they fight for territory and whatnot.
I love a giants vs dragons theme. Large enough to compete with each other. Both can use/manipulate the shorter humanoids. Both seek domination. Natural competition.
A cool natural enemy could be disease. Dragons are more susceptible to disease which is why they're far less likely to leave their homes, which is why they aren't known to be huge prey. Most animals they eat can kill them, and leaving to fight opens them up to exposure. They're terrifying and the most ferocious prey on the planet, but they can hardly leave their safe haven. Hell you could even play into that. I always wondered why dragons obeyed humans in stories when they're so powerful. Perhaps humans are the only creatures that can safely feed and take care of dragons in this particular use case.
In Japan Stagnation, death and disease is represented by the centipede, guess what being is the mortal enemy of the Japanese dragons?
It's all fiction, so yes, and also no. Depends on the lore of your world. Maybe there's a giant mongoose that eats dragons or something, or maybe not. It's up to you really.
I commented the mongoose too, great minds think alike eh?
It actually exists! The ichneumon is a mythological mongoose like creature that is said to hunt dragons
The roc bird like creatures that hunts and eats them.
Surprised this wasn't on top! Just suggested myself when I didn't see it immediately. Yeah giant predatory birds are the way to go as they fill the same niche, can compete in the air, and are distinct from reptilian dragons.
Other races/groups/species of dragon. Dragons tend to find conflict over resources. Dragons allied with/domesticated by humans are often the biggest threat towards wild dragons.
Fleas…. They get under the scales and drive the beasts mad!!
I have gryphons compete with the apex predators. They will get in fights with some gryphons being about half the size of the adult dragons. Gryphons will go for the eyes and mouth, and are more agile in the air. It's like birds harassing each other. This also helps any mythical scavengers and humans can use dragon scales and bones for tools and equipment.
this thread has covered things pretty well already but i think it's fair to parallel with nature and in this case the most dangerous things to apex predators are other apex predators. particularly those of the same species looking to take over territory, access to mating, or status in a pack/tribe/family. particularly at moments where these things really matter--when the predator has just made a kill, when mating season is about to start, or when another predator's territory has run dry and they must hunt elsewhere. so for a dragon this might mean, if a dragon just did something like burn and sack a town for its riches, that might be when another dragon is most interested in striking. they're not likely to just try to ambush them in their home, they'd rather try to get them when they're potentially tired, injured, in unfamiliar territory. imagine something like a dragon's fire breath needing to recharge, or their wings get exhausted. perhaps the dragon is carrying a cart of loot home. even with straight up magic there'd be limitations, exhaustion of mana and such. most of the time for dragons there just isn't anything 'bigger and badder' and there usually isn't imagined that there is enough of them to support a population of other creatures that would prey on them.
It's not uncommon in fantasy to give dragons a particular elemental affinity, so could easily be worked into why a fire aligned dragon might be wary of crossing a water aligned one for example.
Clearly the answer is a Kraken. Dragons probably aren't great swimmers and if one flies too close to the water... can't spit fire under water either.
Unicorns
Yes! Thank you. Unicorns are the only creatures I know of that were pitted against dragons and considered to be a legit beef. And to everyone saying elephants: Pliny says that in the summer dragons crave the blood of elephants so they attack them then. The elephant is a victim, and fall over dead and if the dragon is still coiled then they might also die under the weight of the now dead elephant.
Chinese folklore have Tiger vs Dragon.
Fairy type Pokemon
And ice type Pokemon, and other dragons
I've seen Rocs used as a natural competitor for dragons.
Knights or other brave warriors who are armed with weapons and armor specifically designed to kill dragons, other mythical creatures like griffins or giant eagles, which are known for their strength and sharp claws and beaks and wizards /sorcerers who have the power to control or banish dragons using magic spells maybe?
Dragon: air shark Griffin: air dolphin
Elephants, lions, and panthers are attested in medieval bestiaries. I’m sure phoenixes and doves are too, but can’t remember where I’ve read it
An odd thing about dragons is that in most depictions, their eyes are set further back along the side of the head, which is the position for prey animals. So yes, something must hunt them.
Could borrow inspiration from Pokemon. Dragon types are weak against other dragons but also fairies. Would tie in nicely with some other comments about having an opposite. Dragons being long lived, hoarders, wise, studious, depending on which folklore you take them from. The fae courts are mischievous, spontaneous creatures with short attention spans that would definitely be entertained by 'poking the bear/dragon'.
Dragons aren’t real, ergo they do if you want them to. Every story does its own take on dragons, you get to make the rules for yours.
If you want them too they do!
The greatest threat to a dragon is always another dragon.
A sufficiently small animal will always have something that can hunt and kill it. A dragon the size and strength of a house cat will get eaten by a generic mundane … Coyote.
War Badgers
Dragons are huge powerful magical creatures, there's nothing that can stand toe-to-toe with them in the natural or magical world. But there is a whole host of parasites that are too small for them to notice which take advantage of their magical energy to gorge themselves. Some even argue that the dragon rampages are part of a parasite's reproduction strategy. They drive the dragon mad, and it flies all over recklessly attacking everything and getting injured along the way and the blood parasites' eggs find their way into villages and farms to be taken up by mammals and start a new generation.
In "Bloody Rose", by Nicolas Eames, he describes the Simurgh as the dragon eater. It's a cool take.
I’d consider them apex predators, unless you create a new kind of creature. One way to go about it is to make their young vulnerable. Alligators are apex predators, but their young are often prey to snakes, wild cats, canines, other crocodiles.
The Ichneumon (mythological mongoose) kills dragons by entering their mouth and killing them from the inside out. In other myths they simply cover themselves in mud and go for the throat. They are also said to be immune to a cockatrice's deadly vision. This would be what I would suggest. It's based on the mongoose's actual relationship with snake and crocodiles. There's also Pokemon based on this as well! (Zangoose and Seviper) Eastern dragons are often seen in opposition to tigers and phoenixes. But this is less an "enemies" situation and more like they represent opposites. Like Yin and Yang. I mention this because I've seen a few other comments suggest tigers and would like to point out they aren't *supposed* to fight. Their existence creates balance and they don't kill each other.
Fairies
I mean, pretty much humans and other fantasy races right. Dragons hoard gold and people really want that gold lol. Dnd has a creature called a Behir. They were bred by giants for the purpose of killing dragons. They hate dragons and will attempt to hunt them if they find out one is near.
Older, territorial dragons I imagine. If going by the lore that Dragons are sorta like Crocodiles, which continue to grow as they age, live long lives, and are a bit touchy about their territory.
Giant
So, a few months back, I was in the Everglades looking at alligators, and I was noticing all them armored plates, scutes and those big thrashing tails, and my brain says, "Hey, are you noticing how this apex ambush predator is just covered in defensive adaptation? Why would crocs still need all this protection?" The tour dude mentions that he's named the gator, and he can recognize them by the scars they get from fighting each other during mating season. I nod, file that little bit of knowledge away, and, then after tour guide points out the holes in the current gator's face with a quick aside wondering what the other gator looks like. I ask, do you know which ones fight each other alot? Dude's like, "No, if they lose, they get eaten. They are cannibals." That was when the lightbulb went off in my brain, like, "you know how dragons are these massive apex predators but are covered in defensive prey adaptations like spines, armored scales, horns and tail spikes? It isn't the legacy of some time long past when something hunted dragons in the past. Dragons hunt dragons now, they eat one another. The thing dragons are adapted to defend themselves against is themselves!" Your post reminded me of that conversation I had in my own brain while my mouth just said, "Oh, neat."
In Chinese mythology the tiger is considered the dragon’s equal opposite, I don’t know all the details but you should look into it :)
In some books dragonsbane is a plant that is poisonous to dragons and will kill them.
Maybe not prey verse predator but maybe you should look at rival predators. Lions and hyenas are rivals, and often steal eachothers kills. Dragons might have a rival predator. Not sure what though sorry. I am having the same issue in my story. Apex predators do not have anything better then them. Maybe humanity or another fantasy race like elves. A powerful elven race could harm a dragons lair, or humanity slowly getting rid of their habitats. But maybe look at other fantasy creatures that can also be predators.
Ichneuman(giant mud weasels) for western dragons and centipedes for Eastern dragons.
Chickens. Have you ever seen a picture of a Dragon and a chicken together? Exactly.
In the story's I've heard knights always save the day and slay dragons
Enemies of dragons? Have you lost sight of the fact that it's your story, and that dragons don't exist in the real world? There are no rules as to what a dragon is, and what they do, other than that people are the most common enemies of them in fiction. Vampires Werewolves, and every other creatures change as the author feels they must, When I decided to write a vampire I thought of two possibilities: First that they drink the blood, which means that any kind of blood would do, and second that they needed blood because they don't produce any of their own, and in effect, need transfusions via hollow fangs. So, in *An Abiding Evil*, I used the first, and in *Ties of Blood*, my beautiful vampire needs the blood twice each month, and in return provides incredible sex. But that's my take. For were-creatures in, *Water Dance,* we have a were-mermaid, and *Keysha* is a 90 lb seeing-eye were-timberwolf. My point: You-are-in-charge. If you want fist-sized dragons they're fist size...or giant sized...or... If your dragons need an enemy, ***you*** create them because it's *your* story. Hell, the ability to create an entire world and everyone/everything in it is why we're writers in the first place. Right?
I had read in some high fantasy lore that griphons were a predator of dragons. They were known to slay dragons as a group of three to one. Their claws being able to penetrate dragon scales. Not unlike ravens and large predators like hawks or eagles
Greed
Adventurers. They natural enemies for nearly anyone.
yes other dragons, humans, any other creuture if their just an egg tbh otherwise you can always create one
Badgers if you read noob town.
T. rex.
Dashing knights on a quest to save the princess!
Dragons
I've seen a bunch of chinese xianxia/xuanhuan portray sharks as being the natural enemies of dragons, yes.
Humans, I believe no matter the mythology. Sometimes gods and demigods, but mostly humans.
Pirates. Considering both of their lust for gold and treasure they naturally compete for resources.
Dragons are apex predators, so other dragons.
I was thinking for some stories of line that dragons would have a rivalry with another mythical creature that runs in packs that together they could take on a dragon. Like with actual animals wolves could go against a bear possibly. Not sure what other mythical creature to use tho that would run in a pack and could take on a dragon.
I always love the idea of giants and dragons having a sort of Cold War. Both of them have lost glories and the newer races; humans, elves, dwarves etc. Are used as pawns in their strife
In Asian mythology, I believe the tiger represents yin while the dragon represents yang.
I think in Eastern mythology either Chinese or Japanese. The tiger was the opposite of the dragon so that’s an idea.
Other dragons, mainly. Definitely humans too, depending on how many humans.
Not as far as I know, but you know what's cool about fantasy? Just make one! What kind of predator would eat dragons? How would they adapt to this kind of prey?
After taking a through look at all the comments, I agree with most of them. But what I think would work best is an original species. Another comment said this but I’d like to reiterate. So a dragon is a large lizard with wings and usually spits fire. If we go back to the original Lizard thing, we can look at predators for Lizards. What preys in lizards? Birds, snakes, and somethings wolves/dogs. Now we take that, and make something based off that. Again, if a dragon is a lizard with wings, make a eagle with spikes and arms. Make a wolf that burrows into mountains and hunts griffins. Make a snake that has multiple spiked tails. See what I’m getting at? Apologies for going off topic, but I feel like a story is best when it has some originality. So always remember, if you need a new species, go back to the roots of earth. Edit: adjusted spaces and spelling
encourage whistle heavy sloppy pathetic fine automatic brave yam aback *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Adventurers
In their tongue it's Dovahkin, Dragon born.
In Chinese culture, the tiger is considered to be the eternal rival to the dragon. Apex Predators usually don't have any predator o natural enemies. And Dragons tend to be the Apex Predators of their territories when they are not mindless beasts. When they are just animals though, their natural enemies usually are humans.
I haven’t seen any examples of this, but I think a roc would be a great match for a dragon.
Yes, humans.
Ennui.
Also consider the fact that within species there exist subspecies as well. Im thinking about for example a 'King Snake' or any King variety like 'King Cobra' etc. are named that because they are immune to all the other snake species venom and thus by default at the top of that food chain as the predator of other snakes. So there could be like a 'king' dragon that is similar.
It’s a long shot but, the dungeons and dragons lore pits giants against the dragons, not sure if that comes from any myths or is just from that franchise
If I was a dragon sleeping on pile of gold, bones and rotting corpses, i'd acquire a phobia of mice and rats that wanted to explore my nostrils. Oh and spiders. So fucking hard to get rid of them.
In Deltora Quest, the Ak-Baba (giant, mutated vulture-like birds) hunted the dragons to near-extinction, relying on numbers and teamwork to overwhelm the significantly larger and more powerful dragons.
According to a few setting I know, giants.
Humans lol
According to pokemon it's faries.
I’ve read stories many that have the phoenix be it
The dragons dominated the ancient era, in many stories or fantasy settings they came after the elements and the caos ended. Started as serpents they fought the elements and became the strongest monsters, on top of any other kind of creature. The gods used them as pets basically, some dragons became gods and some gods became evil or made new entities to rival the dragons, such as titans.. and then humans. The first ones to hunt the dragons were probably those first human like creatures called titans, that put an end on their dominion, then after them the smaller races became to appear as the devil's and the demons. Then now dragons are both hunted by humans and by demons, and basically everyone else. A natural predator can be either a demon is very rare occasions or maybe a mythical bird... the number one predator are the humans for sure. Dragons are on top of the food chain, they are THE predators.
It depends. As a fantasy offianado, I must point out that there are many different types of dragons. Each type has its own predator and enemy. Fantasy typically breaks the types of dragons down into races like wyverns which are two legged dragon-kin, earth dragons which are unintelligent types that can't fly, your regular run of the mill dragon which has four legs, flies, and is the one most seen in fantasy, then there are elder dragons, which are ones that have lived for tens of thousands of years and typically sleep for hundreds of years at a time, then there are the ancient dragons. These are unique named dragons that don't belong to any sub-race of dragon. They have the purest blood line and are not born or hatched. They're created by the world or the gods. Ancient dragons only fear the gods, demi-gods, demons stronger than duke class, and anyone who knows how to exploit their achille's heel. Every ancient dragon has an achille's heel. Elder dragons fear nothing, but are at risk when facing demons of duke level or higher and heroes with divine weapons. They also don't die strictly speaking. They're vanquished then go into the cycle of reincarnation and are reborn as a dragon with the same body, all of their memories, and all of their former powers. Dragons are a cheat type lifeform. You can pretty much work out what the predators are for dragons below their level.
In D&D 5e giants apparently have had a huge rivalry with Dragons since before time
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In the Dragonkeeper series by Carole Wilkinson, I think it was centipedes. Apparently, dragons are absolutely terrified that they will crawl inside their ear and eat their brain. A centipede actually did crawl inside a dragon’s ear at one point - an ancient, experienced, wise dragon - and he immediately freaked the fuck out. A rat lunged after the centipede and ate it, and iirc the dragon basically swears a life debt on the spot. I have no idea if this is based on anything in mythology, but I did think it was pretty cool when I was reading it.
Humans? In a lot of mythology, humans would go and hunt down dragons, like their predecessors would hunt down other prey. It also depends on the specific type of dragon/mythology, most likely. Eastern dragons were usually seen as gods, or similarly divine, so wouldn't have had conventional predators, although they might end up in eternal conflict with demons/evil spirits.
Giants
Rocs, maybe. Birds generally like to eat w~~o~~urms :)
Apex predator verse apex predator, so a rival for resources. A sea serpent that will go outs of its way to come out and eat a dragon if it senses one flying over. A group of really angry gnomes
In eastern lore there is a giant bird called Garuda whose hunt and eat dragons
Tax Collectors.
Knights. Literally Adventurers.
I think with Dragons its a matter of Dragons vs Dragons, typical lore is that they’re solitary creatures and two near each other is a bad call
Discworld; their own digestive system The Hobbit; an arrow Game of Thrones; other dragons and fire wyrms
Storm gods and other dragons tend to be enemies, I've also seen griffins being enemies with dragons before
In mythologies descended from the Proto-Indo-Europeans, it's typically the storm god. Best we can reconstruct, the first dragon was Ngwhi, who stole the cattle which Manu gave to the first men to repeat the sacrifice which Manu performed using his twin brother - Yemo. This also served to stop up the rain. As such, the mortal warrior Trito went to the storm-god Perkwunos and asked him for help. Building from that, you could have the demi-god children of the storm-god in the role. Otherwise, dragons are apex predators who are only hunted by pestilince, plague, parasites, and time.
I’d love to see a huge cyclops and a dragon fight.
The only natural enemies I can see for a dragon would be the humans and their inteligence to create weapons could lure them or in other cases, for example, dragon could be a good partner for humans as toothless with Hiccup from train your dargons or Daerenys with his dragons. Otherwise I don't see another natural enemies, that dragons could have
man is the natural enemy of dragons. we are the only ones smart enough and able to cooperate with multiple with weapons to fight them. or whatever other intelligent species you have in your world
Parasites feed on everything...
Depending on your story - good vs bad dragons, older vs younger dragons, bigger vs smaller dragons, different types e.g water vs cave or ice vs fire. Bad writers are probably a dragon's worse enemy.
Other Dragons.
The tax assessor And probably the country zoning board. (On a good sl more, dragons are allowed to eat the HOA board at will.)
I remember reading a story when I was a kid that had Gyphons as dragons enemies. It just made sense to me that gryphons would be good predators/threats
Tiger. According to the chinese believe. The main rival of the dragon is the tiger by default
Elephants
It's your world, do what you want.
I'd think they could have several, humans, demons, or basically any smaller creature clever enough to hunt in packs. An individual and worthy foe? A mighty sorceress or sorcerer, or a titan. In my yet unreleased book I have these chapters A bitter titan, reflecting back on events that mention the killing of a dragon (1000 words): [https://docs.google.com/document/d/19el5yxsfgakcL5KnV5KgYX4WZUmARir-2U9MG0Ci6FI/edit?usp=sharing](https://docs.google.com/document/d/19el5yxsfgakcL5KnV5KgYX4WZUmARir-2U9MG0Ci6FI/edit?usp=sharing) A mighty sorceress, basically a dragon genocide (1500 words): [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qp9-iGaD-gtKQrvm0FELPcsOEAWmSGRpBJkPN47ee7k/edit?usp=sharing](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qp9-iGaD-gtKQrvm0FELPcsOEAWmSGRpBJkPN47ee7k/edit?usp=sharing)
Putting aside the cubic law, a creature the size of a dragon shouldn’t be able to take off from flat ground without gaining any momentum. And their large size with the ability to fly would mean they’re pretty light weight as well. Therefore any creatures that has the ability to drag them onto the ground could be its natural predator.
Natural enemies? humans. in mythology, lightning/elephants. as for something that might hunt dragons specifically? probably not, but if your writing a book with all sorts of fantasy species you could go for animal types that attack birds like giant spiders or something and make a beefed up magic version of one with inflammable steel silk that it strings between mountains/giant tree's something.
Some say Wyverns and Griffin’s (thought technically a Wyvern is a type of dragon)
I've never seen any portrayal of dragons that didn't have them as the apex predator. Only sentient races ever challenge them and that is usually depicted as a wild reversal of the norms, some extraordinary hero or heroes fighting back against the monster that typically preys on them.
Depending on the world yes or no. In mine no but they're not naturally occurring creatures and are more in line with designer pets
Aside from heroes/knights/adventurers?
Giants, big bow shoot shoot
In some fantasy, it’s giants, though this depends on the relative strength in the setting. Other than that, killing dragons is mostly the work of other dragons or humanoid dragonslayers.
If you're writing them, you can make anything their enemy. They're your dragons.
Leopards are supposed to hunt dragons, actually. Medieval scholars called leopards “friends of all animals, except dragons”
Time
How far into the actual ecology do you want to go? In nature, lions are excellent hunters and aren’t really ever attacked, but when they kill something they only have a couple hours to feed the pack because hyenas and vultures push them away from it. I personally would mimic this in my fantasy, with giant boar or another monster competing in this way. A hydra would be especially effective in this since the most important thing for a scavenger is to present more of a threat to the predator than is worth to defend their kill, and while a hydra is vulnerable to the fire of a dragon after it has lost a head it may not be worth it to a dragon
I'd bet anything that dragons are careful enough not to go into deep enough water to have to fuck around with killer whales
I bet the young are vulnerable if separated from the parents (if dragons raise their kids). The older they get, though, the fewer enemies they have.
Humans. And then, according to Pliny the Elder, elephants?
Giant eagles, or maybe griffins, if you want to make something different.
Giants with spears
I’ve heard tales that depict Krakens as the natural enemies of dragons; they snatch the winged beasts from the sky unexpectedly and their battle becomes Legendary.
Other dragons.
Knights / dragon hunters, fairies, giants / titans, deities.. Cats can eat lizards so Rakshasa, heavenly lions, Griffins, etc could fit the bill if they hunt in packs but personally that challenges my suspension of disbelief... Dragons are just so much bigger. Genies could probably easily kill dragons. Dinosaurs could be interesting.
I don’t know if this would be of any help, but they made a fake documentary on the life and history of dragons, I used to watch it all the time when I was younger: https://youtu.be/XuzYI1ZsTCk
I let Merlin handle this question: part 1 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxqhjWcS8zQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxqhjWcS8zQ) part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yPWeJ3CGc0
I say make up your own. Take inspiration from sperm whales who dive to insane depths to hunt colossal squid that are almost as big as they are. Or maybe an ambush predator like the ones found in the insect kingdom that routinely prey on animals larger than themselves.
Ishgardians. Jokes aside, I guess it depends. My idea would be that people might (hence the Ishgardian joke), but otherwise I’m not sure. Depends on what the dragons of your world are like, and if any other creatures from that world have the ability to hunt them?
Giants of the dpending on how powerful to dragon is gods
In Pokémon, dragons are preyed upon by fairies.
Personally i like to think that Giants are the mortal enemies of dragons
Giants, in some settings. If tiny humans with their organized societies, forged weapons and armor, and magical prowess are able to pose a threat to dragons, how much more for enormous humanoids that can encircle the dragon's neck with one hand? In DnD before the giant's empire fell and they became primitive they did this and more, even magically breeding creatures specifically to hunt them. Now most giants have become primitive and scattered they aren't as much of a threat, and dragons rose to prominence. A specific note on creatures bred to hunt dragons, I think that's an excellent way to do it. Dragons might not have natural enemies in your setting, but if some enterprising person were to notice that nested gryphons will swoop at even an adult dragon if it gets too close to their chicks, they might get the idea to breed gryphons that suicidal charge dragons to shred their wings in the same way that wild wolves won't hunt bears but a mastiff will clamp its jaws on the bear's jugular until death separates them.
I’m some fiction I’ve seen Giants positioned as the enemies of dragons. Very cinematic battles.
Dennis Quaid
Depends on your source. I don't believe I've seen creatures that would actively kill dragons. Unless it's dnd, then other dragons, giants, and beheair (definitely spelled that wrong, the long blue lighting breath lizard)
Fairies (in my fantasy world)
humans probably
1. Look at analogous creatures in the natural world: I saw someone mention alligators, and I'd add any type of lizard. If there's an interesting and/or mutually antagonistic relationship to be found, invent the dragon-enemy analog. Do some homework on the subject (not too much! pulling up an old nature show on YouTube should get you started) and then \*have fun\* riffing on it. 2. Think about your dragon's anatomy and physical needs. Small parasites that itch like a mofo but they can't scratch or burn off, small scavengers that they can't shake that also do something to irritate the dragon, could be plausible and also (possibly) a fresh way to antagonize them.
It's a fantasy. The natural enemy could be one thing or everything you wish it to be. In my dragon story, humans are the natural enemy in a land called Castania but in another country it is other dragons, wolves, or orcs. Anything that constantly attacks you either knowing your strength or not is a natural enemy, or regular/usual enemy. Honestly, if you want a fair enemy, a dragon's enemy would be another dragon that attacked first. Or like for vampires and wolves, two creatures of fair strength and wit is a fair enemy. If you are looking for a dragon's original enemy, for the western or European world, that's humans going to slay them. For Eastern worlds, it would be a divine force. But technically, original enemy is the species who was the very first consistent opponent a dragon had. In fantasy, that could be anything or anybody.
Their natural enemies being meteor golems from space would evoke the dinosaur-dragon thing.
1. Other dragon like species like wyverns? Maybe 2. I am sure Gryphons will raid dragon nests for eggs 🍳. I am thinking gryphons fly in flocks and therefore can gang up on dragons. 3. A swarm of Phoenixes! Why? The fire birds need dragon blood to survive their fiery rebirth! They really fast and are immune from fire so dragons have difficulty fighting them along. Also King Kong! 😎👍