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A dragon has several potential 'weapons':

• Teeth
• Foot claws
• Wing claws (at the tip of their wings)
• Whipping tail with claws or spade (male dragons)
• Fire breath
• Fireballs

Teeth

The sharp teeth are perhaps the dragon's most basic weapon, and their penetration or crushing capability is dictated by their enormous jaw-pressure. Its large jaw and sharp teeth pose a serious threat at close range.

Foot Claws

Foot claws can be used for ripping or slashing, or for grabbing and lifting an object (in the same manner as a bird of prey). A fully grown dragon can probably lift up to several hundred kilos. Heavier objects can be lifted by flying over the object and grab it using the hind legs. Draco, for instance, was able to lift a horse and two grown people using its large hind claws, and transport them several miles.

Wing Claws

The wing claws are mostly used for defense, to slash at a nearby enemy. Because of their relatively fragile wing-structure, this kind of defense is seldom used.

Whipping Tail

Their whipping or sweeping tail is quite powerful and could easily stun or kill an opponent at close- or medium-range. The spade at the end of the tail is particularly lethal, as it can be used to cleave or cut objects or prey with devastating force. But the tail is less efficient during flight, because the body (which serves as a counterweight) no longer has a firm grip on the ground.

Fire Breath

The fire breath, which is analogous to a large flamethrower, is one of the most powerful weapons in the dragon-arsenal. The heat is intense and the range can be measured in tens of meters, although ranges may vary depending on the dragon's size. Draco had a range of about 30-60 feet (9-18 m).

Fireballs

Draco also had the ability to concentrate its fire into smaller fireballs which could be hurled towards objects at greater distances (maximum horizontal range is probably up to 300 feet or 91 m).

A dragon is, of course, unable to breathe flames indefinitely (5), which means that larger, longer flames will exhaust its 'reservoir' more quickly. Proper dosage can therefore be very important in fights or battles.

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