Join Earth Ranger Emma on a myth-busting mission across continents to answer one fiery question: were dragons ever real? From the sheep-stealing beasts of medieval England to the mighty legends of ancient China, Emma’s journey is packed with wild stories, fossil finds, and mind-blowing science. Tune in so we can learn the truth behind one of humanity’s oldest legends!

This episode takes Emma to Nanyang, China, where she investigates the region’s ancient river basin for clues about Chinese dragon mythology. At XiXia Relic Park, she meets with Professor Li, a passionate paleontologist who shares her expertise on fossils—and her love of dragons.

The Nanyang River Basin holds some of the oldest known deposits of dinosaur eggs in the world. Spanning over 78,000 square meters, this area has yielded thousands of fossilized eggs—with many more still waiting to be discovered. Mentions of these fossils date back as early as 1920, if not earlier. It’s easy to imagine how such strange and mysterious relics could give rise to myths.

Professor Li explains how dragon legends vary across cultures. In Aboriginal Australian tradition, the Rainbow Serpent is said to bring water and rain. Meanwhile, in Albanian folklore, the dragon Kulshedra causes droughts, breathing fire and summoning lightning.

Dragons, wyverns, serpents, drakes, wyrms, hydras—they all share a few lizard-like traits. Some have wings, others tiny arms or missing legs. To someone without scientific knowledge, these features might look like evidence of a real creature. Some researchers believe that ancient discoveries of dinosaur fossils may have inspired dragon myths around the world—myths that predate written history by thousands of years.

As science advanced and our understanding of dinosaurs evolved, the dragon began to fade from scientific explanations—but never from our imaginations.

What’s your favorite kind of dragon? Do you know any dragon-like creatures that didn’t make our list? Have you heard of any legendary beasts from other cultures? Share them with your fellow Earth Rangers! And don’t forget to let us know which cryptids you want Ryan or Emma to explore next—Ryan’s already brainstorming a bunch, but we’d love to hear your ideas!