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And you thought I was finally done with centaur questions.

I have a centaur race called the Draconitaurs. They're essentially centaurs, but with western dragons instead of horses.

The dragon tropes I'm using include: large, scaly, lizard-like, large wings, and stereotyped as greedy. They do not lay eggs and they are no more malicious than anybody else. They do not breathe fire.

How can I combine the draconic traits, the human traits, and the centaur traits in a believable way? I'm looking for something that could have happened without the use of magic, and I'll be rating based on probability. Bonus points if you figure out I can interpret the skin/scales thing.

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    $\begingroup$ For fun: D&D's dracotaur $\endgroup$ – Frostfyre Oct 2 '18 at 19:48
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    $\begingroup$ "I'm looking for something that could have happened without the use of magic." The less magic involved in that, the more alcohol involved in that. $\endgroup$ – Renan Oct 2 '18 at 19:50
  • $\begingroup$ @Renan that's typically how it goes lol $\endgroup$ – AzaleaGarden Oct 2 '18 at 19:51
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    $\begingroup$ Just one thing I would like with your series of questions: You could link all previous questions of that kind in your new questions in an addendum. If somebody takes your questions (and the resulting answers) as reference, they might also be interested in your other related questions. But that is just a style thing and by no means a necessity. Maybe some people would even dislike the idea, i don't know. $\endgroup$ – ArtificialSoul Oct 4 '18 at 8:12
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You will need to start loooong time ago

Any centaur-like living organism has six limbs. And humans have four. If you want to start from a common ancestor, you need to go back in time even before them. Tetrapods (four limbs organisms) evolved from early bony fishes (Osteichthyes), specifically from the tetrapodomorph branch of lobe-finned fishes (Sarcopterygii), living in the early to middle Devonian period.
enter image description here

The organisms with six limbs evolved from a different and older ancestor (presumably a crustacean). But since Centaurs are really mammals (horses + humans) they cannot fit in that category. Therefore, if you really want to have all of them have something in common, you need to design a different evolution path.

You will need a common six-legged mammal ancestor that evolved from a different type of acuatic prehistoric animal in your world. And then it common ancestor will eventually mutate in different paths according to the environment it evolved in.

However if your Draconic centaurs have wings beside their hands, it will make them 8 limb creatures. So you need an 8 limb common ancestor, and then make it lose a pair of limbs in further evolution stages (the same way dolphins and whales loose their legs). In that way, you can justify the existance of a single common origin for all of them.

Besides you will need the Draconic creatures to be mammals. And then justify the lizard-like appearence (they will end up being something like a pangolins or an armadillos).

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Given the parameters and leaving out magic, you have few options.

Supernatural, cabbalistic and the ilk, and aliens of course.

Or an experiment in gene mixing that somehow produced such a creature which could reproduce.

The most likely reason for such an apparition would be hallucinogenic drug use.

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