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Well here are constant questions about how control, breath or thrown different "elemental" objects, electricity, fire, ice, water, air and the less common earth (because requieres things like gravity control) all of these trying to be the most realistic possible, usually asked in terms of "dragons", like the classic fire breathing dragon (even the napalm thrower) or the ligthning thrower dragon (or just electric contact), the crygenic dragon or the wind dragon.

Then eusocial animals normally have castes or a very marked work division with different characteristics between members of the same specie, ants for example have workers, soldiers, drones and a queen, almost the same with termites, bees and wasps and a notorious example at fiction are the xenomorph from alien.

So, gonna let it in terms of dragons for practical reasons (but still open the option of ant-like creatures or other animal), thinking about a specie of eusocial dragons which have a queen which produce different castes that obviously have differences of size and other less notorious characteristics but the most interesting feature is that each of this castes could breath a different "element" (based on the mentioned dragons).

I know almost nothing about the evolution of eusocial animals with these very different castes, since they are different from what I know of sexual selection, so therefore I do not know how these anatomical differences between the castes are produced from a single queen and for this case with the "dragons" it is more difficult to know if all these breaths could arise from something like a more basic and primitive organ structure.

The only things that I know about this kind of animals is that comes from animals that originally were not social and was convergent in many different animals, so till where I know the polimorphic variations of the castes are caused for the same reasons which produce "races", for a specie with a high genetical variability in this case brought to the extreme and combined with posterior polifenism changes caused by the enviroment.

Then I could concluse that for get this eusocial "elemental" creature is required start with a specie in which just the individual variations produce the very different "breathings". But I am nor sure if this breathing structures can be developed after the "eusocialization" as a subproduct of this.

So, maybe the primordial structures that the queen should have for produce the other castes can be limited to just three, because according to what I read they can be used as precursors to others because changing or adding some things can have multiple functions. These are:

  • Electric, because can be used as lighter for develop lightning, fire or napalm.
  • Napalm or other substance, because have the "container" for create the required substances for be throwing.
  • Cryogenic, is the mores strange, but probably change the orientiation, can chane from "ice" to "heat" or to air currents.

Of curse how I mentioned these structures can be developed after the eusocialization but for this case I do not have options.

Finally for mention the ideas for the castes:

  • The bigger soldiers being fire breather.
  • The workers, could be ice or cryogenic breathers for build some structures (but maybe this need a big "refrigerator" body), the other option a sticky substance like napalm could work.
  • Light drones, maybe would be electric or even ligthning throwers.
  • And I already mentioned the options for the queen.

Many other characteristics can be added but that could push even more the limits of the polimorphism, so we will be atenied to a very similar body format with just size varitions but with this different "breathings".

So, I am asking what process would permit a queen having all breath types to create individuals with individual breath types?

Also there are a lot of more dragons or thrower animals that I did not want include because if I dont the principals less I know that, but I am gonna let those here for reference.

Acid spraying dragon (of death)!

Designing a sea dragon with boiling water breath as a weapon

Natural Projectile Weapons

Or this strange How can a dragon utilize antimatter in combat?

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  • $\begingroup$ You appear to be asking for us to develop an entire very complex species. That's too broad and off-topic. (a) I'm not a fan of asking "how did X evolve?" because I've yet to be given a practical reason for why evolutionary pressure millions of years ago would have any bearing on a story "today." So I'm voting to completely ignore that. (b) Usually, asking about the development of multiple "types" (breathing elements) is considered multiple questions... but it appears you're really asking about the process by which that happens. (*Continued*) $\endgroup$
    – JBH
    Commented Dec 13, 2020 at 17:45
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    $\begingroup$ If I'm correct, then it's important that you first understand (and present as part of your question) how the different casts of honey bees come to be from a single queen. It's well documented. Knowing (and having presented) that, and assuming (b), it would be reasonable to ask how something similar could explain your castes of dragons. BUT, You need to explain with a bit of detail each caste. That cannot be left to our imagination in any way, or the question becomes too broad/opinion-based/story-based. Can you edit your Q to add both sets of information? $\endgroup$
    – JBH
    Commented Dec 13, 2020 at 17:47
  • $\begingroup$ @JBH. I thought its enough now. $\endgroup$
    – Drakio-X
    Commented Dec 13, 2020 at 21:27
  • $\begingroup$ We're closer, but I'm still not sure what you're asking. Are you asking (a) what physiology would allow each "breath" type or (b) what process would permit a queen having all breath types to create individuals with individual breath types or (c) which castes should have which breath types? Those are all very different questions. Which one are you asking? $\endgroup$
    – JBH
    Commented Dec 13, 2020 at 21:52
  • $\begingroup$ @JBH. the option b $\endgroup$
    – Drakio-X
    Commented Dec 13, 2020 at 22:17

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ice could be compressed methane/CO2 spued in a vortex motion, the methane idea could continue the fire, as methane catches fire easyly, and piezoelectricity stored somewhere would give the spark to light it up, now if the dragon removes the flammable materials, and adds conductors or superconductors to its breath, and possibly make it more watergun-like, then you get electric breath, also, to the methane, an aerosol with some flammable liquid, and some corrosive/poisonous material may be present on the breath, light (even if not mentioned), would be magnessium added to the fire breath, wind would be simply a very strong vortex, so i'll count it as part of ice, and also, the preassure needed for the wind one are very high, and well... finally earth, this is the tricky bit, it would probably not have its own breath, but rather have pieces of stone spued out and so, depending on where and what the conditions are, that could all happen, and no large modifications needed, also, the queen would more likely be a "perfume" meaning, lots of different hormones, and so, the stronger her breath, the more powerfull the queen is, and it may not only work for dragons, but maybe other creatures, this would also make the dragons obey her will, whatever it is

sorry for misspelled words, spanish keyboard

edit: forgot to add water, water would be pressurized or have other elements and compounds for different reactions, explosive water, add an alkali metal, or chlorine trifluoride (also could be used for the fire dragon)

also as I stated, some differences are smaller and could coexist

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  • $\begingroup$ You have reason, probably many of this are at the same mechanism. $\endgroup$
    – Drakio-X
    Commented Dec 21, 2020 at 7:53
  • $\begingroup$ thank you, very much $\endgroup$
    – Dexyan
    Commented Dec 22, 2020 at 12:11

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