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The firedragons are a sort of dragonic hybrid that mixes many aquatic and amphibious forms

Their mouth is like a snake, with a sheathed tongue in the chin and a glottis. The glottis, however, is attached to a larynx that is shaped for growling and bellowing, akin to a dog. They also have a vocal sac like a frog. Alongside this is a gill slit opening in the back of their mouth, which can be opened or clamped shut. Their lungs are sack-like and resonant but can pump efficiently like a crocodile

While they could copy the sounds of their component animals, I would like to ask about if any new sounds could be produced by the collaboration of these bodyparts

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  • $\begingroup$ This is pretty much unanswerable with anything other than opinion. There are many dozens of muscles involved in human voice production, (you've not told us about any or what nerves differentiate to them) and yet it's still not well understood exactly how we can do what we do (also remember the lyrebird mimicking chainsaws, motorised cameras and mobile phones?). The answer would seem to be whatever you want them to sound like, they can do it. $\endgroup$
    – Angry Muppet
    Jun 18 at 22:30
  • $\begingroup$ @JiminyCricket. This isn’t a lyrebird. The muscles and articulations are much simpler in this herptile than what you'd find in a bird or human $\endgroup$
    – Ichthys King
    Jun 18 at 22:31
  • $\begingroup$ Could you give us a cross-sectional diagram of the throat and vocal apparatus - at the moment it's not clear how they can make any noise at all other than a vague snapping of their mouth open and shut, same with the gill slits. How does their larynx work? Can they close their noses separately from their mouths? Nasal cavities, sinuses? Again, the sophistication of the way the nerves/muscles connect is going to make a huge difference. $\endgroup$
    – Angry Muppet
    Jun 18 at 22:36
  • $\begingroup$ Hiss-Ribbit-Roar, Hiss-Ribbit-Roar. 😃 $\endgroup$
    – Escaped Lunatic
    Jun 19 at 4:56
  • $\begingroup$ @JiminyCricket. is correct, this is unanswerable to the point that "anything you want" is more realistic than anything we can give you. It's also an open-ended/hypothetical question (specifically off-topic per the help center). It would be much easier to give the present description and tell us what sounds you want it to make, then ask us to help you modify the creature to get those specific sounds. $\endgroup$
    – JBH
    Jun 19 at 8:07

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Sounds

Most animals have a larynx, glottis, and lungs. They are all different shapes and animals make a wide range of sounds with their mouths. Big animals make deeper sounds and smaller animals make sharper sounds.

What is your favourite of those sounds? Guess what? That's what the dragon sounds like.

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Clearly they will sound like bagpipes. There will be a deep drone with circular breathing produced by inter-pumping of the various air cavities, and the larynx will provide the "tune". To the dragons, this will be their equivalent of birdsong, but to everyone else it will sound like a horde of advancing Scotsmen. Bagpipes are already scary, but attached to a dragon, they will be even more so.

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Whatever you want.

the sounds animals make is controlled by a slew of minor things you as the author are in complete control of. The larynx is the only thing that has a meaningful impact and the shape of the larynx is entirely up to you.

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