WhispertheWolfie

Hi, everyone! I'm posting on time, look at that! Today's Dragon Theories are going to be on our next dragon, the Hushbogle, a Whispering Death/Snow Wraith hybrid!

This is a hybrid we know a good bit about in terms of its abilities. Along with its firepower being known to us (rings of fire like a Whispering Death with a central fusillade like a Snow Wraith), Hushbogles are also known to have infrared vision like a Snow Wraith and the ability to tunnel in the ground like a Whispering Death. They also have two rows of teeth, which likely aids in the tunneling. Also like their ancestral dragon species, Hushbogles have trouble forming strong bonds and relationships with others, particularly those not their own kind. They truly apex predators, able to hunt in the sky and under the ground. They are incredibly strong, fierce, and resilient. But some have shown a surprising amount of tenderness despite their general love of violence, and with love and care, they can become good friends. More nervous than anything, these dragons are recommended for experienced (or hardheaded) trainers, not for beginners, and they are best trained at night where their infrared vision gives them the advantage.

This is yet another hybrid where I feel no need to put a whole theory forward regarding its name, as it's actually pretty straightforward if you know what the words mean. Not many people do, however, so I'll explain. The Hushbogle, being a Whispering Death and Snow Wraith hybrid, has a combination of words similar to these dragons. "Hush" refers to the Whispering Death half, since to "whisper" is to speak in "hushed" tones. "Bogle" comes from the Snow Wraith half, and this is the word many people might not know. "Boggle" with to 2 G's is to confuse or overwhelm someone, but "bogle" with 1 G is quite different. This word is a synonym for "goblin" or a "phantom." You know, like a ghost. Or a wraith. Yeah, this name is actually both really obvious and really clever. I think it's my favorite among the hybrid names!

But for a lot of the other questions I ask when looking at hybrids, I came up with some interesting theories, so let's take a look!

Theory 1: Possible Hushbogle statistics: Hushbogles have a high Attack statistic, a high Armor statistic, a high Jaw Strength statistic, a high Stealth statistic, a mid-to-high Firepower, a relatively high Speed, and a Venom statistic of 0. Alright, yet again we're looking to theorize the statistics of a hybrid by looking at the statistics of a its ancestral species. Thanks to this method, I've been able to get a good estimate of some of the Hushbogles stats.

Now one thing I need to make very clear is that, canonically, the Whispering Death is a powerful dragon. But its stats suffered a bit of nerfing back in 2013. See, originally the Whispering Death's stats were very impressive, with an Attack statistic of 16, an Armor statistic of 20, a Venom statistic of 10, a Jaw Strength statistic of 11, and so on. However, in 2013, the HTTYD website was updated to reflect the upcoming second film, and in the process, some of the Cartoon Network dragons were added to their Book of Dragons, now redone and renamed "Dragonopedia." In it, the Screaming Death was given the Whispering Death's stats, and every single stat of the Whispering Death was unrealistically nerfed. So while I am going to take the current stats of the Whispering Death for reference, as it is the current canon for the franchise, I will be keeping in mind that the Whispering Death is canonically powerful and leaning in that direction when there's a huge gap between it and the Snow Wraith.

First, for Attack, Armor, Jaw Strength, and Stealth, I think the Hushbogle would have high stats. The Snow Wraith has an incredibly high Attack of 18, and while it no longer has a high Attack, historically the Whispering Death's Attack was 16, meaning the Hushbogle likely has a strong Attack, too. The Snow Wraith also has an incredible Armor stat of 22, and while the Whispering Death's armor is no longer impressive, it also historically had an Armor of 20, so the Hushbogle is likely as well-armored as your average Boulder Class dragon. For Jaw Strength, the Snow Wraith has very strong jaws with a stat of 8, and while the Whispering Death stat has been nerfed, it has been said to have some of the strongest jaws of any dragon, which its historical stats having a Jaw Strength of 11. This also matches the fact that the Hushbogle tunnels, for which it will need strong jaws given that it has no digging forelegs. Finally, when looking at Stealth, the Whispering Death has a respectable Stealth of 10 and historically even one of 14. The Snow Wraith is incredibly stealthy with a Stealth of 30. Now the Hushbogle doesn't have the Snow Wraith's white coloration, so it doesn't have stealth on-par with its Strike Class parent, but it does have the tunneling that makes the Whispering Death so stealthy, so it probably has a Stealth stat similar to the Whispering Death or Screaming Death.

Firepower is a little trickier. The Whispering Death has a current Firepower of 3, which...doesn't make sense, quite frankly. Historically, it had the much more realistic Firepower of 10. The Snow Wraith, however, has an incredibly high firepower with 24. Likely the Snow Wraith gets this high stat from its method of shooting is frost, which is shot in a fusillade. Whispering Deaths, on the other hand, shoot rings of fire shaped like their mouths. Dragons: Titan Uprising tells us that Hushbogles shoot Whispering Death fire, but they do so in a Snow Wraith style, in a fusillade. So the Hushbogle has a Firepower that's at least mid-tier, if not high-tier.

Speed is even harder. The Whispering Death is slow, with a Speed of 7 and historically a Speed of 8, which makes sense, as slow speed is typical of the Boulder Class. The Snow Wraith, meanwhile, is in the Strike Class where high speed is a requirement, and it has an incredible Speed of 18. But looking at the Hushbogle's anatomy, its body shape does show more Snow Wraith influence than Whispering Death influence, at least in terms of drag shape, length, and wings, so it probably more closely resembles the Snow Wraith in terms of flight, including speed. I don't know if it's going to have Strike Class-levels of speed, but it's got to have a respectable Speed stat at least.

And finally, there's Venom. The Whispering Death has Venom. Historically it was a respectable 10, but now it's only 2, which is probably the only update to the stats that makes more sense. (The venom comes from their spines, and Toothless didn't seem to suffer much from the one that got stuck in him.) But the Snow Wraith has none at all. Given that most dragons don't have venom, it's likely that lack of venom is ancestral and so when two dragons cross and one of them doesn't have venom, the hybrid offspring is more likely to lack venom than to have it. So the Hushbogle probably has a Venom stat of 0.

As for Shot Limit, the differences between the parent species are too great for me to figure out here. The three stats we have are 1 and 2 for the Whispering Death and 10 for the Snow Wraith. Even looking at the fact that it shoots Whispering Death fire with Snow Wraith style doesn't help, as I don't know what the limiting factor is for its shots. So yeah, I don't have an answer for Shot Limit. Sorry. But hey, it's the only stat I couldn't estimate even a little!

Theory 2: Hushbogles can be found on the Isle of Berk, the Baneful Boglands, the Barbaric Back-Country, the Coldwind Wastes, the Blistering Badlands, and the Hidden World. They are not limited in their ranged by heat sensitivity. Whispering Deaths are typically the mothers of these hybrids, though not always. Right, so let's see where Snow Wraiths and Whispering Deaths overlap and therefore where Hushbogles can be found.

Snow Wraiths and Whispering Deaths intersect on the Isle of Berk, the Coldwind Wastes (also called the Frozen Tundra), the Baneful Boglands (also called the Mysterious Marshlands), the Barbaric Back-Country, and, of course, the Hidden World. These are locations they are confirmed to be found on, namely by looking at locations in Dragons: Titan Uprising but also across the franchise and cross-referencing other sources with Titan Uprising, as well as taking into account that both these species end up in the Hidden World. So we could potentially find Hushbogles in all of these locations. In fact, the Isle of Berk, Coldwind Wastes, and Baneful Boglands are even confirmed locations for the Hushbogles Mob-Clobber, Forehammer, and Mythic Murmurquill respectively in Titan Uprising.

However, there's one other location that Dragons: Titan Uprising confirms as a place where you can find Hushbogles: the Burning Barrens, also known as the Blistering Badlands. In fact, entire populations of Hushboggles live here (the Gorge Hushbogles and the Dangerous Hushbogles). The Blistering Badlands includes places like the Hollow Wood, Bloodspit Bay, the Ugli-Thug Slavelands, and most importantly Dragon Island, a place where Whispering Deaths are confirmed to roam. But no Snow Wraiths have ever been said to live in any of the locations of the Blistering Badlands. Given that name, why would they? Snow Wraiths, being arctic creatures, are extremely sensitive to heat, even hibernating away when the weather gets too warm. By contrast, Whispering Deaths also have entire arctic populations, but they have shown to also be quite comfortable around volcanoes and even within the bowels of the fiery mountains.

This leads me to believe that not only are Hushbogles able to survive in much warmer temperatures than Snow Wraiths but also that Whispering Deaths are usually the females in a Snow Wraith/Whispering Death pairings since Hushbogles are mainly appearing in Whispering Death locations, indicating that their eggs were laid by Whispering Deaths and they were raised by Whispering Deaths. And of course, following our rule that hybrids typically behave more like the species that raised them, this could explain why Hushbogles utilize their tunneling abilities the way a Whispering Death would and why they appear somewhat willing to socialize with others, which is more similar to the familial Whispering Death than the solitary Snow Wraith. That said, there's probably Hushbogles out there with Snow Wraith mothers instead; there's no reason to rule that out. But the Whispering Death-raised Hushbogles seem more common.

Theory 3: The Hushbogle's blind spot is behind its head. The Hushbogle, with its bulging eyes, probably sees pretty well in front of it, at least within the infrared range. Behind its head, however, it's as blind as most other dragons would be from that position.

Theory 4: Hushbogles mainly eat land-dwelling animals and birds. Like their Snow Wraith parent, Hushbugles see and hunt using thermal vision. This means the prey they are seeking out are going to be warm-blooded animals on land, which are the animals the Hushbogle can see with this vision technique. This also matches the likely pallet of the Whispering Death, who are ground tunnels who surface below prey and so are probably going after land animals.

Theory 5: The Hushbogle is not immune to dragon nip. Whispering Deaths are said to be the only dragons immune to dragon nip. I don't think Hushbogles will be immune, if only because susceptibility to dragon nip appears to be an ancestral trait in the dragon lineage and so would be hard to dispel with one parent of the dragons being susceptible to it.

Theory 6: Hushbogles can tunnel in ice. It's outright stated that Hushbogles can tunnel into the ground like a Whispering Death, but can they also tunnel into a glacier like a Snow Wraith? I'm going to say yes. And seeing as I never figured out how the Snow Wraiths do it, I don't really have any reasoning here aside from, "Well, Snow Wraiths do it."

Theory 7: Hushbogles do not have rotating teeth and cannot shoot their spikes. Whispering Deaths have rotating teeth, which aids them in their tunneling, and they have the ability to shoot spikes from their bodies, the same way a Nadder does. I don't think Hushbogles have either of these traits. Their mouths are not round like the Whispering Death's and so wouldn't rotate like that. They can still tunnel, but so can the Screaming Death and the Snow Wraith, and they don't have rotating jaws, either. Hushbogles are also never mentioned shooting spikes, and since that shooting of spikes is probably a derived trait, it's a mechanism that probably needs both parents' genes to work. So Hushbogles are spiky, as both Whispering Deaths and Snow Wraiths are, but they can't shoot spikes.

Theory 8: Hushbogles don't need to hibernate. As mentioned before, Snow Wraiths hibernate through the summer. Whispering Deaths don't. So which ones are Hushbogles going to emulate here? Well, Snow Wraiths hibernate due to sensitivity to summer temperatures, and I've already stated that Hushbogles probably don't have this same limitation, so they likely don't need to hibernate. Now those raised by Snow Wraiths might adopt this behavior anyway by taking after their mother's behavior, but I've also already theorized that most Hushbogles probably have Whispering Death mothers and so will emulate her behavior more. Those raised by Whispering Deaths not only don't need to hibernate but also aren't taught to. Most Hushbogles probably aren't hibernating dragons, and none of them really need to be.

Theory 9: Hushbogles grow up very quickly. I theorized that both Snow Wraiths and Whispering Deaths mature quickly, so it's likely that Hushbogles do, too.

Theory 10: The Hushbogle has Strike Class-like intelligence. It's time yet again to theorize how this hybrid's intelligence might compare to its parents and other dragons. All dragons may be smart, but the Hushbogle is blessed with an extremely high level of brain power even for dragons from both sides of its lineage. Whispering Deaths are said to be extremely intelligent and to have a long memory. As for the Snow Wraith, they are in the Strike Class, the class of the smartest of all dragons. The intelligence of one Snow Wraith, Furtive Fleetsleet, is even commented on by Dragons: Titan Uprising's description, which reads, "...she displays an incredibly heightened intelligence, understanding rudimentary communication with Vikings and learning at a rate unsurpassed by any other dragon." Considering Snow Wraiths only have infrared vision and are blind to things like drawn images and facial expressions, this is an absolutely astounding level of intelligence that even Toothless would be proud of. So yeah, the Hushbogle is the result of one smart parent mating with another really smart parent. Now as mentioned before when talking about other hybrids, due to hybrid vigor, hybrids tend to resemble the smarter species in their make-up in terms of intelligence; in an earlier post, I talked about how this has been observed in mules, who out-perform horses and even donkeys in problem-solving. For this reason, I believe Hushbogles would show the high intelligence of the Snow Wraith parents, or perhaps even more.

Theory 11: Other possible Snow Wraith and Whispering Death partners: Snow Wraiths and Whispering Deaths can also mate with Sand Wraiths, Woolly Howls, and Flightmares. In the past, I've talked about how the franchise has hinted at a relationship between the Whispering Death and Deadly Nadder and how it has outright stated that the Night Fury and Snow Wraith are relatives. Well, that may very well be the case, but we know for a fact that these dragons can't breed with the Night Fury or Nadder because Dragons: Titan Uprising tells us they're both off-limits. Now the Deadly Nadder has been indicated to be related to the Scuttleclaw and Skrill, but the Skrill is also in Dragons: Titan Uprising and also off-limits, and if the Whispering Death and Snow Wraith can't mate with a Nadder or Skrill, I doubt they'd have any luck with a Scuttleclaw. And again, this may be behavioral: the social Nadder and Scuttleclaw might not want an aggressive, reclusive partner like the Snow Wraith or Whispering Death, and the Skrill, which seems to appreciate open spaces where it can fly properly, might not often encounter by these two tunneling species. We also have evidence that when Snow Wraiths and Skrills do meet, the result is disastrous; one Snow Wraith, know as Skrill Chiller, was notorious for attacking any Skrill he saw he saw to the death...and frequently won. So yeah, that's not a pairing I'd recommend setting up.

So with all the potential Whispering Death relatives knocked off, that leaves us with the dragons that might be Snow Wraith relatives: the Sand Wraith, Woolly Howl, and Flightmare. I base this on the fact that the Snow Wraith has been stated to be a Night Fury relative and I think these are Night Fury relatives. Why? The Flightmare has been indicated, though not outright stated, to be a Night Fury relative by the franchise, and the Sand Wraith and Woolly Howl...well, look at them.

I don't think the Flightmare will mate outside its species, though. This dragon is so defensive and territorial that, even with an urge to mate, I bet getting along with its own kind can be struggle. I think Flightmares would have to be pushed to extremely low population numbers to want to mate with other dragons.

Now I don't think you'll get a cross between a Sand Wraith and a Woolly Howl, Snow Wraith, or Flightmare. They just don't live in the same habitat. Sand Wraiths love warmth and live on the beach, or in the case of the Desert Wraith subspecies, in hot sand deserts, and they're known for burying themselves in sand when the weather gets too cold. But Snow Wraiths and Woolly Howls live in tundra lands, at the tops of snowy mountains, or over vast expanses of arctic ice, reveling in the cold and not particularly fond of summers on islands like Berk. Woolly Howls can tolerate such temperatures, though it's not their preference, but Snow Wraiths can't even survive them, hibernating the summer away to avoid the warm temperatures. Flightmares, meanwhile, seem to like it a little warmer than the Howl and Snow Wraith, but they still restrict their range to the Arctic Circle, where the aurora borealis lights up their preferred food to give them their signature glow, and they absolutely can handle plunging tundra temperatures. Habitat overlap is a huge component in whether or not hybrids will occur naturally outside of captive settings, and I just don't think the Sand Wraith or any of its subspecies (Desert Wraith and Sweet Wraith) will encounter these dragons.

But I do think there are some favorable match-ups we can get out of these 5 dragons. The Whispering Death can be found in many different habitats, from under the ground in warm places to tunneling through arctic permafrost, and so they could potentially hook up with a Sand Wraith, Woolly Howl, Flightmare, or Snow Wraith. The Sand Wraith, being a generally friendly and curious creature, might be put-off by the Whispering Death's natural aggression, but perhaps as one burrowing dragon to another, they'll find common ground. (Hah) Besides, I have theorized that Sand Wraiths are normally solitary and territorial, so they might not be as put off by the Whispering Death's behavior as many other genial dragons might be. As for the cold-weather species, the Flightmare, Woolly Howl, and Snow Wraith, they could easily hook up with each other. The Flightmare is equally adverse to socialization as the Snow Wraith and Whispering Death, and so it's aloof behavior probably wouldn't be that off-putting. The Woolly Howl might be the most questionable one here, as it is a social species, but like the social Whispering Death, it seems to stay in families centered around mothers while adult males and females live separately from each other. Or at least, that's what I said in my Woolly Howl theories over a year ago. So I think they'd be okay with a "mate and leave" sort of partner, and they're high-strung enough that they can probably handle these naturally aggressive partners.

So it looks like viable pairings here might be Whispering Death/Snow Wraith (of course), Whispering Death/Sand Wraith, Whispering Death/Flightmare, Whispering Death/Woolly Howl, Snow Wraith/Woolly Howl, Snow Wraith/Flightmare, and Woolly Howl/Flightmare. Lots of options here, especially when you take into account all the Whispering Death, Snow Wraith, Sand Wraith, and Woolly Howl subspecies. I wonder what you'd call these pairings? Whispering Wraith? Whispering Howl? Woolly Death? Flightwraith? Snowmare? Woolly Nightmare? Snow Howl? Woolly Wraith? I like the irony in Whispering Howl, myself. XD Let me know your ideas for names down below! I wonder if anyone can come up with something as creative as Hushbogle!

(Weirdly enough, as an ice dragon enthusiast, I once requested a piece of Woolly Howl/Snow Wraith hybrid art thinking it would be kind of cool and also funny because I thought it would be kind of a ridiculous match-up. And now here I am saying it could fit with canon, assuming the Titan Uprising hybrids are canon. How things change.)

And that's all I have on the Hushbogle! As always, feel free to say whether you agree, disagree, or have anything to add!

Alright, another Dragon Theories post out in a single day! Well...almost, I was a few hours off. Man, playing catch-up is exhausting! Good thing we're caught up now. Finally. After this post, we return to regular Saturday posts!

Today's post is about the Deathly Galeslash, the Deadly Nadder/Stormcutter hybrid! These dragons are fascinating, possessing four wings like a Stormcutter and shooting magnesium flame like a Nadder but in a torus like a Stormcutter. Like Deadly Nadders, they have a big blind spot in front of their nose, but they make up for it with keen eyesight and the ability to detect changes in air currents! They also love to play fetch, not unlike their Nadder parent! Known for being confident, bold, spunky, aloof, and incredibly clever and intelligent, it's hard to say which parent they really take after since their personality does seem to be a perfect blend of both. Amazingly adapted for the cold, the Galeslash is steely and patient and must learn to respect its rider through calm understanding before it can be trained. In the arctic tundra many of its kind call home, it will wrap its rider in its four wings like a heated blanket to keep them warm.

Now looking at these guys, there were a few theories I sometimes do on hybrids that I didn't do for the Galeslash. There's no name theory, for one thing, because this one's another obvious one. "Deathly" is a synonym for "Deadly," "gale" is a synonym for "storm," and to "slash" means to "cut." So yeah, it's just "Deadly Stormcutter" - or rather "Deadly Stormcut" - with slightly different wording. I also don't feel the need to talk about intelligence in these theories. Both Stormcutters and Deadly Nadders are often cited by the franchise as some of the smartest dragons outside the Strike Class, so their offspring has to be equally smart, and Dragons: Titan Uprising has basically confirmed the Galeslash's high intelligence. So we're just going to look at my other usual questions. Hope you like what I found!

Theory 1: Possible Deathly Galeslash statistics: The Deathly Galeslash has a mid-to-high Speed statistic, a mid-to-high Shot Limit, a mid-level Stealth statistic, a Firepower statistic of 18, a Venom statistic of 0, an Attack statistic of 10, and a Jaw Strength of 5. Y'all know the drill, time to estimate hybrid statistics by looking at the parent species!

Okay, estimating this dragon's Speed stat is a mess. The Deadly Nadder has a Speed stat of 8 and has since the very first movie. But wait, the TV show claims that somehow the Deadly Nadder is super fast. Okay, well, the Stormcutter also has a Speed stat of 8. But wait, that's not true anymore; thanks to World of Dragons, the Stormcutter's Speed stat has been updated to an astounding 17! I...I don't even know. I'm just going to say the Deathly Galeslash has a mid-to-high Speed stat and call it a day.

Shot Limit is also a little odd. The Deadly Nadder has the standard Shot Limit of most dragons, 6. The Stormcutter's is a little higher, with a Shot Limit of 8. Safe to say the Deathly Galeslash falls in this range somewhere.

For Stealth, the Deadly Nadder and Stormcutter are both mid-level, with stats of 10 and 13. Therefore I think the Galeslash also falls in the mid-level area here.

Firepower is something I feel I can be a little more precised about. The Deadly Nadder has an incredibly high Firepower of 18 and the Stormcutter has a Firepower 12. I believe the Nadder's high Firepower comes from the type of fire it has, magnesium fire, stated to be the hottest fire of all dragons. Now the Galeslash shoots the magnesium fire of a Nadder in a torus like a Stormcutter. Since it has Nadder fire, I think it has the same high Firepower as a Nadder, 18.

Now looking at Venom, we once again have a hybrid where one parent had venom (Deadly Nadder) and the other didn't (Stormcutter). And once again, I'm going to assume the specialized anatomy necessary for venom didn't survive this cross, giving the Galeslash has a Venom stat of 0.

Finally, the easiest statistic of all: Jaw Strength. Both the Nadder and Stormcutter have a Jaw Strength of 5, so the Galeslash probably does too.

Theory 2: Deathly Galeslashes are most commonly found on the Isle of Berk; the Baneful Boglands; the Blistering Badlands, especially Dragon Island; the Barbaric Back-Country; the Coldwind Wastes; and the Hidden World. Galeslashes typically, but not always, have Stormcutter mothers and behave more like Stormcutters. So where do Deadly Nadders and Stormcutters overlap in their territories so that they might breed and produce hybrids? Combing locations, it appears Nadders and Stormcutters can be found on the Isle of Berk; in the Blistering Badlands, especially Dragon Island; in the Baneful Boglands; in the Barbaric Back-Country; and in the Hidden World. So Deathly Galeslashes would most likely be found in these locations. In fact, the Isle of Berk, Baneful Boglands, and Barbaric Back-Country are confirmed locations to find them in Dragons: Titan Uprising.

Now one location that Titan Uprising claims entire populations of Galeslashes live (Frigid Galeslashes and Bitter Galeslashes) is the Frozen Tundra, also known as the Coldwind Wastes. This includes locations like Woden's Bathtub, the Solid Sea, Prevarication Point, and Valka's Mountain. Nowhere in the franchise has is it been stated that Deadly Nadders inhabit any part of this region, but Stormcutters are said to. This leads me to believe that Stormcutters are more likely to be the female in these pairings and therefore are more likely to raise the Galeslashes, who they then teach to behave more like Stormcutters. This makes sense when you consider the size difference between the Stormcutter and the Nadder...let's just say everything probably goes much more smoothly for both the couple and the offspring if the mother is the larger animal.

Theory 3: Deathly Galeslashes eat mostly meat but are generalists with their diet. When looking at a hybrid's diet, it's best to look at the diet of the parent species. Deadly Nadders are solidly carnivores, showing very little omnivorous tendencies shown in many dragons and mostly preferring fish and birds as their prey of choice. Stormcutters are a bit more mysterious, but in my Stormcutter theories, I theorized they are omnivores that may have certain tendencies but can and will eat almost anything. My theory on them being omnivores was basically confirmed by Titan Uprising, where they mentioned a particular forest Stormcutter subspecies being almost complete herbivores, which contrasts with Cloudjumper eating fish in the second movie. That even indicates that Stormcutters adjusted their eating habits depending on location, and in the arctic where most Galeslashes seem to end up, meat is the most viable source of food around. With Deathly Galeslashes, I think we're also going to see them being mainly carnivorous like the Nadder, especially if they grow up in the arctic. But since they are usually raised by Stormcutters, they are probably raised to be generalists, too, and take vegetation when they have to, unlike Nadders who seem to be pickier eaters.

Theory 4: Deathly Galeslashes cannot shoot spines like a Nadder. There's been no mention of Deathly Galeslashes shooting spines from their tails the way a Deadly Nadder would, and if you look at their tail, it resembles more that of a Stormcutter than a Nadder, not even possessing spines all the way around it. For this reason, I think the ability to shoot spines was lost in the cross and the Galeslash can't do it. This makes sense, sad as it is; the spine-shooting ability is such a specific ability that if even a few genes were lost, the body probably wouldn't create the mechanism properly.

Theory 5: Deathly Galeslashes can't turn their heads all the way around like a Stormcutter. Stormcutters have this amazing ability to turn their head all the way around like an owl. Such an ability requires special adaptations to accomplish this like those I described in the Stormcutter theories post, including a head attached to the neck with a single socket pivot, more than the usual amount of bones in the neck, and alternate arteries in the neck to keep blood flowing when the neck turns. These are all extremely specialized traits, and they require the Stormcutter's thick neck to work. The Deathly Galeslash, however, has a very small neck like a Deadly Nadder and, once again, would not be getting the genes for these specialized mechanisms from both parents, so it likely doesn't have this same superpower.

Theory 6: The Deathly Galeslash has a Tracker Class sense of smell. So far, the Deathly Galeslash is looking a little rough. Sure, it has the intelligence of both parents and the amazing flight abilities and eyesight of the Stormcutter, but it's so far lost the Stormcutter's head-turning ability and the Nadder's spine-shooting ability. So I guess the next question is, does it keep the Deadly Nadder's amazing tracking abilities? I think it did. The Galeslash has more of a Nadder face than a Stormcutter face and so likely did inherit some great tracking skills, certainly far beyond those of the flat-faced Stormcutter. And once again, hybrid vigor may help out, too. Also, the last Tracker Class-crossed hybrid we looked at, the Brooding Boltstamper, also retained its Tracker Class sense of smell, so why not the Deathly Galeslash?

Theory 7: Deathly Galeslashes grow up quickly. I've theorized that both the Deadly Nadder and Stormcutter mature quickly, so the Deathly Galeslash likely does, too.

Theory 8: Other possible Stormcutter and Deadly Nadder partners: Stormcutters and Deadly Nadders can also mate with Scuttleclaws. Alright, once again, we're going to look at the Deathly Galeslash and ask, "If that can exist, what other dragons might be in this 'breeding group'?"

Now if you recall my Stormcutter theories you might recall that I didn't have a theory for what dragons Stormcutters might be related to. I thought they were such odd-looking dragons that I really had no clue. (I mean, I guess we can now confirm they share Nadder relations.) But I did have a number of dragons I theorized might be related to the Nadder: the Scuttleclaw, the Skrill, and the Whispering Death. Now according to Dragons: Titan Uprising, Skrills and Whispering Deaths will not mate with Nadders. I discussed why that might be the case with Skrills in my Brooding Boltstamper theories, which you can read here. As for the Whispering Death, the reason it might not be a viable option is because it's a tunneling, aggressive dragon that doesn't get on well with or even much encounter the social, high-flying, and high-strung Nadder or the snobby elitist and even more high-flying Stormcutter.

Now the Scuttleclaw is not in Titan Uprising, so we can't confirm whether or not it could be in this breeding group, but I think it's a strong possibility! This creature likely possesses many of the same mating strategies as the Deadly Nadder and so would be compatible in behavior. And it looks so much like the Nadder that it has to be the Nadder's closest relative, so genetic compatibility is a no-brainer. They are also known to live on the Isle of Berk alongside Nadders and the Isle of Night alongside Stormcutters and even like to live in the same sort of cold tundra climates where Stormcutters and their Galeslash offspring are often found, so they're in the right locations. So yeah, this is a strong possibility for a breeding partner for the Stormcutter or Nadder. The only issue I could see is the Scuttleclaw's tendency to not follow orders, but I guess so long as their mate is okay letting them run things, it should all go smoothly. XD

So there you have it, potential Scuttleclaw hybrids! What would you call a Stormcutter/Scuttleclaw cross or a Deadly Nadder/Scuttleclaw cross? Stormclaw? Scuttlecutter? Deathly Scrambletalon? Let me know down below!

And that's all I have on the Deathly Galeslash! As always, feel free to say whether you agree, disagree, or have anything to add!

Alright, so we're slowly catching up with the schedule. We're now at the post that should have been posted the first Saturday of June. Our hybrid for this post is the Ghastly Zapplejack, the Hideous Zippleback/Timberjack cross!

This dragon is fascinating! Much like its Hideous Zippleback parent, it has two heads, one of which spews flammable gas and the other of which lights that gas. However, the head that flights it doesn't just have a spark; it actually produces the same oil-based fire as the Timberjack. For this dragon, both firepowers came through to the hybrid offspring. And also like the Zippleback, the Zapplejack will use its thick flammable gas to conceal itself and its flockmates from the enemy, or from their prey. They also have the same fondness for and tendency to cause explosions, so...watch out. But don't worry, they're not that threatening. Much like Timberjacks, they're actually quite passive and docile, possessing kind hearts and a strong moral fortitude. This dragon is the kind to try to break up squabbles and get everyone to hug it out. They are even omnivorous, and some choose a very vegetarian way of life, keeping to the forests where they mostly feed on fruit. But they can have a large ego and be a bit overly enthusiastic, complete with a foolhardy attitude. They also sometimes have a tendency to steal shiny things and hoard them...or at least one of them, Slicker Nicker, has been observed doing this.

So that's what we do know. When coming up for theories for what don't know, I did follow a lot of the same sort of criteria I followed for the Brooding Boltstamper. But we're not doing a theory on why the Ghastly Zapplejack is called that this time around because...well, this name's a little obvious. "Ghastly" is an alternate word for "Hideous," and "Zapplejack" is a combination of "Zippleback" and "Timberjack." That's way less of a mystery than "Brooding Boltstamper" was. And as you read above, diet is also known, so I didn't do a theory on that, either.

Honestly, the more I learn about this dragon, the more I really like its attitude. Tricky and fun but kind and gentle; that speaks my language! It's quite a lovable two-headed beast. I hope you still like what I found on this strange forest dweller because I really enjoyed getting to know it better!

Theory 1: Possible Ghastly Zapplejack statistics: The Ghastly Zapplejack has a mid-level Attack statistic, a mid-level Speed statistic, a mid-level Stealth statistic that is doubled by the two heads, a high Armor statistic, a mid-to-high Shot Limit, a relatively high Firepower statistic of at least 15, a Venom statistic of 0, and a Jaw Strength of 3 that is doubled to 6 by the two heads. Once again, it's time to figure out what this hybrid's statistics might be based on its parent species. And for the Ghastly Zapplejack, we can get at least a little bit of an idea for every statistic.

For Attack, Speed, Armor, and Stealth, I think it's safe to say the Ghastly Zapplejack has mid-level stats. This is because both the Hideous Zippleback and Timberjack had mid-level stats in these areas, too. The Zippleback has an Attack of 12, a Speed of 10, and Stealth of 11 for one head. The Timberjack has an Attack of 10, a Speed of 12, and Stealth of 13. All of these are pretty middle tier, and so the Ghastly Zapplejack's stats are going to reflect that, too. The interesting thing about the Stealth stat, however, is that the Zippleback's Stealth is doubled by two because of its two heads. Because the Zapplejack also has two heads, its Stealth stat is probably also going to be doubled, so it's more of a mid-tier stat for one head and a high Stealth stat for both heads.

Now I was going to say that the Zapplejack has a mid-level Armor statistic, too, becuase the Zippleback as an Armor of 10 and the Timberjack has an Armor of 8, both mid-tier. However, the Zapplejack apparently has an "iron-hard hide." Much like it was the Brooding Boltstamper, this stat may have had a boost from hybrid vigor and is actually a high stat.

Looking at the Shot Limit, the Ghastly Zapplejack either has an average one or a high one. You see, the Zippleback has a Shot Limit of 6, the most common Shot Limit for dragons. The Timberjack, meanwhile, has a slightly high Shot Limit of 8. I don't know which one the Ghastly Zapplejack would have or if it would fall in the middle, but safe to say it lies in the 6-8 range.

Then there's Firepower. The Hideous Zippleback shoots flammable gas that it then lights to make explosions. One head breathes the gas, the other lights the spark. And its Firepower is 10. The Timberjack has an oil-based fire, and it has a Firepower of 14. And the Zapplejack? It breathes the flammable gas of the Zippleback, but instead of a spark, the other head actually has the same oil-based fire as the Timberjack. So since both ancestors' fire type has been maintained, I think the Ghastly Zapplejack would have a bigger Firepower than both of them. So it would be at least 15, if not higher.

The Venom stat is a funny one here. At first it seems straightforward - both dragons have a Venom stat of 0 - but you see, the Zippleback's stat is wrong. The very first movie tells us the Zippleback injects venom into its prey for predigestion. However, if one dragon in a hybrid's lineage doesn't have venom, the hybrid probably doesn't, either, because having no venom is the ancestral state of the dragon. So I do think that Zapplejack's Venom stat is 0, despite the Zippleback's venom.

Finally, there's Jaw Strength. Now this one's easy. The Timberjack has a Jaw Strength of 3, and so does a single head on the Zippleback. So Jaw Strength of 3 it is. But wait! For the Zippleback, this is another stat doubled by the second head. Its Jaw Strength is actually 3 x 2, which is 6. Since the Zapplejack also has two heads, I think its Jaw Strength stat would also be doubled in this way.

Theory 2: Ghastly Zapplejacks are most commonly found on the Isle of Berk; Outpost Island; the Blistering Badlands, including Dragon Island; the Baneful Boglands; the Coldwind Wastes; and the Hidden World. Alright, where in the wild would we find Ghastly Zapplejacks? Well, looking at the franchise, including the movies, show, comics, and games, Zipplebacks and Timberjacks both have overlapping habitat on the Isle of Berk; Outpost Island (a.k.a. Dragon's Edge); the Blistering Badlands, particularly Dragon Island; the Baneful Boglands; the Coldwind Wastes, also called the Frozen Tundra; and, of course, the Hidden World. (We even directly see Zipplebacks and Timberjacks in the Hidden World in the third film.) And a lot of these places are even confirmed locations for Zapplejacks by Dragons: Titan Uprising. In the game, Zapplejacks are found on Berk, in the Frozen Tundra, in the Baneful Boglands, and in the Blistering Badlands. Really the only ones I'm adding are Outpost Island and the Hidden World.

Interestingly enough, the major populations of Zapplejacks seem to be found on Berk. Now with the Brooding Boltstamper I used hybrid populations to pinpoint which dragon is usually the mother/caretaker parent, but this island is one of the places where both species can be found, so I can't actually do anything with that knowledge. I suppose it could lean toward Zippleback mothers since they're a bit more common on the island than Timberjacks, but there's still enough Timberjacks attributed to that location that I don't feel safe making that assumption. But yeah, safe to say Berk is one of the best places to try to find this cross, regardless of which parent species is usually the mother or father.

Theory 3: A Ghastly Zapplejack's blind spot is behind its head and underneath its chin. The Ghastly Zapplejack's heads are interesting. In terms of shape, they have more in common with the head of a Timberjack than the heads of a Hideous Zippleback. For this reason, I think they have the same blind spot I predicted for the Timberjack. Being huge and very long, the obvious blind spot behind them is...well, obvious. On top of that, their eyes are well-placed for a wide vision range, sitting on top of the face and pointed forward but also being large and taking up most of the face. A long and maneuverable neck also means they can turn their head in nearly any direction. But such a large dragon is a dragon you'll generally look up at, and it generally flies high in the air or sits upright, so your best bet for finding a blind spot is staying beneath their long chin. With eyes placed on top of their heads, Zapplejacks are sure not to spot you beneath their head unless they tip their head vertically downward.

However, if Ghastly Zapplejacks are anything like Hideous Zipplebacks, then both heads feed visual information to both brains, so they probably compensate for their blind spot a lot better than most dragons.

Theory 4: Ghastly Zapplejacks have the sharp wings of Timberjacks. One of the big questions with these hybrids is whether or not they share their ancestors' special abilities. In the case of the Timberjack's sharp wings, I think the Ghastly Zapplejack does have them. This is because of a line I found in the Orchard Zapplejack's description on Dragons: Titan Uprising. In that description, there's a quote from Ruffnut reading, "It burns, cuts, AND it's gassy?!" The fact that it "cuts" tells me it probably has those sharp cutting wings, as I'm not sure what else it would really be using for cutting.

Theory 5: The two Ghastly Zapplejack "halves" share a nervous system; either head could potentially control the entire body, and pain is felt by both heads. Back when I did Zippleback theories, I used evidence to answer a particular question: could only one Zippleback brain control the entire body? In other words, are the two brains both connected to the whole and each other? And you might recall that I answered "yes."

According to the official website, we know that all four eyes feed information to both Zippleback brains. "If you blindfolded one Zippleback head and held a mouth-watering sheep in front of the other head, both would start salivating at the same time." If this is true, then we have to conclude that both brains of the dragon are connected together in the nervous system. This means, hypothetically, each head could control the entire dragon. In fact, we actually get to see this in Dragons: Race to the Edge, when a young Speed Stinger paralyzes Barf's head and Belch is able to take full control of the body so that the dragon is not immobile. This means the heads really are cooperating on an agreement when they let one head control a part of the body over the other head, as they are both capable of controlling the whole body. This also means that, if any part of the body is harmed, both heads feel the pain.

If this is true for Zipplebacks, I would assume it's also true for Zapplejacks. They share the same two-headed trait, having inherited it from the Zippleback, so that trait would probably function the same way in them.

Theory 6: The twin heads are very aware of each other's emotions and feel them in bodily responses, even when each brain may be experiencing a different emotion. This is yet another theory I had for Zipplebacks that I think also applies to Zapplejacks. Going off the last theory, if both Zapplejack heads can feel the entire body, then they would also feel the body's responses to emotions. In vertebrates, the brain is the source of emotion, but the body often responds to the emotional part of the brain lighting up. Sorrow can cause the heart to pang, while fear quickens our pulse to prepare us to fight or flee, ect. And it's because of this that I think that, even if an emotion originates in one Zapplejack brain and not the other, the other brain will feel their sibling's emotions based on their shared body's response to it. It may even be that, because of this, their emotions almost seem to be in-sync.

Theory 7: Ghastly Zapplejacks sometimes inherit their Zippleback parent's treasure hoarding tendencies. Back when I did my Hideous Zippleback theories, I theorized that Zipplebacks are attracted to and sometimes collect shiny things. My evidence was the Titan Wing Hideous Zippleback from Dragons: Race to the Edge. In the show, we encounter this Titan Wing nesting in a cave of treasure. It's unclear if this treasure was gathered there or if the Zippleback had simply made the cave it's home, but either way, this is a hoarding dragon.

The reason I think Zapplejacks may have inherited this hoarding behavior is because of a Ghastly Zapplejack named Slick Nicker in Dragons: Titan Uprising. This Zapplejack gets her name from her hoarding behavior. She has a secret hoard of treasures, mostly "trophies" from her enemies but sometimes also just "borrowed" from the unsuspecting random Viking, and they include anything from helmets to weapons to sometimes even gold, collecting a whole tapestry of old relics. Sounds a lot like that Titan Wing Zippleback, now doesn't it? That's probably where Nicker gets it.

Theory 9: Ghastly Zapplejacks are generally solitary like Hideous Zipplebacks, but this may not be the case if raised by a Timberjack mother. Zipplebacks are usually solitary and Timberjacks, I have theorized, mostly live in small groups. So which one is the Ghastly Zapplejack, solitary or social?

Well, I think the Zapplejack is going to take after the parent in this. Remember, back in my Natural Hybrids general theories post, I said hybrids are most likely to behave like the species that raised them, normally the mother? But I do think Zapplejacks would have a leaning toward the solitary lifestyle. The reason Zipplebacks are solitary is because their two heads give them constant companionship, complete with all the comfort they can want and all the squabbles they can handle! In fact, they can even seem somewhat aloof to their riders because of their strong relationship with their attached sibling. Zapplejacks also have this double-headedness with the same sort of relationship between the two heads, so they probably also come off as somewhat aloof. That doesn't mean a Zapplejack raised by a Timberjack or raised in a multi-dragon nest won't be social, but yeah, I think a solitary lifestyle might be any easy adjustment for them.

Theory 10: Ghastly Zapplejacks have Timberjack-like intelligence. When it comes to intelligence, the Ghastly Zapplejack has two quite differing sides. The Timberjack is a very smart dragon. Many Sharp Class dragons tend to be rather intelligent - not like the Strike Class, mind you, but it's still a common trend - and the Timberjack is no exception, possessing a "sharp" mind as well as sharp wings. But the Hideous Zippleback, well...it's probably the least intelligent dragon in the franchise. It's certainly one of them; the Gobsucker might give it competition for the spot, but it's definitely down there. In fact, in its Top Trump card (yes, there's a How to Train Your Dragon Top Trump set of cards), there is an Intelligence stat, with the Night Fury having the highest one for a dragon at 20. The Hideous Zippleback's Intelligence stat was...1. That's even less than the Gronckle, which sat at 2. Oh, my, Zippleback. You couldn't even make that.

So which is it? Is the Zapplejack very smart and clever like the Timberjack or...not like the Zippleback? Well, I think the Zapplejack got a good deal here and landed itself Timberjack-like intelligence. Why? Hybrid vigor! Last time when talking about the Brooding Boltstamper, I mentioned that not only does hybrid vigor mean that hybrids will typically perform better than expected in terms of endurance and strength but this vigor also means they sometimes out-perform both parent species in terms of brains. So I think it's safe to say the Zapplejack's two brains will be the two brains of a Timberjack, not a Zippleback. Heck, maybe it even surpasses the Timberjack in brainpower. Wouldn't that be neat!

Theory 11: Ghastly Zapplejacks grow up very quickly, though babies are very uncoordinated at first. For both the Timberjack and Hideous Zippleback, I predicted they mature pretty quickly, so I bet Ghastly Zapplejacks do, too. But for the Zippleback, I also predicted that the hatchlings would be very uncoordinated at first compared to other dragons at the same age because they have to learn how to control their body with two heads that might sometimes be at odds. Since Zapplejacks also have two heads, they probably also go through this intense awkward stage.

Theory 12: Other possible Hideous Zippleback and Timberjack partners: Snaptrappers can also mate with Hideous Zipplebacks and Timberjacks. Once again, now that I've covered everything there is to cover about Ghastly Zapplejacks, we're are left to ponder: if the Timberjack and Hideous Zippleback can mate with each other, than who else can be in that mating group? What other hybrids could these two dragons potentially make?

There is a relative of the Zippleback that I think might work: the Snaptrapper. Like the Zippleback and Timberjack, it lives in forests and/or swamps and comes from similar locations and so would overlap with the two in terms of habitat. (Some are even found specifically on Zippleback Island and Dragon Island.) They are also calm and shy creatures, like the Timberjack, but like having a bit of fun, like the Zippleback, and so could be compatible in terms of courting. And sure, it's not confirmed that they're relatives of the Zippleback, but I did theorize that it was back in my Zippleback theories, and I'm sticking with that theory for now.

But that's it. That's the only dragon I'd add to this breeding group.

So why didn't I add other dragons I theorized to be Zippleback relatives, like the Grapple Grounder, Sandbuster, Grim Gnasher, and Scuttleclaw? Well, I think the Scuttleclaw would not be interested in a lot of these partners; it's just too high-strung and, like the Nadder, probably requires a very specific mating dance. As for the Grapple Grounder, Sandbuster, and Grim Gnasher, I doubt these dragons are really compatible with pretty much anyone outside their species. Grapple Grounders want to "fite mate" any other dragon they come across, Grim Gnashers want to eat any other dragon they come across, and Sandbusters can't be above ground when the sun is out without burning like a vampire. All-in-all, just not good candidates.

And why didn't I include any of the Timberjack's closest relatives? Well, I don't think there's a lot of viable options here, either. The Typhoomerang, Silver Phantom, and Monstrous Nightmare are the three dragons that I think are closest in relation while also possessing the right body size to be viable options. (Terrible Terrors are far too small.) Now I honestly think the Typhoomerang here has the best chance of being a viable partner, as it's probably the most closely related and it's a confirmed forest dragon, meaning it overlaps in habitat with both the Timberjack and Zippleback. There's just one problem: according to Dragons: Titan Uprising, they are not a viable partner. In the game, you cannot mate a Typhoomerang with a Timberjack or a Hideous Zippleback. So in canon, that's not possible. This may be because they're just too big, even for the Timberjack; the lock-and-key just ain't gonna work here. Or maybe their temperment is too high-strung, at least for the Timberjack which is the only one of the two that might be close enough in size to work.

So what about the Monstrous Nightmare? Well, you can't breed that with a Timberjack or Zippleback in Titan Uprising either, so that's also a no. And this may have to do with behavior; Zipplebacks, while they like chaos, are slow and calculative (probably because they have to be so the heads don't disagree and start stalling out the body), and Timberjacks have a calm, shy, and sometimes skittish temperament. The Nightmare's fiery attitude might not work.

Finally, there's the Silver Phantom. ...Why no Silver Phantom? This dragon is elusive for both Vikings and other dragons, rarely mingling with others, and it spends most of its time in the air flying so high that most other dragons can't reach it. I just don't think it will give itself an opportunity to mate with any of the dragons in this breeding group, even if it theoretically could.

So yeah, I think the hybrids you might in the wild for this breeding group would be the Ghastly Zapplejack (Timberjack/Zippleback cross), a Timberjack/Snaptrapper cross, or a Zippleback/Snaptrapper cross. Let me know what you would name those other hybrids down below! Timbertrapper? Snapjack? Zippletrapper? Snapback? Ooh, I like Snapjack and Snapback, I might go with those...

And that's all I have on Ghastly Zapplejacks! As always, feel free to say whether you agree, disagree, or have anything to add!

Okay, so here we are...the Brooding Boltstamper! The first hybrid I will be covering! Well...okay, maybe not first hybrd. I already did the Night Light in my updated Night Fury and Light Fury Theories post, and I already did the Chimeragon, but this is my first natural hybrid from two separate species. Eh...that's still a mouthful. First Dragons: Titan Uprising hybrid! There we go!

So the Brooding Boltstamper is a hybrid between a Skrill and a Rumblehorn, and before we get into theories, we should probably cover what we know for sure. Heavy like a Rumblehorn but with a Skrill limb-plan, the Brooding Boltstamper is known for being strong and powerful, able to swing its spikes like swords and cleave boulders in two with its snout! It possesses thick skin - thicker than the skin of both its parents (that hybrid vigor coming through) - and it has inherited the Rumblehorn's amazing tracking abilities, able to track fleeing prey or enemies for miles. (And just like other Tracker Class dragons, they can't track anything covered in Dragonberry juice; if you want to evade one, ride a Threadtail!) Its fire type is charged magma missiles, combining the two firepowers of its parents. Now while the Skrill is regarded as an aggressive and highly reactionary dragon, the Boltstamper's personality has been calmed a bit by the Rumblehorn. They tend to be mild-mannered and like contemplate peace in the tranquil forests, treading surprisingly lightly on the forest floor. Though quick to anger, the Boltstamper can be good-natured at its core. They possess all the cleverness, resilience, and power of the Skrill with none of the bloodlust. Humble and gentle, they are still not to be taken lightly. In battle, they are self-assured and over-confident and have a resolute mindset. They can even be rather vengeful.

Since this was my first Titan Uprising hybrid, it was interesting to cover. I was kind of trying to figure out the survival behavior of a creature of two types of dragons whose survival behavior I've already known and/or predicted. Some evidence here even comes from prior theories I made about both parent species. But I think I have a template now for how I'll be covering hybrids, and thankfully it's a bit less extensive than the pure species stuff ("thankfully" because I'm still behind on schedule and for hybrids I am researching two types of dragons, not just one). So yeah, I hope you like the sort of questions I answered. Do be sure to let me know if there's some other type of question you've wondered about for each hybrid so I can be sure to add it to this one and to future hybrid theories posts. For now, let's take a look at what I got!

Theory 1: The Brooding Boltstamper is named for its often "brooding" behavior, its Skrill ancestor's firepower, and its Rumblehorn ancestor's digging and stomping behavior, as well as its own stomping behavior. Yup, I felt like a theory about the name was necessary for this one. Normally when we have hybrids, we give them a name that's a combination of the two animals it's crossed with. A liger is a cross between a lion and a tiger. A zorse is a cross between a zebra and horse. A coydog is a cross between a coyote and a dog. So you would think a cross between a Skrill and a Rumblehorn would be a...I don't know, a Skrumblehorn? Rumblill? Skrillhorn? Rumbleskrill? But no, it's a Brooding Boltstamper. That's odd.

Alright, well, some people might know to point out that sometimes we do give unique names to hybrids. A horse and donkey cross, for example, is called a mule, not a dorse. But in the case of the mule, the term for that horse/donkey cross comes to us from the Latin mulus, a term used for a pack animal that often referred to a pack donkey or pack donkey/horse cross...and was sometimes used as a derogatory term. (In modern English, we just stick to the alternate word for a pure donkey for that.) But "Brooding Boltstamper" doesn't come to us from some prior language, so that explanation doesn't work here. So where does this name come from?

First, let's break down the "Brooding" part, as that's probably the hardest part. To "brood" is to think deeply about something that makes you unhappy. Boltstampers are known for being tough and a bit overconfident but also known for following the code of a warrior (or at least the Boltstamper Knock-Rocket does). But though they are quick to anger and always ready to battle, they also possess cleverness and resilience and can even be quite humble. Overall, this can make them seem soberly contemplative. So these are dragons that might be known for "brooding" behavior.

However, that's not the only definition of "brood." To "brood" could also mean to sit on eggs to hatch them. However, I haven't read anything that indicates that Boltstampers are good surrogate parents, so I'm sticking with the first meaning.

So why Boltstamper? Well, that's a bit easier. "Bolt" likely comes from "lightning bolt" or "electrical bolt," which is the Skrill's firepower. This is retained in the Boltstamper, as its firepower is also electrically charged. As for "stamper," Rumblehorns get the first part of their name because they make the ground "rumble" by stamping on it, and since Brooding Boltstampers only have two legs, they probably "stamp" the ground even more than Rumblehorns.

And let's be honest, "Brooding Boltstamper" does sound cooler than "Skrumblehorn." I can see why the person who named it decided to get creative. XD

Theory 2: Possible Brooding Boltstamper statistics: Brooding Boltstampers have a mid-high level Attack statistic, a mid-level Speed statistic normally and a Speed statistic of 19 when on lightning, a high level Armor statistic, a very high Firepower statistic, a low Stealth statistic, a Shot Limit of 4, a Venom statistic of 0, and a Jaw Strength statistic of 5. When looking at the possible stats for these hybrids, I think it's important to take into account the two species that went into the cross as well as the anatomy and abilities the hybrid offspring inherited. While this doesn't give me a perfect view of the potential stats of these dragons, it does give me some idea, and I was able to get a general idea of pretty much all the Brooding Boltstamper's stats using this method.

First, let's look at a Attack. I think the Brooding Boltstamper has a mid-high level Attack, not a particularly high Attack but higher than average. This is because the Rumblehorn has a solidly mid-level Attack (11), while the Skrill has a high level Attack (14). The description for various Boltstampers in Dragons: Titan Uprising indicates that their Attack level compares more to the Skrill than the Rumblehorn, but even then, the Skrill's Attack level, while high enough to be only one point lower than the Night Fury's and Monstrous Nightmare's, is not among the very highest in the franchise. So it's more of a mid-high Attack level. And while I can't say for sure if the Brooding Boltstamper is more like 13 or 14 or if it even breaches 15 thanks to hybrid vigor, I do think it also has a mid-high Attack level, too.

I also think this hybrid has a mid-level Speed. This is because the Rumblehorn has a mid-low Speed (7) while the Skrill has a solidly mid-level Speed (11). Brooding Boltstampers tend to have more of the Skrill build but with the Rumblehorn bulk, and so they probably have a Speed that falls in between these two stats. And I know what you may be thinking; isn't the Skrill actually one of the fastest dragons, with a Speed of 19? Yes, it can be, but the Skrill only has that Speed when it's "on lightning." The Skrill's normal Speed is 11. But as we'll talk about later, I do think the Boltstamper can "ride lighting," too, so they likely also have a Speed of 19 when on lightning. But their normal Speed is going to be much more middle-ground.

Then there's Armor. Here I think the Boltstamper has a high level stat. Now this prediction doesn't come from its ancestors: the Skrill and Rumblehorn both have mid-level Armor stats, 10 and 12 respectively. But the Boltstamper is outright to have a "reinforced hide" that is stronger than both its parents. This is a stat that appears to have been raised by hybrid vigor. In Armor, the Brooding Boltstamper outshines both ancestors!

For Firepower, I think the Boltstamper has a very high Firepower stat. The Skrill has a respectable Firepower stat of 12 with electrical bolts of lightning, whereas the Rumblehorn has an incredible Firepower stat of 22 with flaming rock missiles. The Boltstamper is said to have "charged magma missiles" for a firepower, combining both firepowers, so it should be greater in Firepower than both of its parents.

Now let's skip ahead a little to the last of the vague statistics I have: Stealth. Here we have a huge discrepancy between the two parents. Skrills are extremely stealthy, with a Stealth of 18, but Rumblehorns have a low stealth stat of 6. And in this case, I think Boltstampers lean more toward the Rumblehorn side of their parentage. The Skrill's dark hide, or icy hide in cold environments, is used for camouflage, and they also have a fairly thin frame compared to Rumblehorns. Rumblehorns, meanwhile, have bright and beautiful colors that make them stand out and great bulk that makes it nearly impossible for them to move about silently. They can be sneaky, but that has more to do with intelligence than inheritant stealth. Boltstampers seem to have inherited the Rumblehorn's bright colors and bulk, so their Stealth stat is probably comparable.

For Shot Limit, Venom, and Jaw Strength, here I think we can be exact because...well, the Rumblehorn and Skrill have the exact same stats here. Both dragons have a Shot Limit of 4, a Venom of 0, and a Jaw Strength of 5. For this reason, I think the Boltstamper has these exact stats here.

Theory 3: Brooding Boltstampers are most commonly found on the Isle of Berk, the Coldwind Wastes, the Blistering Badlands, the Hidden World, and the Barbaric Back-country, specifically the Wild Woodlands. Rumblehorns are more likely to be the mother of these hybrids, though not always. Brooding Boltstampers often prefer forest habitats. In order to figure out where to find hybrids, you need to look at where both parent species overlap. And that's exactly what I did to figure out where you're most likely to find to find Brooding Boltstampers.

Throughout the games in the franchise, and particularly in Dragons: Titan Uprising, it has been indicated that both Skrills and Rumblehorns can be found in the Berk forest. So it's not unreasonable to find a Boltstamper there as well, and in fact, Chestnut Knight is a Boltstamper found in this location.

The Coldwind Wastes, also known as the Frozen Tundra, and Blistering Badlands, also known as the Burning Barrens, are also places where you can find these hybrids in Dragons: Titan Uprising, and yes, Skrills and Rumblehorns are both found at both of these locations, too. There's even two specific Rumblehorn subspecies found in the tundra, the Arctic Rumblehorn and the Robust Rumblehorn, and this type of cold location seems to be the most common habitat for the Skrill, too. Both are also shown to be heat resistant as well as cold resistant and so can live in the Blistering Badlands, which includes Dragon Island, a place Skrills are particularly known for inhabiting.

Finally, there's the Hidden World, the last location where both these species overlap...because, of course, it's the hidden dragon world.

However, Dragons: Titan Uprising also reveals that entire populations of Boltstampers - the Wild Boltstampers and the Gutsy Boltstampers - live in the Wild Woodlands, which includes locations collectively known as the Barbaric Backcountry. Now as far as I can tell, there are no Skrills living this location, but the Barbaric Backcountry does include Rumblehorns, specifically on the island of the Woods That Howled (the Rumblehorn's main location) and the Wildwood Shores. This indicates to me a few things. One is that Boltstampers do usually prefer forests to other habitats, as it's highly possible that Boltstampers are moving to these locations from other areas. Also this indicates that Rumblehorns might typically be the female in these pairings, since these Boltstampers appear to be living in the same location as Rumblehorns, which would indicate they were raised by them. Meanwhile, no Boltstampers seem to be found in the Mysterious Marshlands or Wreck Reef, the two main locations for Skrills, indicating that they are rarely raised by Skrills and, if and when they are, they often move to other locations. This would match with the most common personality type of the Boltstamper, as they tend to be much calmer and more contemplative than the Skrill, which might reflect a typically Rumblehorn upbringing.

Theory 4: A Brooding Boltstamper's blind spot is behind its neck. Brooding Boltstampers seem to have a pretty good vision range to the front and to the side of them, but behind them is a different story. Their neck is far too armored to allow for a wide neck range, and there's very little way a Boltstamper will be able to see behind it, especially since they inherited the Skrill's hump.

Theory 5: Brooding Boltstampers are omnivores. When I theorized the diet of the Rumblehorn and Skrill, I theorized that the Skrill ate a wide variety of land meats but not fish and that Rumblehorns are omnivorous dragons that feed on fish, plants, roots, fungi, and grubs. I think, once again, the Brooding Boltstamper tends to lean more toward its Rumblehorn ancestor. I get this from the fact that they are often said to be ferocious in battle but often much more gentle and good-natured than a Skrill. In fact, the Chestnut Knight, a Brooding Boltstamper found in the Berk forest and thought of as the "Master of the Forest," "wouldn't so much as harm an insect." This peaceful nature and unwillingness to harm even small animals indicates a dragon that is just as happy to feed on vegetation as it is to feed on meat. And this makes sense with my last theory; if Rumblehorns are often the parent dragon raising the Boltstamper offspring, Boltstampers are going to learn how to find food Rumblehorn-style and so would resemble Rumblehorns more in their diet and foraging habits.

Theory 6: Brooding Boltstampers are often solitary dragons. Back when I did Skrill and Rumblehorn theories, I theorized that both dragons were solitary creatures. For this reason, I believe Brooding Boltstampers are almost always solitary, too.

Theory 7: Brooding Boltstampers can channel lightning with their spines and ride lightning bolts. They are attracted to metal. One of the interesting things about Brooding Boltstampers is their firepower. They shoot charged magma missiles. This seems to be a combination of the firepowers of both its parents. Rumblehorns shoot flaming rock missiles, which are specifically rock volleys surrounded by fire that's not quite hot enough to melt the rock. Meanwhile, Skrills channel lightning from the sky with their metallic spines and then shoot this lightning. This leads me to believe that Rumblehorns have the ability to use both firepowers together, with the heat from the electricity making the flaming rocks so hot that they melt into lava. But that also leads us to ask where the Boltstamper's electricity comes from. Unlike the lightning-like, electrically charged plasma of the Night Fury and Shellfire or the shocks of the Shockjaw and Seashocker, Skrills don't generate their own electricity. They attract it from their surroundings and then store it using their spines. Boltstampers have the same spines, so I think that, like the Skrill, they also channel lightning using their spines to get their own electrical charge for their firepower.

This ability to channel lightning also means that Boltstampers have the same ability as Skrills to get a speed boost from lightning. This behavior is called "riding lightning bolts." The show took "riding lightning bolts" a bit too literally and went against these stats, giving the Skrill the ability to travel at the speed of light, but that's night quite in line with the movie canon. The movie-associated franchise material has consistently insisted that the Night Fury is the fastest dragons, and th statistics associated with the first movie and the Book of Dragons short say that the Skrill has a Speed of 19 when on this speed boost, still a little slower than the Night Fury's supersonic top speed at 20. So how this "riding lightning bolts" actually works is not quite clear in the movie canon, but we do know that the Skrill uses a lightning bolt to gain a tremendous amount of energy to get a huge speed burst, possibly even one faster than the speed of sound. And since Boltstampers have these same spines and electrokinesis, they likely also have this same ability to speed-boost using the energy of lightning.

Also because of their electrokinesis, Skrills are attracted to metal due to its conductive properties. Berserkers used to even catch Skrills by luring them into traps with metal daggers. I think Boltstampers have this attraction as well, given that they have the same electrical abilities.

Theory 8: Brooding Boltstampers have a howl-like roar. According to Dragons: Rise of Berk, Skrills can sometimes howl. Rumblehorns, meanwhile, are known so well for having a roar that sounds almost like a haunting howl from a distance away that the place they inhabit has been called "the Woods That Howled," named after their roar. So I think it's safe to say the Boltstampers kind of sound like they're howling sometimes, too.

Theory 9: Brooding Boltstampers have Strike Class-like intelligence. As mentioned a number of times before in other posts, all dragons are intelligent, but the intelligence of dragons is ranked by the franchise. Strike Class dragons are the most intelligent, with the Fury dragons being the ones on the very top. Meanwhile, there are a few dragons toward the bottom, with the Gronckle not being particularly bright and the Hideous Zippleback often regarded as one of the least intelligent dragons of all. Brooding Boltstampers got a good dose from both parents; Rumblehorns are regarded as pretty smart dragons, and Skrills are some of the smartest out there, being a Strike Class dragon. So we know the Brooding Boltstamper would be smart even for a dragon. But I think their intelligence surpasses even that of a Rumblehorn and is more Strike Class-like in level. This is because of hybrid vigor. Hybrids do have an uncanny ability to be more versatile with their intelligence and sometimes even just more intelligent in certain areas than either of their pure species parents. According to research done by Kristin Hayday, the research assistant at the Donkey Sanctuary in the U.K., mules were shown to be faster at problem-solving skills than either donkeys or horses, showing a proficiency about on-par with dogs. So Boltstampers themselves would probably show intelligence often associated with the Strike Class, much like their Skrill parents, if not even more than their Skrill parents.

Theory 10: Brooding Boltstampers grow up very quickly. I theorized that both Skrills and Rumblehorns mature quickly, so it's likely that Boltstampers do, too.

Theory 11: Other possible Skrill and Rumblehorn partners: Skrills and Rumblehorns can also mate with Egg Biters. The Brooding Boltstamper's existence shows us that Rumblehorns and Skrills are close enough to each other to hybridize. But they hardly seem like the closest of relatives when you compare them to other dragons. So are there other dragons that have the ability to be included in this breeding group that could make other hybrids?

I think we could also put the Egg Biter in this breeding group. Back when I was making theories about Rumblehorns, I theorized that these two species were its closest relatives due to a similar body shape. The Egg Biter even has a similar skull to the Rumblehorn. Their relationship with the Rumblehorn indicates to me that Rumblehorns and Skrills could also breed with these two dragons. Now since Egg Biters are highly reclusive and aggressive toward anyone who finds them, and Gobsuckers are not particularly intelligent, I do find it less likely that either of these dragons would cross with any of the 3 species in the group than it is for Skrills and Rumblehorns to cross with each other. You would find such hybrids mostly in the Hidden World or Isle of Berk; for the most part, Egg Biters really don't live in the same locations as Skrills and Rumblehorns. But it might be possible. At the very least, we know their tendency to fight won't put off a potential Skrill mate, or any other mate willing to handle a Skrill!

I do also want to briefly cover dragons I discarded from this breeding group and why. Rumblehorns could also bear a relation to the Gobsucker and a slightly more distant relation to the Buffalord and also the Sweet Death. However, I feel that, since Buffalords were endangered and are now nearly extinct, there would be more hybrids of them running around if that were possible. But we don't, so I don't think they hybridize much at all. The fact that they are fully herbivorous, not omnivorous or carnivorous like most dragons, might indicate a lifestyle that makes them unsuitable for naturally mating with the Skrill, Rumblehorn, Egg Biter, or Gobsucker. As for the Sweet Death, their lifestyle of burying themselves definitely seems a bit too foreign of a lifestyle for the Skrill, Rumblehorn, or Egg Biter. And the Gobsucker? They are notorious for smelling awful all the time. This would probably keep most dragons clear of them. The Rumblehorn especially is known for its strong sense of smell; imagine the suffering of having to be in close proximity to a Gobsucker for an extended period of time! So yeah, I don't think that will work out. It's too bad, too; Hornsucker would have been a great hybrid name. (I'm so mature!) XD

Finally, there's a reason I discarded any dragons I think might share a closer relationship with the Skrill. According to the TOPPS How to Train Your Dragon 2 Trading cards, the Skrill is stated as resembling both a Deadly Nadder and Thunderdrum, and for this reason, I proposed in my Skrill theories that these three dragons might have some relationship. Also, the cards state that the Whispering Death has similarities to the Deadly Nadder, leading me to include this as a relative, too. However, all three of these species are in Dragons: Titan Uprising, and neither the Skrill nor the Rumblehorn are able to breed with them. So canon tells us they're not in the same breeding group together. And since Nadders are discarded here as potential mating partners, I'm also discarding the Scuttleclaw. But why might that be?

Some of these are easily explained through behavior. The Thunderdrum, being a sea dragon, likely just doesn't interact with Skrills and Rumblehorns in potential breeding situations. The Whispering Death is another tunneling, partly blind dragon, and it's hard to see this animal wanting to be around the bright-colored Rumblehorn or the electric Skrill. The reason for the Nadder and Skrill being unable to mate, however, is mysterious to me, but it may be that I underestimated their relationship and that the two only share similarities in appearance due to convergent evolution, or it may be that the Nadder, an extremely social species, does not have much interest in mating with solitary species like the Skrill or Rumblehorn. It might even be that Skrills and Rumblehorns do not perform the correct mating dance for a Nadder mate, since Nadders do lure in mates with elaborate dances. As for Scuttleclaws, which might also be in these group of relations, they might be very much the same way as Nadders, needing a specific mating dance for courting.

So, in the end, I felt the Egg Biter was the only viable option to add to this breeding group. Now the question is...what would you call a Skrill/Egg Biter cross? Or a Rumblehorn/Egg Biter cross? A Skrill Biter? An Egg Skrill? An Egghorn? A Rumblebiter? Any other ideas? Let me know down below!

And that's all I have on the Brooding Boltstamper! As always, feel free to say whether you agree, disagree, or have anything to add.

Alright, we are at the point in our Dragon Theories series where we have covered every species, and now all that is left are the hybrids revealed to us in Dragons: Titan Uprising! There are 5 of these: the Abomibumble (Monstrous Nightmare x Gronckle), the Hushbogle (Whispering Death x Snow Wraith), the Ghastly Zapplejack (Hideous Zippleback x Timberjack), the Deathly Galeslash (Deadly Nadder x Stormcutter), and the Brooding Boltstamper (Rumblehorn x Skrill). But before we talk about hybrids, I do want to cover both facts about real hybrids in nature and also theories about how the HTTYD hybrids might work in general terms before we get to these five specific types.

But in order to talk about hybrids, we must talk about two slightly varying definition of hybrids in biology. First, we need to define "hybrid."

Hybrid definition: the offspring of two different varieties of organisms

These varieties are often thought of as different species, but they could also refer to, say, different subspecies. A Night Light - a cross between a Night Fury and Light Fury - is a hybrid, regardless of whether or not it's one species or a mix of two different species. (A Night Fury and a Light Fury are typically depicted as two varieties of the same species but sometimes are described as different species because...DreamWorks gets confused sometimes, I don't know.) So before we get into hybrids between different species, I do briefly want to cover potential hybrids between different subspecies, all of which are completely possible within the franchise. I made a list of possibilities! ...It's a big list.

Night Fury/Light Fury a.k.a. Night Light (the only natural hybrid seen in the franchise outside of Dragons: Titan Uprising)

Monstrous Nightmare/Merciful Nightmare

Monstrous Nightmare/Mountain Nightmare

Merciful Nightmare/Mountain Nightmare

Brush Nadder/Nimble Nadder

Common Gronckle/Grove Gronckle

Common Gronckle/Gentle Gronckle

Grove Gronckle/Gentle Gronckle

Hideous Zippleback/Valley Zippleback

Hideous Zippleback/Zesty Zippleback

Valley Zippleback/Zesty Zippleback

Terrible Terror/Garden Dragon

Common Timberjack/Tricky Timberjack

Common Timberjack/Wetland Timberjack

Tricky Timberjack/Wetland Timberjack

Common Thunderdrum/Reef Thunderdrum

Common Thunderdrum/Tectonic Thunderdrum

Reef Thunderdrum/Tectonic Thunderdrum

Common Stormcutter/Woodland Stormcutter

Common Stormcutter/Serene Stormcutter

Woodland Stormcutter/Serene Stormcutter

Common Rumblehorn/Arctic Rumblehorn

Common Rumblehorn/Robust Rumblehorn

Arctic Rumblehorn/Robust Rumblehorn

Common Snafflefang/Slough Snafflefang

Common Snafflefang/Stocky Snafflefang

Slouch Snafflefang/Stocky Snafflefang

Scuttleclaw/Budbite

Snifflehunch/Sneezlehunch

Common Whispering Death/Brisk Whisper

Common Whispering Death/Guarded Whisper

Brisk Whisper/Guarded Whisper

Boneknapper/Grave Knapper

Boneknapper/Bludgeon Knapper

Grave Knapper/Bludgeon Knapper

Marshland Skrill/Shadow Skrill

Common Snaptrapper/Leafy Snaptrapper

Common Speed Stinger/Webbed-Footed Speed Stinger

Common Typhoomerang/Forest Typhoomerang

Common Typhoomerang/Tense Typhoomerang

Forest Typhoomerang/Tense Typhoomerang

Snow Wraith/Wood Wraith

Snow Wraith/Wild Wraith

Wood Wraith/Wild Wraith

Slithersong/Death Song

Night Terror/Night Swarm

Night Terror/Fire Terror

Night Terror/Heartwarmer

Night Swarm/Fire Terror

Night Swarm/Heartwarmer

Fire Terror/Heartwarmer

Small Shadow/Sunchaser

Small Shadow/Shadechaser

Sunchase/Shadechaser

Common Rockstomper/Moldruffle

Common Groncicle/Frozen Groncicle

Sand Wraith/Desert Wraith

Sand Wraith/Sweet Wraith

Desert Wraith/Sweet Wraith

Woolly Howl/Snoggletog Wraith

So that's all the subspecies hybrids that are possible, but that will produce a dragon of the same species that will be able to breed itself and will not change too drastically, since its parents are so similar. The hybrids from Dragons: Titan Uprising are crosses between two different species. Because of this, that is what our following theories and facts will be focused on.

Theory 1: Size effects hybridization. Dragons will not hybridize if there is a huge size difference. This seems obvious, but yes, this means that there are certain crosses that just can't happen. Bewilderbeasts with Stormcutters. Terrible Terrors with Monstrous Nightmares. Smothering Smokebreaths with Deadly Nadders. Heck, I even left out the crossing of the two Prickleboggle subspecies when listing subspecies hybrids because the size difference is just too great.

Theory 2: The known hybrids are infertile. By "known hybrids," I do mean the ones in Dragons: Titan Uprising: the Abomibumble (Monstrous Nightmare/Gronckle), Hushbogle (Whispering Death/Snow Wraith), Ghastly Zapplejack (Hideous Zippleback/Timberjack), Deathly Galeslash (Deadly Nadder/Stormcutter), and Brooding Boltstamper (Skrill/Rumblehorn). While these can all breed in the game because of how game mechanics work, I don't think that would actually be the case. These species are so different that, even if these hybrids can exist in this universe, there's no way they could breed themselves. They would be infertile, like mules.

(Again, since Night Lights are most likely a subspecies hybrid, not a mix of different species, they don't apply here. Those should be fertile.)

Theory 3: Hybrid dragons tend to behave more like their mother's species. Typically when you have a hybrid animal, the question of whether it will behave more like one parent or the other always comes up. Will a wolfdog be more wolf or dog? Will a mule act more like a horse or a donkey? Is a liger more like a tiger or a lion in behavior? There's no strict rule here; different individuals will lean more toward one species or another just based on chance genetics. But there is a trend that can help us predict the species a hybrid will be more like. Whether wild or (more often) captively bred, hybrids tend to behave a little more like the species of whatever parent raises them, which is typically the mother. This is because, though genes make up a good bit of our behavior, so does nurture, and the mother raising the offspring is of course going to teach it to act like herself and her own kind. So my theory here is that dragons, being nurturing animals where mothers seem to do most of the raising, are very much the same. The hybrid in question, no matter what type, is more likely to lean toward whichever species that actually raises it, typically its mother's species. For example, the Abomibumble who has a Nightmare mother might be a little less inclined to sleep all day than the Abomibumble with a Gronckle mother, even if they both have a bit of natural laziness compared to a pure Nightmare and more energy than a pure Gronckle.

Theory 4: Fire-breathing is ancestral and will dominate other firepowers genetically in hybrids. This applies to any hypothetical hybrids as opposed to the Titan Uprising ones specifically; those in the game already have their firepower types stated. But it is interesting that, when dragons are crossed in the game, fire never seems to go away. The Abomibumble - a combination of fire and lava firepowers - and the Brooding Boltstamper - a combination of fiery rock and lightning firepowers - ended up shooting lava rather than fire, but they still have that fire heat. Meanwhile, the Ghastly Zapplejack kept the Timberjack's fire type entirely, replacing their Zippleback spark that they use to light their gas with the fire instead, and the Hushbogle, which combines fire and ice, shows no hint of ice ever being in the lineage, simply shooting fire in a Snow Wraith-styled shot. When combined with an earth-based fire like lava, there is a tendency to have a lava-based fire, but the heat of fire is still there, and when combining fire with water, fire comes out on top.

And this is no surprise: fire is the most common breath weapon, more so than water or acid or electricity or plasma or anything else of that sort. It is found in every dragon class, and in most classes, it is the most popular fire type. This makes me believe it is the ancestral breath weapon of all dragons, the most ancient of all of them, which means even the frostiest ice breathers might have the hidden genes necessary for fire-breathing. As a result, when the two gene sequences of very different species are crossed, the ability for a more derived firepower might be lost but the ability to breathe fire can usually survive the crossing. I'd say that if you cross a fire-breathing dragon with a water-breathing one, you're either going to get fire or boiling water. With an acid breather, you could get flaming acid or simply fire. No matter what, fire or at least the heat of it will come through the cross.

Theory 5: Night Furies cannot mate with dragons outside their species. Yeah, so...this is basically an explanation as to why, when I list possible multi-species mixes, I'm not including Night Furies. Or Light Furies, for that matter. I do think of both Furies as the same species, just different subspecies, because that's what the franchise claims the most often, so this theory applies to both Fury dragons. Basically, I don't think Furies can mate outside of their species, and the reason has to do with the plot of Hidden World. If Toothless could have found a mate among any other dragon, that weakens his need to find and be with the Light Fury, a need which is a necessary component of the last movie's story.

And yes, this includes Sand Wraiths or Woolly Howls. I don't think Furies could mate with either of these dragons. At least, not in nature; I don't know if artificial insemination would work here, but the point is, Toothless isn't going to be actively pursuing any other dragons. And the reasons could be genetic, but they could also just be behavioral. Perhaps Furies are super picky and simply won't hybridize. Or maybe these dragons differ too much in mating strategies to want to cross. I've also stated that I don't think either Sand Wraiths or Woolly Howls mate for life - in fact, I've said that most dragons don't mate for life - and Night Furies definitely do, which makes them distinct in their mating strategy and may enhance their pickiness and insistence on having a mate of their own kind. After all, it's one thing to have a fling with a different species when you know you can look for some other guy to get together with next year, but when you're looking for a life partner, you'll probably have higher standards. So that also could be a deterrent.

Just because a dragon's genomes are compatible doesn't mean their behavior will be. But whether it's the behavior or the genes or a combination thereof, Furies just aren't interested in getting together with non-Fury partners. Sorry, Fury hybrid OC owners. But hey, don't change your OC on my account.

Theory 6: Dragons who's mainstay food is other dragons do not hybridize with other dragons. This includes Deathgrippers, Slithersongs, Death Songs, Grim Gnashers, and Scauldrons. Now again, this is assuming we're talking about two dragons naturally choosing to mate with each other, not any form of artificial insemination. I do think some of these dragons might have compatible genomes with other dragons; I do wonder if the Deathgripper and Triple Stryke share a relationship, for example. But I just don't think dragon eaters are going to naturally hybridize. The reason is that they eat other dragons and so would view them as food, not something to socialize with and get together with. Mating with your food is not something animals do...typically.

Theory 7: Sentinels do not naturally hybridize because they do not interact with potential mating partners of other species. Alright, so here's another dragon that I won't consider for natural hybridization, this time because of where they live. Sentinels live on Vanaheim and guard the dragon dead. The only dragons that ever visit their home island are predator dragons like Grim Gnashers and possibly bone snatchers like Boneknappers - both of which Sentinels are in conflict with - and dragons who are dying. No healthy, compatible species is going to come in proximity with them under any normal circumstances, so it's unlikely that they would ever have a chance to choose a mate not their own.

Theory 8: Slitherwings cannot hybridize because of their poison. Finally, there's one last dragon I'm eliminating from the potential of ever having hybrids in this franchise: Slitherwings. And the reason is obvious. Touching them is deadly, so any dragon who tried to get together with one would just suffer a terrible fate. Too bad for the Slitherwing; I'm sure it has a charming personality when it wants to. XD

The reason I'm not including Threadtails in this is that you may recall in my Threadtail theories that I believed Threadtails are not secreting poison all the time but only do so when they feel they need to. You can see my Threadtail theories here to see my reason.

Theory 9: Possible Hybrid Breeding Groups (not including Dragons: Titan Uprising hybrid groups): Alright, so before we get on to confirmed hybrids, I want to take one last look at some hypothetical hybrids. Here, I'm basically going to name groups of dragons that I think might possibly have the ability to interbreed with each other and then explain my reasoning. I will not be including dragons I think are in the hybrid groups that include the Titan Uprising hybrids because I'm going to cover those in the individual hybrids' posts. So with that said, what other dragons do I think might be possible to hybridize, assuming the TU hybrids are in fact canon?

Terrible Terror and Night Terror: My reasoning for these two being able to hybridize is pretty straightforward: they are similar in size enough for it to work, and the franchise outright states that these two are relatives. So if a Nightmare and a Gronckle can get together, I'd assume that Terrible Terror and Night Terror would make a fine couple. They are even both pack dragons, so even socialization might not be a big problem. And there's 2 different subspecies of Terrible Terror and 4 different subspecies of Night Terror to choose from, so there's a lot of possibilities here!

I also wouldn't be against the Smothering Smokebreath and Hobgobbler being in this group, but I'm a little hesitant to include them just because there's no real indication of close relationship there aside from similar size.

Hobblegrunt, Threadtail, Thornridge, Devilish Dervish, Giant Prickleboggle, Windstriker, Raincutter, Shivertooth, and Razorwhip: Yes, I think all of these dragons might have the ability to hybridize with each other. This is mainly due to the fact that they all have a fairly similar body plan, with many of them resembling theropod dinosaurs and having very much the same features of this theropod body and stance with long necks, tails, and snouts. The Shivertooth and Razorwhip are the outliers here, as they quadruped dragons rather than biped and tend toward a narrower body type, but they are still close enough that they could very well mingle in this breeding group, I think.

One thing I want to note here is that, with the Prickleboggle, I did say Giant Prickleboggle. The common Prickleboggle is too small to mate with any of these dragons, including its own giant cousin.

Rockstomper, Shovelhelm, Snifflehunch, Windgnasher, Snafflefang, Thunderclaw, and Mudraker: The reasoning here is the same as the last group. These dragons all have a similar body plan, enough that I think they should be closely-related enough to produce offspring together. (You might recall from my Rockstomper theories that I consider the Moldruffle a type of Rockstomper, hence why it's not individually listed here, but it's included, too.)

Tide Glider and Sliquifier: What's so interesting about these dragons is that, if we look at the original versions of both of them, they both have two wings, two front limbs in the form of flippers, and no back limbs. (The Tide Glider has 2 different versions and the Sliquifier has 3, all with different limb plans, but in this case we're going with the movie Sliquifier and the Rise of Berk Tide Glider.) This similar body plan makes me believe that these dragons share a similar aquatic lineage and therefore just might be able to hybridize.

Now the Seashocker also has this limb design, but the reason I didn't include it is because the franchise claimed its closest relative is the electric eel. Which doesn't really make sense, but...eh.

Changewing and Dramillion: I have no idea why the franchise decided these two were relatives aside from plot convenience, but they are canonically relatives. Again, if a Gronckle can mate with a Monstrous Nightmare...why not?

Boneknapper, Armorwing, and Sword Stealer: Boneknappers, Armorwings, and Sword Stealers not only tend to have very similar habits (making a coat of armor out of scraps) but also have very similar body plans. For this reason, I do think they could hybridize. It's hard to say what hybrids are more likely: Armorwings and Sword Stealers are probably more closely related, but Sword Stealers and Boneknappers appear to be closer in size. Nevertheless, I think any combination here could work, if the dragons are willing.

Alright, athat's all the theories I have on multi-species hybrids for this franchise, both for the established 5 and for hypothetical ones. But before I close, here's a few facts that I know for sure about our hybrids:

Fact 3: Hybrids are canonically extremely rare in the wild in this franchise. Also, real reptiles do hybridize, much more commonly than many people give them credit for. Yes, I consider the fact that dragon hybrids are rare to be confirmed canon. Not only have we not seen any natural hybrids outside of Titan Uprising and maybe in Hidden World with the Night Lights, but also Titan Uprising outright states that wild dragons don't usually hybridize (which is why it's a plot point in the game that more of them are popping up, indicating there's a type of disturbance happening in these dragons' populations because of the villains in the game).

If I'm quite honest, I was going to make this a theory before research concluded that it is indeed canon. Still, I do want to go into detail here. Why might hybrids be rare?

To answer that question, we first need to ask, "Why aren't they rare?" and also, "Could they even exist, and why would they exist?" And answering these questions has led me to realize that...I don't think a lot of people in the fandom are aware of the real science of reptilian hybrids. I've seen a lot of people in the HTTYD fandom saying things like, "Reptile hybrids are unheard-of and putting them in HTTYD is wrong and the Night Lights are unbelievable." And these people are wrong...well, you know, they're wrong about the "reptile hybrids" part, the rest is opinion.

So first, to defend Night Lights here. As mentioned before, the Night Fury and Light Fury are most likely the same species, just distinct subspecies, so the Night Light is just a subspecies cross, like a wolfdog. I personally think the Night Lights look utterly ridiculous from a biological standpoint - why in the world are they piebald? - but their existence does follow real-world logic.

But even putting that aside, multi-species hybrids are not as uncommon in nature as many seem to think, depending on the type of organism. Plants, for example, hybridize pretty often compared to us animals and are less likely to have detrimental effects from this. But since dragons are animals, specifically vertebrates, we should probably look at vertebrate hybrids. Even then, there seems to be more hybrids in the world than people realize.

When vertebrates hybridize successfully, they are normally in the same genus. Reptiles - which is what dragons are said to be - actually commonly have "hybrid zones" when two species of the same genus have overlapping territories if the two species are close enough to in relation to produce fertile offspring. In these hybrid zones, lizards may be any percentage of one species or another, since all these lizards are breeding at random. So actually, hybridization is relatively common in healthy reptile populations with closely-related species. Saying that hybrid reptiles are unheard-of is just incorrect. They're just not trumpeted as much as mammalian hybrids are in captivity, so we rarely get to see them. You'll be hard-pressed to buy or breed a hybrid pet reptile, but that doesn't mean there are no recorded cases of reptilian hybrids.

But of course, when talking about hybrid zones, we're usually talking about lizards and snakes. That's less so the case with crocodilians and birds, which are the reptiles I personally believe dragons would be most closely related to if they existed. If dragons were real-world reptiles, I believe they would be archosaurs, just like crocodilians, pterosaurs, and dinosaurs (including birds), and such animals are far less likely to have natural hybrid zones. Much like mammals, however, birds and crocodilians will interbreed with other species when they have trouble finding a mate within their own species. For example, due to the decline of Cuban crocodiles (there's only an estimated 4,000 left), they have recently begun interbreeding with American crocodiles since they have trouble finding mates of their own kind. As for birds, as many as 10% of the 10,000 bird species on the planet have been recorded producing hybrids, and while some of these were captive, many were not. Nevertheless, it is important to note that hybrids for these animals are far more likely in captivity for a few reasons: 1) animals may find a lack of mates of their own species simply because they are not allowed to roam to find them and so mate with whoever is available in their enclosure, or 2) humans intentionally set up a situation in order to produce a hybrid (as is often the case with ligers and mules).

Still, even with hybrids being far more possible and common than I often see people give them credit for, they are still rare overall compare to pure species. (Separate species wouldn't be "separate" otherwise.) And the more distant the species are from each other, the less likely you'll find a hybrid. Fertile hybrids do sometimes create small "hybrid zones," but if the species are so different that the hybrid is born infertile, then they are even rarer in wild settings because they can't be multi-generational.

So putting all this together, it both makes sense that the HTTYD world might have a few hybrids but that they are rare. Generally species are going to stick with their own kind when their own kind is available, especially if the species around them are too different to produce fertile offspring. In HTTYD, we see that many of the hybrids produced are either produced by subspecies already in the same species or they are produced by individuals so different that they are likely to be infertile, so you're not even going to have hybrids for more than one generation. They happen, they're possible, but they're not common at all. Exactly like what we see with real birds and real crocodilians.

Now do I think the specific type of hybrids seen in Titan Uprising make sense? Not at all! When I first thought of believable hybrids in this franchise, I was thinking about crosses like a Gronckle/Hotburple cross, not a Gronckle/Nightmare cross. That's pretty outlandish and definitely taking leniency from fiction. But the theory behind it does actually check out.

And so that's an overview of my thoughts on hybrids and potential hybrid groups in the franchise and also just some basic facts about dragon hybrids and real-world hybrids in general. It's mostly just a post to answer the big questions before I get to specific hybrids. But I am interested in hearing what people might have to add or if they want to reshuffle or add to any of my potential breeding groups. Knock yourselves out.